The newly launched Purley Business Improvement District has been nominated for the Business award in the 2015 Croydon Champions.
Based in the High Street, the company was founded three months ago and had its official launch to coincide with the beginning of the Purley Festival at the end of June.
Co-founder and chairman Simon Cripps, who is also chairman of the Purley Business Association, explained the reasons for his new company.
He said: “We are a non-profit company that is looking to improve Purley and give something back to the community.
“We have been running the Purley Business Association, but realised we couldn’t achieve what we wanted to.
“So after speaking to other business improvement companies and finding out how they benefit the community, we decided that this was the best way to go.”
The primary focus of a business improvement company is to benefit the community. The Purley BID requires all member businesses to put two per cent of its annual profits into a pot, which is then used to promote the town through advertising, organising events, and working with the council on potential investment.
Mr Cripps said: “Currently we’ve worked and achieved to get better car parking facilities and are looking to make people’s experiences when visiting the town centre greater.
“We have a bid pending for next February, to see whereabouts to improve the town and how we go about doing this in terms of funding.”