Cleveland Containers Takes Home Gold at National Awards

On Friday 2nd December, the team headed to the capital to attend the fifth SME National Business Awards at Wembley Stadium.

Hosted by TV presenter and singer Marina Berry, the awards celebrated the success of hardworking and enterprising SME’s all over the UK.

Following an enjoyable evening of fine dining and entertainment, the winners of all 25 categories were revealed and we were extremely honoured to be announced as winners in two of the three categories we were shortlisted for.

First up, we were announced as the ‘Silver’ winners of Family Business of the Year, coming second to Doddington Care. 

For this category, finalists needed to demonstrate a growing business that keeps its core family values at the centre of every decision.

Cleveland Containers was founded in 2011 by husband-and-wife Johnathan and Jane Bulmer, and continues to be managed by them today. Their son, James, is a long-serving member of the sales team. Through strong leadership and constant investment in employees and stock, Cleveland Containers has become the leading supplier of containers in the UK. We were also shortlisted for Business of the Year more than 50 Employees.

Closing an eventful year with our first ever national award win is incredible. Jane and I are so proud of the entire team for what we have all achieved together and we are all still on an exciting journey. Everyone who attended the event had a fantastic time at Wembley Stadium celebrating the amazing year we’ve had.

Johnathan Bulmer, Chief Executive Officer at Cleveland Containers

Finally, and with strong competition in 17 other finalists, we were elated to be declared as the ‘Gold’ winners of High Growth Business of the Year. For this award, the judges were looking for companies who were racing ahead with their achievements, contributing massively to employment growth, and with plans for even more success.

In the financial year ending February 2022, we achieved a record-breaking turnover of £60 million, growing the business by 65.2% in just one year and welcoming new additions to all departments. More recently, we announced the launch of the Cleveland group, which encompasses Cleveland Containers, and new divisions Cleveland Hire and Cleveland Modular.

This rounds off an incredible year of recognition for the company, having been shortlisted for all 16 awards entered, and winning six, including North East Company of the Year.