A London based procurement consultancy has been named a Small Business of The Year by Lloyds Bank for its non-profit work sourcing millions of pieces of PPE for the Health and Social Care sector and donating all proceeds to charities.

Marr Procurement, founded by Christoph Marr in 2015, specialises in all things procurement and helping organisations in sectors including social care, charity and social housing source the goods and services they need at the best price and without compromising on quality.

When the pandemic hit, its’ clients faced challenges sourcing the medical equipment they needed to work safely, so Christoph and his team stepped up to supply more than 65 million items of PPE. All of this work was completed pro bono and fourteen charities benefitted.

Marr Procurement also donated 37,000 face masks to multiple care and charity organisations, including St Helena’s Hospice, near Colchester, a place that’s close to Christoph’s heart, having previously supported his family through some tough times.

Despite the challenges being faced by the business and its core sector clients, Christoph also led a move to diversify its customer base, winning significant new clients in sectors including manufacturing, financial services, maritime and logistics that have all been delivered successfully.

That helped secure the jobs of Marr Procurement’s 20 staff, and positions the business for significant growth growing forward, with a plan to more than double in size within the next two years.

As a result, Marr Procurement has been named a winner in the Lloyds Bank Small Business of 2021 awards, which celebrate small and local businesses across the UK.
The business was selected in recognition of how creatively and quickly it adapted to the challenges of the last year, and how it went over and above expectations to support those in need.

The prize is a mentoring session with Tamara Lohan MBE, co-founder of the boutique hotel travel specialists Mr & Mrs Smith, which will provide insight and support to help Christoph and Marr Procurement navigate new opportunities and grow his business in the years ahead.

Christoph said: “When the pandemic hit, many of our clients were operating under incredible stress. Our first thoughts were to protect our colleagues and to support the organisations that helped us get where we are today, however we could.

“Most immediately, that meant securing supplies of PPE so they could continue their vital work safely, and we were happy to work for free and donated 100% of our PPE profits to 14 charities.

“While health and social care remains our core focus, we’ve also managed to broaden our client base, taking the business into new sectors utilising the experience of our people and building a stronger business.

“We’re a values-based business, founded on the principles of integrity and delivering real value to our clients, and we’ve got exciting plans to grow and create new jobs as the economy continues its recovery.”

Paul Gordon, managing director of SME and Mid Corporates at Lloyds Bank, said: “So many inspiring stories have emerged from the shadow of the pandemic, especially of people using their skills and experience to support organisations that are on the front line, helping vulnerable people.

“Marr Procurement is a great example of a business with a strong entrepreneurial spirit which also works for the greater good. It is truly deserving of this award.”