Royal recognition for Batley based HSL as it receives Queen's Award

HSL welcomed a special guest at its head office in Batley on Wednesday as the Lord Lieutenant for West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson formally presented the team with their award.

To mark the occasion, colleagues were provided with Queen’s Award badges in a celebration of the achievement.

The family-run business has more than 50 years’ experience hand-crafting chairs, sofas and beds in West Yorkshire, and is one of 205 organisations nationally to be recognised with a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

HSL has been recognised for its excellence in innovation for its patented innovative frame design, which allows the attachment of a wooden knuckle (armchair handle) using a different technique to the methodology used historically by other furniture manufacturers.

Guy Critchlow, CEO of HSL, said: “It is a huge honour to accept the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for our innovation.

"The team here at HSL are the fabric and heart of the business, so it’s fantastic to see their efforts be recognised in such a prestigious way.

"It is a testimony to our craftsmen and women, who design, develop, and handcraft our extensive range of sofas, chairs and beds.”

William and Debra Burrows, business owners of HSL, said: "We as a family are delighted and hugely proud that HSL has been honoured with a Queen’s Award.

"To win a Queen's Award for Enterprise for our innovation is an amazing and humbling achievement, which directly reflects the skill, passion, and commitment of our team."

In his speech to staff at HSL’s Batley factory, Lord Lieutenant Mr Anderson said: “The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is the most prestigious award that any UK company can gain.”

He added: “I say to every single one of you, many many congratulations. I’m sure you feel immensely proud to be associated with this wonderful company which has won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the category Innovation.”

HSL operates in a highly specialised niche of the wider upholstery furniture market, and the long-established business has been steadfast in creating products that are tailored to its customers.

Its focus is on providing comfortable furniture, fitted to the customer’s size, and supporting the whole body; thereby improving seated posture and enhancing overall personal well-being.

The innovative frame design was born from extensive development and testing, creating a knuckle which is ergonomically designed to perfectly fit the customer’s hand when seated, while also being able to be retro-fitted, removed, and/or replaced.

This innovation enhances the experience for customers, and the furniture’s environmental credentials and manufacturing efficiency.

The frame design underwent extensive resilience testing to comfortably carry the weight of a user of the furniture. The knuckle’s ability to be retro-fitted is especially useful for the additional longevity of the furniture, which already comes with a 25 year frame guarantee.

It means that if a customer chooses to purchase the chair without a knuckle for their own aesthetic reasons, it can be easily fitted later if personal needs change.

Now in its 55th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country, with winning businesses able to use the esteemed Queen’s Awards emblem for the next five years.