PRESS RELEASE
25 February 2009
The BSI Kitemark, one of the most recognized business brands in the country, has been categorized as a ‘Superbrand’ in the Top 500 Business Superbrands chart for the second year running, moving up 105 places in 2009.
The Kitemark, the label on products and services which indicates that they have met stringent safety and quality specifications, entered the Top 500 Superbrands league for the first time last year. Now, in only its second chart appearance, it has reached number 138 overall; and number three in its category of “Support Services: Associations and Accreditations”.
The Business Superbrands table is published by the Centre for Brand Analysis following an assessment by an independent council of experts and more than 1,500 business professionals. This establishes which brands have the finest reputation in their field and offer advantages that customers want, recognize and are confident about buying. All Business Superbrands represent quality, reliability and distinction.
BSI Group, which owns the Kitemark brand, has been a Top 500 Superbrand in its own right for five consecutive years, this year reaching a position of 204, also in the ‘Support Services: Associations and Accreditations’ category.
Not only is the Kitemark highly rated in the business sector, a recent survey by YouGov showed that it commands respect among consumers too. Almost half of purchasers (49%) look for the mark when buying goods and services. Recently, the Kitemark went online with a new service called Kitemark.com, which makes it easy for businesses and consumers to check which products and manufacturers have undergone testing and assessment to be awarded a Kitemark.
Many of the brands that carry Kitemark certification have also achieved Business Superbrand Top 500 status this year. Chubb, 3M, Blue Circle, Pilkington, Saint Gobain, Stanley, Bostik, Honeywell, TDK, Lafarge, Ingersoll Rand, Pitney Bowes, Castle Cement and Tarmac.
David Ford, Managing Director at BSI Product Services says: “The fact that both BSI Group and the Kitemark have achieved Superbrand status is testament to their prominence as leading the way in certification. We are investing further in promoting the Kitemark, through services such as Kitemark.com, so that businesses and consumers continue to look for the mark, and manufacturers and service providers gain a true advantage of holding a Kitemark licence. We believe this will help more companies seek Kitemark certification.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS
For media information:
James Tate
Henley Group International
Tel: +44 (0)1491 570971
Mobile: +44 (0)7976 794398
Email: james@henley.co.uk
About BSI Product Services
With its Global HQ in Hemel Hempstead, UK, BSI Product Services is the testing and certification arm of the world-renowned BSI Group. BSI’s testing and certification capabilities are amongst the most highly-rated in the world. BSI provides product/service testing and certification to UK, European and International standards and is the UKAS accredited Notified Body for 17 of the New Approach EU Directives. For further information please visit www.bsigroup.com/productservices.
About the Kitemark®
The Kitemark is one of the most respected product quality marks in the world, demonstrating that a wide range of products from lighting to fire extinguishers conform to standards, ensuring that vital safety and performance requirements are met.
The word Kitemark and the Kitemark logo are registered trade marks of BSI. A combination of a quality based system, such as BS EN ISO 9001 or a similar quality system, with advanced product/service testing provide the basis for a Kitemark scheme offering trust, integrity and quality. For further information please visit www.bsigroup.com/kitemark.
About BSI Group
BSI Product Services is part of BSI Group, a global independent business services organization that inspires confidence and delivers assurance to customers with standards-based solutions. Originating as the world’s first national standards body, the Group has over 2,300 staff operating in over 120 countries through more than 50 global offices. The Group’s key offerings are:
• The development and sale of private, national and international standards and supporting information
• Second and third-party management systems assessment and certification
• Product testing and certification of services and products
• Performance management software solutions
• Training services in support of standards implementation and business best practice.
For further information please visit www.bsigroup.com.
