The newly named Outsanding Acheivement Award was presented to Antony and Richard Joseph, co-founders of Joseph Joseph during the virtual Excellence in Housewares Awards 2020 last week. Sponsored by Lifetime Brands, the final award of the evening took the place of the former Honorary Achievement Award.
“The winner of this Outstanding Achievement Award has elevated housewares into aspirational lifestyle ‘must haves.’ They have created kitchen and home products that solve problems and have their own distinct and coveted style language,” said Progressive Housewares’ editor Jo Howard in a speech leading up to the announcement of the winners’ names.
Remembering Joseph Joseph’s first entry into the early EIH Awards (distinctive glass chopping boards), Jo reflected that the “brand started out with bold ideas and vision, which have carried it forward through the past two decades to make it an international household name, and multi-million pound business, which has flooded the world with colour.”
In an acceptance speech, Richard also looked back at the Joseph Joseph’s first years, saying “Thank you to everyone who helped us in the early days.” He acknowledged the wholehearted support and encouragement from retailers and fellow suppliers, which “speaks volumes about the people who make our industry so wonderful.” Following on from Richard, Antony Joseph acknowledged that the brothers had fulfilled every role in their business as they started out, and paid tribute to everyone who makes up the company today, emphasising: “It’s all about the team!”
Messages of congratulations for Antony and Richard poured in from the industry last night, as virtual guests used the chat function of the EIH Awards (hosted on the events platform Hopin).