A Worcester-based coat hanger manufacturing business has fought off competition from hundreds of other candidates to reach the final 50 in the HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards.

Now, M2M of Claines is hoping to scoop the top prize of £20,000 in the national search to find tomorrow's entrepreneurs of today.

The man behind M2M is Nick Lewis, who spotted a potential gap in the market while shopping for clothes. He noticed that, even at the top end of the market, garments were being poorly displayed and sometimes even damaged by the use of inferior hangers.

He decided to develop a hanger that could be adjusted to match the width of each individual garment and prevent mis-shaping.

It was two years before registered designs and patents were granted for the new Made to Measure hanger.

And, in spite of considerable interest from retailers, the major manufacturers were unwilling to invest in the new tooling necessary to take the hanger into mass production.

Nick's only choice was to go it alone, investing in a single impression tool to allow him to prove the concept and test the market.

Since its establishment in October 2001, M2M has shown a lot of early promise.

The new hanger is selling well to the consumer market through the Innovations catalogue and is being used on a limited basis by a number of clothing boutiques and brands including BMW.

Using his experience as an internet consultant, Nick has also set up a website which allows secure purchases on-line.

The revolutionary new hanger has won a Product Design Award from the Design Council and recently featured on the BBC's Best Inventions show. Turnover to date has been between £25-30,000.

Most recently, Nick has successfully set up a joint venture with manufacturers in China to take the hanger into mass production.

The manufacturing partnership includes links with markets in the US and opens the way to outlets in the garment industry worldwide.

"The potential for the product's development is enormous and I am confident that the move into mass production is the key to a major expansion for M2M," he said.

Judging of the 10 national finalists will take place in September.

The awards will then culminate in a presentation ceremony at London's Savoy Hotel on Wednesday, October 3, where the overall winner will be announced before an audience of more than 250 guests.