whichfranchise.com Ethnic Minorities & Franchising
exclusively affiliated to the british franchise association
Ethnic Minorities & Franchising
In association with:
In association with:
Partners Nilesh Soneji and Jamal Salloum of Dolland & Aitchison scooped top honours at this year's Lloyds TSB Southern Jewel Awards. As winners of the Healthcare & Education Jewel Award, the pair were chosen from thousands of nominations from across the region, spanning business, education, politics and the charity sector and the panel of judges for the event faced a tough challenge selecting the final winners from this high calibre selection of nominees.
Nilesh Soneji and Jamal Salloum run what is today, one of Dollond & Aitchison (D&A’s) most profitable retail stores in the Country. They acquired their first store in Hammersmith and along with their dedicated staff, were soon able to build their reputation as a trustworthy and professional optical supplier.
In June 2007, D&A recognised their success and approached them to open another store in Teddington, which within the first year, began to exceed targets by more than 50%. They attribute the success of both stores to the continual delivery of superior levels of service to its customers, within a friendly atmosphere. Nilesh and Jamal now have a client base of over 4,000 patients and hope to continue to grow the businesses in the coming years.
Now in its sixth year, the event was held on Saturday 4th October 2008 at the London Hilton, Park Lane. Eight coveted Lloyds TSB Jewel Awards were announced on the night in the following categories: Business & Commerce, Entrepreneur, Healthcare & Education, Professional, Public Service, Retail Food & Franchise and the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Jewel Award. A new award was also launched this year for the Future Leaders and a special award for the Southern region, Asian Corporate 100.
Commenting on the awards, Pete Stilliard, Head of Asian Markets, Lloyds TSB Commercial says: “For half a century, the Asian community in Britain has been making a huge contribution to all aspects of life, not least the economy. I would personally like to congratulate Nilesh and Jamal on this outstanding achievement. This accolade is truly testament to their drive and determination and will undoubtedly provide support for all future Asian businesses for generations to come.
“We’re working hard to make sure that the Asian community has all the help and support it needs from us as a bank. Through these awards, we have had the opportunity to honour and celebrate the many achievements that make the community a source of inspiration to us all.”
Lloyds TSB’s title sponsorship of the Jewel Awards is just one aspect of the bank’s continuing involvement with the UK’s fast growing Asian population. The bank has established itself at the forefront of banking services for the UK’s Asian community and has developed a unique understanding of its Asian customers. As well as specialist teams catering for the business needs of the UK’s Asian community, Lloyds TSB has developed a range of products and specialist services to meet the community’s unique financial requirements.
These feature a range of Islamic banking services, including the Islamic Corporate Banking Account, and a tie-up with India’s second largest bank, ICICI Bank, to provide customers with free money transfers between the UK and India, as well as Rupee mortgages for Indian property purchases.
The Lloyds Southern TSB Jewel Awards was the last of three glittering award ceremonies celebrating the achievements of UK Asian businesses. The Northern Jewel Awards took place on 19th April 2008 at Palace Hotel Manchester and the Central Jewel Awards on 21st June 2008 at NEC Hilton.
STAR TV, the world’s leading Asian satellite channel and the most popular destination for Indian televisual entertainment, are the media partners for this year’s Lloyds TSB Jewel Awards. The Lloyds TSB Southern Jewel Awards will be broadcast on Sunday 2nd November 2008, 6pm on STAR Plus.
