In Brief: Surgical Innovations; Lord Mayor of City of London; Leeds Bradford Airport; Clipper

KEYHOLE surgery specialist Surgical Innovations Group today said it had received and dispatched an initial stocking order from US distributor Surgioscopy worth £141,000.
 
SI announced in its recent half year results the appointment of Surgioscopy on a three year agreement to promote SI products across 10 mid-west states from Texas to Minnesota.
 
Owner and president of Surgioscopy, Dave Shaw, commented: “We couldn’t be more pleased to have garnered a relationship with Surgical Innovations and look forward to a long and prosperous future as we develop the SI brand across our 10 US states. In today’s economic environment and marketplace that we find ourselves in, new technology that combines better patient outcomes with lower acquisition costs is of paramount importance. This is why hospitals are constantly searching for ways to save money and reduce costs through products, such as SI’s, that identify those issues.”
 
Graham Bowland, chief executive of Surgical Innovations, said: “We are delighted to have now shipped Surgioscopy’s initial stocking order. Surgioscopy is an integral part of our portfolio of US distributors and with a key state such as Texas now represented I look forward to a further increase in SI Brand presence within the US market.”

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THE importance of raising the international profile of the UK’s regional financial centres has been highlighted during a visit to Leeds by The Lord Mayor of the City of London.

Roger Gifford, the outgoing Lord Mayor who is also the UK head of Skandinaviska Enskilda Bank, attended a discussion in Leeds and was joined by former Lord Mayor, Alderman David Wootton, who was born in Bradford, and the Lord Mayor Elect, Alderman Fiona Woolf, who provided a forward-looking perspective and encouraged regional participation in a programme of overseas visits being organised in the coming year.

Lord Mayor Roger Gifford said: “We will work together to ensure that lessons learned from these visits are used to inform plans and messages over the coming year. In an increasingly globalised world, Leeds and London are stronger together when it comes to promoting our expertise on the international stage. The 40,000 people working in the financial industry in Leeds are a major asset for the UK as a whole.”

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LEEDS Bradford Airport (LBA) has been awarded best airport with up to six million passengers at the annual Airport Operators Association (AOA) awards ceremony.

The awards recognise excellence within the travel industry, with votes cast by UK airlines through the British Air Transport Association (BATA), the UK airlines trade association.

Tony Hallwood, Leeds Bradford Airport’s aviation development and marketing director said: “I am delighted that Leeds Bradford Airport has been recognised as best in the UK in its category. This is a fantastic achievement for the airport team, which demonstrates the success of Leeds Bradford following the completion of the £11m terminal development last year and the subsequent growth in passenger numbers.

“We remain dedicated to further improve and expand services available from Leeds Bradford following the introduction of British Airways and Monarch Airlines alongside the growth of Jet2.com. We look forward to introducing new airline partners and routes in 2014.”

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RETAIL logistics specialist Clipper, based in Leeds, has been appointed by Loveknitting.com to handle worldwide e-fulfilment of their products.

The operation will be serviced from the existing Clipper e-fulfilment centre in Worsley, Manchester.

Clipper has been awarded the contract to handle fulfilment of yarns, patterns, needles and other knitting accessories for the online business.

Sean Fahey, solutions director at Clipper, said: “Loveknitting.com is a fantastic online outlet for knitting products, with a loyal customer base. That they’ve entrusted their worldwide e-fulfilment to Clipper just goes to show the confidence retailers have in our bespoke logistics solutions.

“Online retail has seen significant growth in recent years, and it’s vital that retailers and their logistics providers stay one step ahead of trends, so that we can drive growth and build brand loyalty and reputation together.”