Press

Eddie Catz scoops a South London Business Award

24th May 2009

The Eddie Catz team were awarded BEST MEDIUM SIZE BUSINESS at the prestigious annual RBS South London Business Awards celebrated with a gala dinner and Oscar-style awards ceremony in a lavish marquee on the pitch at Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace FC on May 21st.

The Awards were sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland and over 575 people attended the awards ceremony. 52 companies made it to the finals, and every one of London’s twelve south London boroughs was represented.

“This is a major achievement for us as. The qualifying businesses for the Medium Size Business category have a turnover of between £1 and £20 million pounds. We are probably the smallest business that applied in this category so it was an extra special honour to know that we run our business to a high operational standard,” commented Darren Johnson, owner of Eddie Catz and Vice-Chair of the Play Providers Association. “The criteria included operational running of the business, the ability to demonstrate growth, a solid brand and sound financial management.”

Eddie Catz was founded by entrepreneuring London parents Maria and Darren Johnson who wanted to create a space that was more than just a play centre. Eddie Catz now has two southwest London venues offering fun playframes, games, classes, events, and chill out areas for grown-ups. The Eddie Catz concept was thought up over 4 years ago and continues to be a forerunner in the industry for it's uniqueness and excellence in customer service. It also prides itself on partnering with top pre-school class providers and entertainers and now hosts a full curriculum of enrichment and "mother-and-me" classes between its sites for children 0-10.

Eddie Catz is continuing to grow by adding more playcentres to its portfolio as well as soon offering franchises.It has attracted a lot of attention from prime retail developments as well as private investors.

Among the other awards Eddie Catz has received:

• Winner Best UK Family Entertainment Centre Under 12,000sqft, Play Providers ASPIRE Award 2008
• Bronze Finalist Best UK Playcentre Brand, Play Providers ASPIRE Award 2008
• Winner Best Staff Training Scheme, Wandsworth Borough Council Awards 2006
• Runner Up Best Family Restaurant, Time Out Eating and Drinking Awards 2005
• Runner Up Best Brand Identity, Wandsworth Borough Council Awards 2005

The RBS South London Business Awards is now in its third year, having been successfully
launched in 2007 by South London Business Ltd. RBS became title sponsor for the 2009
awards, having been a category sponsor in both 2007 and 2008. Category sponsors
include: the Learning and Skills Council, Thackray Williams LLP, Tentacle Design, Ixion
Holdings Ltd, SWELTRAC and SELTRANS, South London Export Club, and Guardian/News
Shopper newspapers. The awards have attracted registrations from over 250 companies,
and 147 entries have been received for the 2009 awards.