Environmental Street Furniture (ESF) in Newtownabbey has scooped The Queen's Award for Enterprise, for its outstanding short-term growth in overseas sales in the past three years.

Specialising in the provision of innovative outdoor street furniture and site furnishing products, ESF has experienced a total growth of 415% in international trade over the last three years, with growth increasing year-on-year, whilst the percentage exported has risen from 40.5% to 78%. The company currently sells into 26 markets worldwide with United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, United States of America and Spain being the top five.

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The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious awards for UK businesses, recognising and celebrating business excellence, with winners of the awards having to demonstrate outstanding success in their respective field.

As a result of the global pandemic, ESF's order book was significantly reduced, however the company pivoted their offering, utilising its capabilities to offer solutions to help prevent the spread of diseases. The company launched a range of products including the HydroPod, a portable touch-free, eco-friendly hand washing station, as well as the Stand Up sanitiser dispenser, which has been exported to countries including Canada, Poland and Dubai.

Managing Director of ESF, Alan Lowry, said: "We are overjoyed to receive the Queen’s Award for International Trade. It is a fantastic achievement to see our international success and consistent growth recognised with this honour.

"Like many businesses, it has been a challenging year, but through resilience and recognising the needs of our customers, offering solutions where we can, we have come out the other side. I'm looking forward to continuing our growth, both here in Northern Ireland, as well as internationally."