The Body Doctor has been presented with its second Queen’s Award for Innovation by Her Majesty’s personal representative, The Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.
The company, which manufactures The Eye Doctor range, received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category for its Sterileyes patented antibacterial compresses used to treat dry eye disease, meibomian gland dysfunction and blepharitis.
The Lord-Lieutenant, Ed Anderson, presented the award in a ceremony at The Body Doctor facility on 7 July, highlighting that this is the “ultimate accolade” for UK businesses.
Dewsbury MP, Mark Eastwood, also joined the presentation, highlighting that the recognition would open more doors for the company, especially internationally.
Sam Wymer, sales and marketing director for The Body Doctor, said: “Winning this prestigious award for the second time just goes to show the determination and commitment we have to the business.”
The Body Doctor is celebrating its 10th year of trading in 2022. The company expects to sell its one millionth Eye Doctor hot eye compress, Wymer said, calling this “quite an unbelievable achievement.”
“We started this business in a sector we knew very little about, but we knew that we could change the industry for the better and change the lives of so many people suffering with eye complications around the world,” Wymer said.
Reflecting on the challenges that The Body Doctor has overcome in recent years, Wymer noted that the company lost 95% of revenue “overnight” following the first COVID-19 lockdown announcement in 2020, as outlets selling their products to customers closed.
“By our nature of being quick to adapt, we successfully recouped the losses by switching to an e-commerce-only company until everything opened back up,” Wymer explained, adding; “Through a lot of late nights and tense family quizzes on Zoom, we came through it and saw record-breaking sales through our website.”
Emphasising the role of the team in the company’s performance, Wymer shared: “We cannot wait to see what we can achieve together in the next 10 years.”
Speaking at the presentation, Dr Hilary Jones said: “This is an incredible accolade, not least because the entry criteria and judging system are so meticulous and all-encompassing.”
“I know how hard this family business has worked to get to where it is today, and I am particularly impressed with their highly researched, innovative products and their focus on customer satisfaction and service,” he continued.
The Body Doctor first won the Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2016.
A representative from the company was invited to an awards reception hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace on 12 July.
Pictured: operations director Adam Wymer; the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson; MD Sue Grant; and sales and marketing director Sam Wymer.