A COMPANY has been nominated for a prestigious national award in recognition of its rapid growth in international markets.

Agon Systems – one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electronic article surveillance equipment – is based in Polegate.

It has been nominated in the British Small Business Awards Exporter of the Year category after its flagship product, the Concept Tag, had been picked up by retailers in over 20 countries.

These include France, Spain, Turkey, Russia and Australia.

Since its launch in late 2015 it has been installed by some of the biggest high-street names such as River Island, John Lewis, Matalan and JD Sports.

The company has already appointed dedicated staff in Australia and is looking to do the same for North America, to take advantage of the growing popularity of the Concept Tag as an effective retail loss prevention tactic.

The tag is a revolutionary EAS tagging device created by Agon Systems that has been proven to reduce illicit tag removal and deter criminals.

MD Sean Welch said: “The Concept Tag is truly a revolutionary new product in an industry that had not seen a major change in tag design for over 20 years, and the whole team is delighted to be considered for this prestigious national award.

“We’ve achieved a lot in a short space of time with a small team, and we’re looking forward to seeing just how far we can take the tag in the future.”

The British Small Business Award judges will select a winner next month with the awards ceremony taking place at London’s Grand Connaught Rooms on Wednesday November 1.

The Concept Tag has been proven to reduce retail theft in stores by up to 66 per cent.

It has already received the Best Newcomer Award at the Retail Fraud Awards, the biggest such accolade for new and innovative products in their particular trade arena.

The firm is situated in Dittons Road.