Hannells in Derby has been awarded “highly commended” for the overall “Best Family Business” category in the 2023 Midlands Family Business of the Year Awards.

To be recognised as one of the best family-run businesses in the Midlands should held enhance the firm’s status in the region, and provide fresh marketing opportunities for the estate agency.

Benjamin Brain, marketing and training director, said: “We’re no strangers to winning awards, having picked up many prestigious industry accolades over the years. But this was a different kettle of fish. This time we weren’t just competing against other estate agencies, we were competing against the best businesses from all types of industries across the entire Midlands.

“Some of these companies are hundreds of years old with incredible heritage and amazing stories, so to be recognised as one of the very best and to be thought of in the same ilk as them is just am incredibly proud moment, not just for the family, but the whole business.”

Hannells, which has a team of more than 60 staff members, has six branches across Derby. The estate agency was launched by Michael and Alison Brain back in 2003 from a small office in Hilton. With no prior estate agency experience, the business has grown considerably over the last 20 years in both size and reputation.

Alison Brain commented: “It was a pleasure to be a part of and given that it coincided almost perfectly with our 20th anniversary celebrations, it was a brilliant and sometimes quite emotional opportunity to pause for a moment and take a look at how far we’ve come as a business over the last 20 years – something that as business owners we rarely make the time to stop and think about! Of the many awards we’ve won over the years, this is certainly one of our proudest moments.”