Formby Businessman Celebrates Major Success as Westcoast Workwear is Crowned Southport Business of the Year 2026

13 hours ago
2 min read

A Formby businessman is celebrating a major achievement after the company he owns was crowned Southport Business of the Year 2026, marking another remarkable chapter for a business which itself spent almost two decades based here in Formby.

Westcoast Workwear, owned by Formby resident Tom Mills, received the prestigious title at the Southport Business Awards, held last week at the Marquee Pavilion in Victoria Park.

The awards attracted more than 200 nominations across 13 different categories, celebrating some of the most successful and innovative businesses operating across the area.

For Formby, however, there is a particularly strong local connection to this year’s overall winner.

Westcoast Workwear was actually based in Formby from 1995 until 2014, before eventually relocating to its current premises on Russell Road in Southport.

Today, the company has grown far beyond its local beginnings and operates as a European wide supplier and manufacturer of branded workwear, sports kits and promotional merchandise.

Its impressive client base now includes Premier League football clubs, NHS trusts, superyachts, ski resorts and numerous major national companies.

And its reach is continuing to grow internationally.

Westcoast has recently expanded further into the Middle Eastern market, securing clients in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, taking a business with its roots in Formby to an increasingly global customer base.

At the centre of that growth is Formby resident Tom Mills, who has worked within the industry for more than 12 years.

Tom took over Westcoast Workwear in 2020, and the company has undergone significant expansion under his ownership.

Since taking over, Tom has overseen an impressive 100 per cent growth in revenue, while the business has also doubled the size of both its premises and its workforce.

The Business of the Year award therefore represents much more than a single successful evening. It recognises several years of sustained growth, investment and expansion during a period in which the company has developed its customer base both nationally and internationally.

From its beginnings and many years operating here in Formby, to supplying organisations across Europe and developing new business in the Middle East, Westcoast Workwear has certainly come a long way.

And although the company itself is now based just up the road in Southport, its Formby connection remains firmly in place through owner Tom Mills.