L-R: Adam Petros, Ajay Desai, Ian Kinsella, John Crabtree OBE (Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands), Julie Gordon, Lord Mayor Tony Skipper, Simon Petros
A family business with its origins on Coventry market and now exports supplements all over the world has been given a Royal award for outstanding achievement.
Premier Health Products, based in Wolfe Road, started out as a project between Fakry and Pauline Petros in 1989, with the couple selling vitamins and supplements direct to customers as well as local health stores.
The business grew steadily over the years and in 2001 the couple’s son, Simon, officially joined having grown up offering help wherever and whenever he could.
At the time, Premier Health Products was still primarily focused on trading in the UK but its more recent impressive performance exporting goods to mainland Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia over the last six years, with assistance and guidance from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, has now seen the business receive the The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2017.
Exporting became a major part of what the company does after Simon’s brother Adam joined in 2007, with the pair taking over the reins a few years later following their father’s retirement.
Adam said: “Exporting is around 50 per cent of what we do now but after Dad decided to retire we did find ourselves at a bit of a crossroads.
“We decided to actively pursue foreign markets, we went out to the Middle East and learned about how the market works over there, how we would have to tailor our products to fit in with the culture over there and since then things have really started to develop.”
Premier Health Products has seen its export sales grow by a massive 440 per cent over the past six years thanks to the expertise of the Petros brothers and the 20-strong team in the Coventry office. The Queen’s Award is suitable recognition for all of their hard work.
The pair were invited to a Royal reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by The Queen earlier this year, as well as receiving an official presentation of the award in December.
This saw two of Premier Health Products’ longest serving members of staff, Ian Kinsella and Julie Gordon, who have worked with the company for 18 and 14 years respectively, presented with the Queen’s Award Crystal and Queen’s Award Scroll by John Crabtree OBE, Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands.
The Queen’s Award flag now flies proudly outside the Wolfe Road base, while the Queen’s Award emblem has been put on to all of the company’s marketing and packaging materials.
Simon said: “It has given us that extra confidence to go out there and tackle markets, it certifies us as a successful company and it has given everyone a lift.
“We are proud that a Coventry business, started by a family on the city’s market has grown to this level, we employ people from the local area and we consider this a Coventry achievement.
“We were sponsors of the City of Culture bid too and think it is great what is going on in Coventry right now.”
The firm’s exporting was supported by the Department of International Trade, which is delivered by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce in this area.
Ajay Desai, of the Chamber, said: “Premier Health Products are a shining example of how to expand a local business into an international one and it is a testament to the family’s hard work that they have received the Queen’s Award for International Trade.
“We’d encourage every firm to think about exporting and Premier Health Products is the perfect example of what can be achieved.”
For more information on international trade, contact the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce on 024 7665 4321.
