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Business News
POLITICS BUSINESS NEWS with Andrew Diprose of DORSETBIZNEWS
OnBuy.com, described as the world’s fastest-growing marketplace, has become a Premier Business Partner with Dorset Chamber.
OnBuy says the decision marks its commitment to the county ahead of a worldwide scale-up.
As well as cementing its roots in the region, the move also demonstrates support for the regional business community, alongside its commitment to local recruitment.
OnBuy has also announced it is to invest £10m in Dorset.
The business has held talks with BCP Council about finding a new HQ as it continues to add to its 60+ staff.
The expanding eCommerce company, founded in 2016, has seen dramatic growth in the past year. Sales grew 870 percent from November 2019 to November 2020 and have shot from a rate of £24m to over £170m in one year. The marketplace’s sales are forecast to hit £2bn before the end of 2023.
OnBuy says it’s on a mission to revolutionise the eCommerce sector by providing a fair, transparent and ethical marketplace, benefiting both buyers and sellers. Cas Paton, CEO and winner of Just Entrepreneurs’ Founder of the Year Award 2020, said: “OnBuy has gone from strength to strength in the last four years and after a record-breaking 2020, we’re going to grow even faster in 2021.
“We’ve set our sights on achieving unicorn status and we’re going to achieve that from our HQ right here in Dorset.
“Reaching unicorn status is about establishing the credibility of our vision worldwide, and I’m looking forward to taking our ethical eCommerce ecosystem to the world stage. “We’ll be doubling our Dorsetbased team within the next two years. The county has huge potential - I want to put Dorset on the world stage for tech. “Forget Silicon Valley, it’s all about Silicon Beach now, and OnBuy will be Dorset’s first unicorn tech company. “I’m glad to be working with Dorset Chamber to help realise these ambitions for the area and am looking forward to connecting with more Dorset businesses through the network.”
OnBuy is embarking on a worldwide scale-up into over 140 countries by the end of 2023, starting with 42 initial sites early this year. To support its growth, OnBuy is continually recruiting within the region for a variety of roles. Ian Girling, Chief Executive, Dorset Chamber, said: “OnBuy is one of the most exciting, fastestgrowing businesses in the county and we’re pleased to be able to support the company in realising its ambitions. “Businesses like OnBuy help to keep Dorset on the map for business and entrepreneurialism so that we can continue to attract great talent and encourage more ambitious founders, like Cas, to start their businesses in the county.”
Along with OnBuy’s unprecedented growth, its seller base has increased by ten per cent every month over the last three consecutive months, with more than 600 new sellers joining in November alone. OnBuy has also recently been named eCommerce Company of the Year in the 2020 UK Tech Business Awards.
BUSINESS NEWS
Thousands of residents, schools and businesses are being given a helping hand with their internet bills during the national lockdown.
The Eastbury Hotel and Spa in Sherborne was the Best in Show winner while Summer Lodge Country House Hotel & Restaurant in Evershot received the Best For Pets Perks award. They were among 11 locations in the UK recognised in the awards staged by dog-friendly holiday company PetsPyjamas.
The Eastbury Hotel and Spa impressed PetsPyjamas judges, and received its ‘Best in Show’ title.
Peter and Lana de Savary, Owners of The Eastbury Hotel and Spa said: “The Eastbury Hotel
Hector Gibson Fleming, Managing Wessex Internet, the Director, said: Blandford-based internet provider, is doubling “This is a tough time of year for everybody. “Due to the increasing number the data availability for of people working from its existing customers home, children who are home on limited data tariffs schooling, people who are during January and February free of charge. shielding and businesses that are operating under difficult conditions it is anticipated that more data will be used during this period. Wessex Internet is contacting existing customers who are on limited data tariffs individually to and Spa, with access to lovely country walks and a large private garden, is ideal for dogs. “We would not dream of staying in a hotel that would not welcome us with Monty, our Chihuahua.”
Grade II listed Summer Lodge Country House Hotel &
for Pet Perks’ award thanks to its dog-friendly rooms, including a dog bed; ‘woof’ towels and a ‘dog in room’ door hanger so staff can ready themselves to welcome a four-legged friend. There’s also a dog wash station to rinse pups after walks and a dogs menu.
Hector Gibson Fleming – Wessex Internet inform them of the good news. Wessex Internet is an independent ISP (internet service provider) that uses its proprietary fibre network to deliver ultrafast broadband to Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset and beyond. The company delivers ultrafast internet to thousands of customers whose copper to fibre upgrade was deemed uncommercial by the rest of the telecoms industry. The network consists of more than 150 wireless masts and over 1,500km (932 miles) of fibre delivering ultrafast fibre and wireless coverage to more than 3,500 customers across Dorset, South Wiltshire, South Somerset
Two Dorset hotels have scooped top prizes in PetsPyjamas’ 2020 DogFriendly Travel Awards.
Restaurant received the ‘Best
and parts of Hampshire. General Managers, said: “Seeing both the owners and dogs enjoying the hotel and gardens is such a pleasure for us. “Dogs have always played a very important part in the lives of our owners, The Tollman family. “As General Managers we are also the proud owners of a very friendly Jackadach called Rodney, so it is brilliant to have dogs around us every day at work.”
New Category - and Last call for entries
The organisers of the Sherborne Business Awards have announced that a new category has been added to recognise businesses that have helped their teams cope during the uncertainty caused by the Covid issues.
The Mental Health Awareness award has been added and is now open for entries.
Said Nigel Reeve of the organisers of the awards Marketing West:
‘We are delighted with the response to date, but we still encourage as many businesses as possible to enter. including the new category. The impact of the Covid crisis on mental health across all of us cannot be underestimated, so we are delighted to add this category even at this late stage.”
Entries for the Sherborne Business Awards close on Monday, 25th January 2021. All businesses in the Sherborne area are invited to enter using the simple online form on the awards website: www.sherbornebusinessawards. co.uk.
It’s free to enter and there’s a category to suit every business.
Nigel finished “The more businesses that enter the better so we can use the awards to promote the fantastic range of local businesses.”
The categories are:
Best Community Support (seen to be supporting other businesses or people during the recent issues) Best Customer/Client Service Arts, Crafts and Artisans Best Use of Digital Green Business of the Year New Business of the Year Health, Beauty and Fitness Mental Wellbeing and Awareness Independent Business of the Year Retail Business of the Year Service Provider of the Year Cafe /Pub of the Year Rising Star of the Year (1625 year old either starting out in business or working within a business) Business Leader of the Year Overall Winner
