37 local brands honoured at Singapore Prestige Brand Award 2020/21

THIRTY-SEVEN local home-grown brands were named as winners of the Singapore Prestige Brand Award (SPBA) 2020/21 at its awards certificate ceremony held on Friday (Jan 28).

Across 4 award categories - promising brands, established brands, heritage brands and special merit - 31 brands emerged as first-time winners. The brands range across various sectors including those from the beauty and wellness, healthcare, real estate, retail, food and beverage, education and manufacturing.

SLEEPNIGHT, Union Casket and White Restaurant were repeated winners clinching awards in the established brands category this year. ACHIEVE Group, Four Star, Union Energy were repeated SPBA winners under the heritage brands category.

Jointly organised by the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) and Lianhe Zaobao, the award is in its 20th year of honouring local brands for their branding excellence and achievements.

The overall winners and most popular brand award of each category (except for special merit) will be announced during the award presentation dinner expected to be held some time in March or April, said the awards organising committee.

The positive response for this year's awards shows that even while weathering a pandemic, business enterprises recognise the value of nurturing a strong brand to ensure business longevity, said Chew Lee Ching, chairman of the SPBA 2020/21 organising committee.

"As these have been 2 very difficult years, this year's SPBA will also recognise brands that have transformed themselves through digitalisation and technological innovations to emerge stronger and future-fit," she added.

RHB Singapore is the official bank for SPBA for the third time running, while Huawei International is on board as the technology partner for the first time. Maserati is the official car and Samsung Electronics Singapore is the gold sponsor for SPBA.

Huawei has been committed to being the "best partner" for local businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups for over 20 years, said Ivan Low, chief strategy officer at Huawei International.

Daniel Yeo, head of business product, control and transaction banking at RHB Singapore, said: "Our commitment to SMEs remains strong despite the current economic climate and we are extremely encouraged to see many SMEs being recognised for this award year on year."

Nick Syn, director of Tridente Automobili, noted that it is essential to support the spirit of entrepreneurship in Singapore amid the uncertain economic climate over the past 2 years that has been challenging for businesses.

To qualify for the promising brands category a business must be established between 3 to 8 years, for the establised brands category - more than 5 years, and for the heritage brands category - more than 25 years. The special merit category, which is by the awards organising committee's invitation only, recognises government agencies and not-for-profit organisations that have made significant efforts in branding.

For 3-year-old dental clinics operator 1728 Dental Practice, winning the SPBA award for the first time under the promising brands category, is important and allows for the brand to be recognised, said its executive director, Kareen Kan.

Another first-time winner under the heritage brands category - ECON Healthcare, operates nursing homes in Singapore, China and Malaysia, as well as provides careskill training and home care services.

"We are deeply encouraged to be recognised for this award, and we will continue to stay focused in offering the best care and attention for our seniors and family members that we serve, and we really want to fly the Singapore flag high," said Ong Hui Ming, deputy chief executive of ECON Healthcare.

Two-time SPBA winner, White Restaurant, clinched in the established brands category this time, having won entreprenuer of the year and promising brands awards previously. It runs 7 restaurants in Singapore and is eyeing to open an outlet in New York, on April or early May this year.

"SPBA is a very prestigious award. For myself, for my team, it really boosts our morale," said Victor Tay, managing director of White Restaurant. "It gives our suppliers and customers more confidence in our brand. It helps in overseas opportunites also."

During her speech at the awards ceremony, Chew highlighted City Energy, a 160-year-old town gas and energy solutions company that rebranded itself from City Gas since Dec 1. The company participated in SPBA for the first time and won in the heritage brands category.

Soh Guan Hong, senior vice president of City Energy, noted that the award is a "strong testament" to the company's hardwork and spurs them in their mission to bring green energy to homes and businesses.

Read more:

• Singapore Prestige Brand Award 2020/21 celebrates firms that have overcome Covid-19 challenges
• Honouring homegrown companies with strong branding messages