Czech company HIT OFFICE s.r.o. once again shined among the finalists of the prestigious Czech Exporter Awards (OČE) competition, which annually honors the exceptional achievements of Czech companies in the field of exports. HIT OFFICE became a finalist already in 2020, and this year it confirmed its exceptionality.
The press release announcing the Czech Exporters Award published a list of successful companies that became finalists of the competition. For this year, already the fourth year, 165 purely Czech companies were registered, of which 118 met the demanding competition criteria. The OČE finalists employ around 18,000 people and exported goods and services worth billions of crowns last year, contributing to a total turnover exceeding 64 billion crowns.
The OČE competition aims to support prosperous Czech companies whose exports make up at least 20 percent of their sales. Companies with Czech owners, an annual turnover of more than 10 million crowns, double-entry accounting for a period of at least four years and with at least 20 percent of sales from exports could apply for the competition.
The Czech Exporters Award is a key award for domestic companies that successfully operate on international markets. "The competition supports the entrepreneurial story, transparency and economic results of the participants," said Helena Kohoutová, founder of the project and the Helas Business Platform.
In the special categories of the competition, the company Igluu was also awarded, which won the Export Hero award under the patronage of the CzechTrade agency. The company profiles itself as a startup company focused on the export of products and services with high added value in the area of smart cities. Its activities include participation in world expositions, which ranks it among the major actors in the field of export.
Economic expert Tomáš Sedláček, who was once again the patron of the competition, emphasized the importance of supporting successful Czech businesses. In times of global change, the experience of exporters can be key to successfully overcoming business challenges.
Export and Innovation as a Path to Competitiveness
Despite the negative effects of the covid and energy crisis, which Czech exporters have faced in the last four years, Czech exports are breathing new life into growth. The criteria for the winners of the OČE competition were not only the economic results of the participants based on rating and scoring, but also an interesting story, the courage of the founders and business owners and their successful activities on foreign markets.
"For more than 25 years, we have been supporting purely Czech companies, through competitions that value economic results, business stories, transparency and, last but not least, whether the company is also active on foreign markets. Export is an important part of the Czech economy, and another aspect is that companies that export their products, services or know-how represent the Czech Republic all over the world," said Helena Kohoutová.
The experience of this year's finalists shows that Czech companies that want to maintain their competitiveness should invest in innovation, increase efficiency and productivity, and expand their scope abroad. This was also confirmed by Martin Chocholáček, vice president of Enterprise Investors, which sponsored the category Prizes for the greatest potential.
"These are usually companies with a unique product that operate in a growing market and are able to scale internally and adapt to market conditions," added Martin Chocholáček.