Business of the Year (sponsored by Stateside Foods)

Magnum Utilities

A BUSINESS that only located its headquarters in Bolton two years ago has grown to earn its place as a finalist for the Business of the Year Award 2019.

Magnum Utilities now has 120 employees and is based in Spa Road. Although still only a young company, it has grown its headcount and turnover exponentially, building its order book from one client to contracts with an additional 11 and more in the pipeline.

The industry it operates in already recognises Magnum as an award-winner and as a demonstratively key player influencing the market. It has also recently attracted significant investment from business interests in America.

Magnum has already generated a reputation for excellence – in safety, quality and customer service - and its industry partners are quick to recommend the company to their contacts.

At the beginning of 2018, the company was servicing its only customer – the energy supplier it started operations with at its inception in 2016. At that time, Magnum was responsible for supporting a base of fewer than 100,000 meters.

Commented Managing Director Stuart Convery: “Magnum Utilities has now installed over 125,000 smart meters. From our Bolton headquarters, Magnum provides installation and support services to 14 different energy suppliers – for an order book that includes the responsibility for over one million customers’ meter points, with a field-force that operates from the north of Scotland down to Cornwall and the South coast.

“Our people are focussed on providing the highest level of customer service always with a prime directive, working with mains gas and electricity, for the highest standards of health and safety.”

He added: “Being nominated for this award in the Bolton business community is testament to the hard work and expertise of all our staff and is an important acknowledgement of an ambitious, adaptable and flexible business.”

Scan Computers

A COMPANY which grew from humble beginnings in Little Lever to become close partners with technology’s household names is a finalist for the Business of the Year Award 2019.

Scan Computers, which now employs 240 people at its Middlebrook headquarters, focusses on providing high-quality, custom-built PCs and components to consumers and business in the UK and beyond.

Financially, the last year was the most successful in Scan’s history. In a challenging market, overall sales rose by around 20 per cent and net profit was the highest in the company’s history. All of this profit is invested back into the business to help meet ambitious growth plans.

Scan’s multi award-winning “3XS” PCs are designed, built and delivered by skilled, motivated and ambitious staff to the highest standards in Scan’s state-of-the-art factory.

Ninety per cent of Scan’s revenue comes from online sales but there is also a physical retail store on Middlebrook. This impressive space allows customers to browse products and get face-to-face advice from experts on anything from gaming PCs to home entertainment and gadgets.

Last year, Scan won 16 national awards and consistently provides outstanding customer service which is at the heart of everything it does. Each customer knows the name of the individual engineer building their PC and deals with them directly. Customers can even follow its progress being built via a live webcam.

Scan has made a huge investment in marketing in the last year, having built an in-house broadcast-standard production studio for creating its own rich, online content.

Commented Head of Marketing Matt Hindley: “It has been a privilege to contribute to the local economy and to bring innovation and growth to this great community.

“We’re very proud of our Bolton heritage and it’s an honour to be a finalist for the Business of the Year Award.”