Which? Awards 2013 winners revealed

The best in business have been celebrated at a ceremony in central London as the Which? Awards 2013 winners were crowned.

The Which? Awards, launched in 2007, were co-hosted by TV presenter Natasha Kaplinsky and Which? Chief Executive Peter Vicary-Smith. The Awards publicly recognise and celebrate the very best businesses in the UK that consistently get it right for consumers.

Aldi has been named Best Supermarket for its impressive range of Best Buys, quality food and good pricing.

Three companies are celebrating receiving a Which? Award for the first time.  NFU Mutual was crowned Best Financial Services Provider for its excellent performance and great customer feedback and technology company LG claimed the prize for the Best Audio-Visual Brand.

There were two new categories in this year’s Which? Awards 2013, one recognising excellence in customer care and another in computing.  Samsung claimed victory in the Best Computing Brand category for its breadth of high performing models across the whole range. Amazon, which is also a first time winner, won Best Customer Care for its great customer feedback and demonstrating excellent service.

Feedback from Which? members saw the Hampstead & Highgate Heating & Plumbing Company, based in Enfield, claim Which? Local Business of the Year.

Which? chief executive, Peter Vicary-Smith, said:

“In these tough economic times it’s fantastic that there are companies who still go the extra mile for their customers to provide good quality service and value for money products. Being recognised by Which? is not just a mark of excellence, it can boost business. Research shows approval from Which? can influence people’s purchasing decisions and a third of people who’ve seen one of our endorsements say it might even make them increase how much they are prepared to spend.”

Notes for editors:

1.The Which? Awards 2013 winners, in full, are:

Best Car Manufacturer: Skoda

Best Home Appliance Brand: Bosch

Best Retailer: John Lewis

Best Computing Brand: Samsung

Best Audio-Visual Brand: LG

Best Financial Services Provider: NFU Mutual

Best Telecom Services Provider: Tesco Mobile

Best Supermarket: Aldi

Best Photography Brand: Panasonic

Best Customer Care: Amazon

Which? Local Business of the Year: The Hampstead & Highgate Heating & Plumbing Co., Enfield, Middlesex

The Good Food Guide Readers’ Restaurant of the Year: Delifonseca, Liverpool

2. We recognise businesses that have achieved positive change and deliver excellent products and services that score highly in our research and testing. We award businesses across a wide range of sectors from cars to retailers, banks to home appliances and local businesses. The Which? Awards are completely independent and businesses can’t put themselves forward to win an award.

3. The Which? Local Business of the Year Award is based on member feedback we receive, via the Which? Local website, on local businesses each year.

4. Our endorsement research1 shows:

· Eight in ten (83%) of those aware of the Which? endorsement scheme, whether that’s a Which? Award, one of our Best Buys or a Which? Recommended Provider, said it would positively influence their purchasing decision.

· Nearly half (45%) said it made them more likely to purchase a product than an alternative without an endorsement.

· And a third (34%) of those that had seen or heard of the Which? endorsement scheme recently said that it might even make them increase their budget to buy a recommended product.

1TNS interviewed 2,442 UK adults online between 19th and 25th March 2013. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all UK adults. TNS is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

Visit the Which? Awards website.

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