Page 18 - KZN Top Business Portfolio 2021/22- eBook

Irfaan Cassim, Kuben Chetty, Michelle Bennett, Sidney Reddy, Imraan Noorbhai
and Hameed Noormahomed

To be eligible for a category award, entrants need to Imperial Armour cc was established in October 2000
demonstrate how their companies have embraced and this year, celebrates 21 years in business. The
the core values of business excellence, sustainability, company’s experience, excellent quality, and continual
and responsibility, which are principles in line with innovations has made it the leading manufacturer of
the King IV Report on Corporate Governance in South personal protective equipment in KwaZulu-Natal.
Africa 2016.
The finalists are:
The 2021 event included a number of new categories
that reflect the challenges businesses are currently ƒ Icebolethu Group
facing. The judges had an enormous task assessing ƒ Capitol Caterers
the entries and obtained much insight into the ƒ Mi7 National Group (Pty) Ltd
business heart of KwaZulu-Natal in the stories of Family Business
success that were shared. Members of the public
were also able to get involved and show just how This category was open to businesses where the
much their local businesses mean to them by voting majority ownership remains within a family (or multi-
for the top brand in KwaZulu-Natal which was family) structure, and where more than one generation
awarded based only the results of a SMS poll. The contributes to the success of the business.
interest in this category is especially reflected in the The winner is Hirsch’s.
huge range of brands that are selected and in the
large number of votes cast. Hirsch’s have been operating in KwaZulu-Natal for the
last 42 years and have become a household name.
The arithmetical accuracy of the judges’ votes was They are the largest independently owned electronics
checked by PKF Durban. and appliance retail outlet in southern Africa with a
CATEGORIES turnover well over the billion-rand mark. The chain
of mega appliance and home furnishing stores are
Business Innovation
located in KwaZulu-Natal, the Cape and Gauteng. The
Businesses entering in this category were required whole family is involved in the day-to-day business
to provide evidence of an innovative approach to operations. Allan is the founder and chairman,
products, or processes, which has contributed to the Margaret is the executive director, Richard is the
success of the business. Judges were also interested CEO and Luci is the voice of Hirsch’s and the brand
to hear from businesses who have pivoted their manager. As a family, the Hirsch’s form a formidable
operations as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
force supported by their management team who have
The winner is Imperial Armour. a strong commitment to the same goals. Hirsch’s are

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