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WEST SUSSEX COMPANY RANKED
AMONGST COUNTRY’S BEST NEW
BUSINESSES IN
HSBC START-UP STARS AWARDS

Four West Sussex business professionals, who run a pet accessory company, have outperformed hundreds of entrepreneurs to reach the Southern Regional Finals of the 2008 HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards.

The national contest, now in its eighth year, is designed to seek out the most promising start-up businesses in the UK.

Annette Denby, Paul Hartley, Nicola Hartley and Victoria Hartley, who started Reg and Ruby Pet Accessories in August 2006, are now hoping to scoop the top title and a cheque for £50,000, courtesy of HSBC.

What do you give the dog that has everything?

An edible greetings card, of course!

Whether it’s a birthday or valentine’s greeting, Easter, Top Dog or just a ‘Paw U’ message, there’s an edible
card suitable for every canine, as well as seasonal gifts such as tasty Advent calendars, Easter eggs and Easter bunnies. The cards and gifts are all made from rawhide, a natural animal by-product that is the doggy equivalent of chocolate.

There are more than seven million dogs in the UK and the indications are that owners are spending increasing amounts of money on their beloved pets. For Reg and Ruby, this mans big business and, since their launch in 2006, they have made significant process.

With secure orders from Harrods, Selfridges and Pets at Home, the company is tapping into a high spend
market, while they also distribute to more than 100 web-based companies and are currently in negotiation with a major supermarket. They have a patent pending for the UK and the USA and are now breaking into the US market, placing their first range of products with Toys R Us.

Reg and Ruby Pet Accessories is one of 20 companies to secure a place in the Southern Regional Finals. Their entry will now be considered by a local panel of business experts who will select the top 10 start-up companies in the South to go forward to the national judging.

This year there will be six heats, generating 60 Regional Winners from throughout the UK. From this pool of talented entrepreneurs, the top 10 will be invited to London to convince the national judging panel why they should be named ‘Start-Up Star 2008’.

The overall Winner will be revealed at a black-tie gala dinner at London’s Dorchester Hotel on 29th October.

A cheque for £5,000 will also be presented to the business scooping the Green Award, demonstrating they are putting the environment at the top of their business agenda.

As official supporter of the Awards, Google will be offering £5,000 of AdWords and a visit to their London office as a prize to both the National Winner and the Green Award Winner. Each of the runners-up will receive £2,500 of AdWords.

Huw Morgan, HSBC’s Head of Business Banking, said: “The 2008 HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards are the biggest and best yet.

The ‘Greet me-eat me’ card is an original concept created by the West Sussex company, Reg and Ruby Pet Accessories, which designs and manufactures cards for a range of occasions.

.“Last year, HSBC alone helped nearly 130,000 new ventures get off the ground, and this is representative of the entrepreneurial talent that exists in Britain today. “Many are still only small businesses, but with big ideas. We are proud Start-Up Stars can contribute to their aspirations and that the Awards play a pivotal role in identifying the business leaders of the future.”

For information on how to get a business off the ground, would-be entrepreneurs can go to HSBC’s Knowledge Centre at www.knowledge.hsbc.co.uk or they can obtain a copy of HSBC’s free Starting a Business pack by calling 0800 328 4912* or visiting an HSBC branch.

* Textphone 1800 10800 028 3516. Lines are open 8am to 10pm every day (excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day). Communications may be monitored and/or recorded.