STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS


Hammer falls on record year


2016 was the busiest year yet for multi-award winners John Pye Auctions as the company reached record sales and saw its staff numbers expand to over 250. The business sold a record number of more than 1.5 million items,


with everything from sofas and iPhones to precious gem stones and Formula One racing cars going under the hammer through the online public auction site. Managing Director Adam Pye said: “This has been a fantastic 12


months for the business. We are celebrating the first full year of trading at our London showroom in Mayfair, we have opened a new facility in South Wales, which is the largest indoor auction hub in Europe, and we have won several national and regional awards including Family Business of the Year. “2016 has been a triumph year, not just for online


sales, but having also extended our client base with many of the best-known high street retailers. “We continue to see an increasing demand for


Adam Pye


the service we offer and the way we conduct our auctions. How people shop is changing and the number of consumers that choose to purchase products through an online auction is growing year-on-year.” Second generation-owned John Pye Auctions started trading nearly 50 years ago, when John Pye began probate property clearances that no other auctioneers in Nottingham wanted. Since then, the business has turned into the UK’s largest commercial auction house. It now operates across 20 UK sites.


Dr Kettley (far right) with the research team


The smart way to overcome anxiety


A smart textiles research project, which involved people with mental health conditions, found it helped participants experience lower levels of anxiety. The research - led by Dr Sarah


Kettley, a reader in product design at Nottingham Trent University, in collaboration with the mental health charity Mind – aimed to help ensure that people with mental illnesses are not designed out of new technologies. The £333,000 project used a


psychological method of the person-centred approach. Participants in the Nottingham


Trent University study said that by taking part in smart textiles workshops – during which they


learned to create their own smart textile garments – they experienced better concentration, improved confidence in a group setting, and reduced levels of anxiety. Dr Kettley said: “The aim of the


research was to raise new questions about how e-textiles can be personalised and how they can empower people. “We were very pleased with the


results as it is imperative that people with mental health issues are more empowered in the development of new technologies.” The project was funded by a


grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and was run in conjunction with Nottinghamshire Mind Network.


Exporting advice takes off with bmi regional


Businesses from around the Midlands joined bmi regional, Birmingham Airport and the Department for International Trade (DIT) at a corporate event designed to assist them develop internationally. The Midlands Exporters breakfast briefing took place in Birmingham, attracting almost 30 businesses from across the region.


The free event, held onboard the


Department for International Trade’s Export Hub roadshow truck, focused on how businesses in the Midlands can maximise export opportunities. bmi regional’s Chief Commercial


Officer Jochen Schnadt spoke on the airline’s new hub from Birmingham, how to use existing air routes for business and the potential to influence new routes.


Businesses were also able to


receive advice on developing an export strategy from the DIT’s international trade experts and browse through thousands of export opportunities on interactive screens. Jochen said: “According to


Government figures, 85% of companies say exporting has led to a level of growth not otherwise possible.


“We know how important


convenient and reliable connections to these new overseas markets can be and we are pleased to have provided guidance for businesses in the Midlands.” bmi regional began flights to


Graz last month. Nuremberg and Gothenburg


routes will launch on 8 May, with six return flights per week.


THE CHAMBER IS HONOURED BY THE SUPPORT OF ITS STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS


business network March 2017


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