CITY FENCING FIRM NOW BY ROYAL APPROVAL OF KING!
Market leader receives enterprise award from Charles
STAFF at a Stoke-on-trent fencing firm are celebrating after receiving a King’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.
Fenton-based Barkers Fencing is the UK’S leading high security fence and gate manufacturer.
The award is in recognition of their ‘exceptional success’ in international trade, which saw sales grow by 82% in the threeyear application period.
The award is the most prestigious for UK businesses, and bosses have described it as a ‘tremendous achievement’.
Barkers’ design and manufacture a huge range of steel fencing and gates, much of which is exported globally everywhere from the Falkland Isles and the USA, right across the globe to Japan and New Zealand.
Innovative products such as Stronguard RCS and Secureguard RCS – patented fences that can stop a 7.5tonne vehicle at 30mph – offer perimeter security and protect people and other valuable assets. While bosses say the experience, passion and work ethic of the employees at Barkers is the real key to their export success.
Managing director Andrew Rowe says the 185-strong team at their Fenton site have a winning combination of skills and aptitude, with friendliness, integrity and a ‘customer -first’ attitude.
He added: “The following words, received from the King’s Award office are surely some of the most momentous and rewarding Barkers have received in our over 160-year history: ‘I am delighted to inform you that His Majesty the King has approved the Prime Minister’s recommendation that your company should receive a King’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category this year.’
“As you can imagine that sentence was met with sheer jubilation by the team.
“Virtually every country in the world has their own fencing industry, but our customers recognise the added value in Barkers specialist products and the technical expertise, experience and friendly service we offer.
“It’s the whole package that gets exported globally, not just the product.
“To commemorate and celebrate the occasion we will be holding a ‘Barkers Bank Holiday’ for all our team on Friday 24th May. The King’s Award is a just reward for the efforts in manufacturing our incredible products and selling to the world to keep people and properties safe and secure.”
Barkers now joins more than 7,000 UK enterprises that have received this Royal recognition since the Awards were first created in 1965, then known as The Queen’s Award for Industry.