Palmers Plimmerton ?proud owner? Richard Persson is humble about the top retail accolade. ?The three businesses we were up against are really good, so I was preparing myself for a runner-up spot,? Mr Persson says. Pitted against the Windmill Quality Cake Shop and The Piano Shop in the Porirua City Business Excellence Awards, they came out on top at the awards evening on October 31. ?They are both two fantastic businesses, we were absolutely thrilled, I wouldn?t wipe the smile off my face,? he says. The gardening business has grown leaps and bounds over the past few years to become a community hub with a sustainable vision. Mr Persson says the recession has been kind to them, with more people tending to their gardens and growing food. ?We have really boomed through the recession. ?The fruit and vegetable growing has seen a huge boom, over 100 percent growth in the past year, people are very keen on self sustainability,? he says. Garden centre staff played a lead-role in gaining the award, with their defined roles in the business allowing them room to achieve. ?They have high standards and the flair of staff displays has been very good at attracting people. ?Our staff have a real talent,? Mr Persson says. Palmers Plimmerton has sponsored the building of gardens in local schools and also hosted this year?s Plimmerton Clean-Up Day. They are currently running a ?Giant Pumpkin competition? and invite the community to enter. Porirua Chamber of Commerce organises the awards and Executive Director Simon Calvert says they are a great way to celebrate business innovation. ?The quality and the diversity of our local businesses makes Porirua stand out and it is important to celebrate that success,? says Mr Calvert. There were over 600 nominations to the awards and 32 finalists were chosen over 11 award categories.
