The 100 fastest-growing private companies in the UK

Transcription

1 The 100 fastest-growing private companies in the UK

2 Welcome messages Ed Cottrell Head of Growth & Acquisition Finance Investec It s often lamented that Britain lacks the slice of high-performance, innovative, medium-sized companies that make up the fabled German Mittelstand, but it s always been our instinct at Investec that we do have such companies; it s just that they aren t as well understood, or visible, as their continental counterparts. So earlier this year we decided to uncover and harness the evidence around the UK mid-market. The findings, uncovered by our partners at DueDil, have been truly revelatory: the first Investec Mid-Market Index, released in The Times, showed that the UK s mid-market companies those with an annual turnover of between 10m- 200m account for almost 1trn of revenues and around one-fifth to one-quarter of all private-sector jobs. These companies form a considerable and vital segment of the economy. And today we celebrate the best of the best. The Mid-Market 100 are the UK s fastest-growing mid-sized companies, tested by a fouryear consistent, profitable turnover growth challenge. Collectively, they generate 4.85bn of revenues and 347m of profits. They are exporters, innovators, bedrocks of local communities, employers, and are building brands that will become household names. The Mid-Market 100 are dispersed across the UK, not just congregated in the south-east. Many are established family companies. They operate in many sectors, though food and drink is a notable high-flier. These are role model companies for the rest of Britain. What makes the Investec Mid-Market 100 and Mid-Market Index different is that these aren t one-off projects - the research equivalents of a disposable Christmas album. We will be updating both the Mid-Market 100 and Index throughout the year, so they reflect the dynamism of the companies themselves, and become a genuine monitor of the mid-market. I hope that, above all, this demonstrates Investec s commitment to the mid-market, Our success has been built on partnering with this fascinating and fundamental part of the UK economy. My personal congratulations to every company on this year s list! Damian Kimmelman CEO & Founder DueDil The FTSE 100 celebrated its 30th birthday this year, and it s no exaggeration to say that this moving index of the market cap of the UK s 100 largest quoted companies has given Britain an edge in the world. Originally a joint venture between the London Stock Exchange and the Financial Times, the FTSE 100 is now updated every 15 seconds to give a real-time view of the economy. It s a globally recognised bellwether of, and proxy for, economic wellbeing. Its statistical credibility, as well as Britain s broader financial services infrastructure, have helped to attract many successful large companies to the UK. While the FTSE 100 and the countless other public-company indices have made a huge impact, most of our business community - unlisted, private SME companies - don t enjoy the benefits of such a trusted, visible information infrastructure. As a result, they re perennially seen as higher-risk, and outgunned when seeking finance, pitching for contracts, attracting the best talent, applying for leases etc. Over the past year, DueDil and Investec have been working to address this problem. A few weeks ago, working with The Times, we released the Investec Mid-Market Index. Today is the second milestone as we launch the Investec Mid-Market 100, recognising the fastest-growing companies in this segment. It s an honour for DueDil to be the technology partner for these initiatives. As a company, our mission is to organise and contextualise the growing number of datasets related to private companies. We defy those who say that such information is too fragmented to be made useful. Just take a look at the Mid-Market 100 and Mid-Market Index to see how rich the insights can be... Congratulations to all the companies in the Mid-Market

3 A celebration of Britain s heartland Growth becomes more difficult for companies to sustain as they become larger in size. Yet, the Mid-Market 100 shows that it is possible: here are 100 companies that continue to outpace their peers and the wider economy. The average compound annual growth rate in turnover over three years that is, the single rate at which the starting turnover would have to grow each year to reach the final amount for the Mid-Market 100 is a healthy 37.8 per cent. That is enough to make even fastgrowing early-stage companies envious. Together, these 100 companies employ more than 25,000 people across the United Kingdom and account for nearly 5bn of turnover each year. The Mid-Market 100 list of Britain s fastest-growing mid-market companies makes it clear: the mid-market is growing faster than the rest of the UK economy, and these companies need to become better understood and recognised for their contribution to the economy. The owners of these 100 businesses invest in the long term. They do not allow themselves to be distracted by quarterly results and shareprice fluctuations, they are reliable employers and therefore provide the foundation of the British economy. There is a great deal of information and analysis of Britain s startups, and also major companies, but there is still relatively little that is known about the mid-market, says Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec. Given its importance to the economy, this is a major omission. Biggest profits Ranking Company name Latest ebitda 01 Softcat 28,615, Oldfield Partners 18,682, Charles Tyrwhitt 16,081, Sterne Agee UK 13,522, Poundworld Retail 11,272, Oaklands Farm Eggs 10,681, M.T.S. Cleansing Services 9,820, Leadenhall Capital Partners 9,402, JB Global 8,112, UKFast.net 7,930,635 Biggest turnover Ranking Company name Latest turnover 01 Hudson Contract Services 502,098, Softcat 395,755, Poundworld Retail 345,259, Glyn Hopkin 294,536, JB Global 145,543, Charles Tyrwhitt 120,857, Moresand 112,731, Thomas Bell & Sons 95,378, M.V. Kelly 94,339, Millennium Cash & Carry 90,113,033 2

4 Mid-Market 100 companies Successful sectors There is a wide spread of sectors represented in the Mid-Market 100, but two industries stand out above the rest. These are the so-called real industries (that is, manufacturing and industrial companies) and food & drink businesses. Together, these two sectors account for nearly two-fifths of the Mid-Market 100, with 20 per cent and 19 per cent respectively. It begs the question of whether we are seeing a resurgence of traditional industries that make things, rather than Britain relying on the knowledge economy. Of course, these sorts of businesses are to be expected in the mid-market segment, which is made up of more mature businesses instead of the shiny, fast-growing technology startups included in other such lists. Mid-market companies are in it for the long term. There is no bubble on the horizon. As Wallace Menzies, the third-generation CEO of Scottish quarry firm Tillicoultry Quarries, says, the tail does not wag the dog in mid-market companies. Because Tillicoultry is an established, long-standing, privately-owned business he does not have the pressure of continuously hitting external targets, Menzies explains: We do not have to look at the business on a year-to-year basis, never mind quarterly or monthly. If we have a rubbish couple of months, we know why and can deal with it. We look at the long-term. Food & drink companies are also outperforming the rest, which could be attributed to Britain s economic recovery over the last few years. As the country emerges from recession, consumers and businesses feel more confident and have more capital available to spend on food & drink. In particular, cash and carry businesses feature heavily in this category. This could illustrate a trickle-down effect from consumers, who buy from local independent shops, who themselves source their goods from the cash and carry companies. Farming and butchery businesses also stand out, particularly those selling premium goods. This is important to businesses whether they sell to big-name brands, such as County Down s Lynn s Country Foods, which produces premium-quality sausages for Marks & Spencer and Heston Blumenthal among others; or to a very localised market, such as Cornish Farm Dairy, whose owners choose to restrict sales of their milk, butter and clotted cream products to the local Cornish market only. Both illustrate how spending more time and investment to produce top-quality products can reap dividends. 3 Investec Mid-Market 100

5 The proof is in the pudding: we spend a lot of time to understand the food structure and how to get succulence into a given product. And our customers get what we re doing. It isn t a question of getting it right most of the time you have to get it right all of the time, says Denis Lynn, who set up Lynn s Country Foods 27 years ago. Success breeds success, and if something is working, you just keep at it. This applies to other industries, too. All of Britain s strongest industries are represented on the list, and it is a true cross-section of British success: sectors include retail (13 per cent), professional services (9 per cent), technology & software (8 per cent), financial services (7 per cent), automotive (6 per cent), recruitment (6 per cent), agriculture (4 per cent), transport & logistics (4 per cent) and arts & leisure (4 per cent). A striking feature of the list is that two of the companies are owned by the same entrepreneur. Michael Oliver is the founder of Oliver Twinsafe Valves (ranked 6) and Oliver Valves (34). The companies are separate businesses: they operate in separate industries, they have separate bank accounts, separate boards and even separate management teams. Yet both have managed to achieve strong enough compound annual growth for inclusion in the list. companies in Real industries 19 companies in Food & drink 06 companies in Automotives 13 companies in Retail 06 companies in Recruitment companies in Professional services companies in Technology & software companies in Financial services companies in Agriculture companies in Transport & logistics companies in Arts & leisure 4

6 Mid-Market 100 companies Geographical spread companies in Scotland companies in Northern Ireland companies in Wales companies in England 5 Investec Mid-Market 100

7 Mid-Market 100 companies in England 22 London 09 North West 17 South East 11 Midlands 11 South West 09 Yorkshire 05 East 02 North East Overall, English companies make up the bulk of the list (86 companies), followed by businesses based in Scotland (7), Northern Ireland (5) and Wales (2). Within England, there is a clear North-South divide. London, the South East and the South West account for 50 companies, against 36 businesses in Yorkshire, the North East, the North West, the Midlands and the East. Yet while London remains steadfastly the beating heart of the British economy, the list shows that the capital does not overpower the rest of the country, either: 22 firms are headquartered in London. This shows that while politicians and the media can be very London-centric when it comes to the economy, Britain s Mittelstand can be found all around the United Kingdom, not just the South East. In terms of geographical size vs impact, Northern Ireland s five companies stood out, pulling in 120m of sales and employing just under 500 people. Brian Taylor, chairman of Cookstownbased engineering firm TES, believes Northern Ireland needs to shout more about its successes, and hopes his own firm can lead the charge: I think Northern Ireland needs more listed companies, and I would like TES to be a listed Northern Ireland company. High concentration of companies around London and the South East. 6

8 Mid-Market 100 Maturity Taking the long view on success is important to many of the entrepreneurs leading the businesses in the Mid-Market 100. The majority of the companies (54 per cent) on the list were established more than 15 years ago, before the turn of the century, and many are much older, with the business passing down through several generations. Then there are a handful of the companies which are very old, with their origins dating to the 19th century, such as fertiliser company Thomas Bell & Sons, which can trace its history to 1878; quality butchers Nigel Fredericks, established in 1890 and is still owned by the original family; and violin specialist J&A Beare, which dates to These businesses are still successful today because they have built up a world-class reputation that generations of owners have worked to maintain. This list is not just about established businesses, though it is about established businesses that continue to grow fast. The key to this, says Nick Wheeler, founder and CEO of shirtmakers Charles Tyrwhitt, is to not let yourself get absorbed by making a quick buck. To create a business with great compound growth, you have to take a very long-term view and stick to it. A lot of people come up to me to complain that they ve been working hard in their business for two years and it isn t doing great. But after two years, I was making just 12,000 a year. So I tell them to come back to me after ten years, he explains. It can become boring, but you have to resist the temptation to be clever and try new things. Just tweak and get better at what you re doing. Keep the business simple and stick to your knitting. What is certain is that these 100 companies represent the best of Britain: these are serious companies that deserve serious praise for their long-term success. It is only by recognising and championing Britain s mid-market that the country can truly become competitive on the world stage. These are companies that export, that make Britain s name abroad. But these are also companies that make Britain Great, that the British public needs to celebrate. The Investec Mid-Market 100 Methodology The Investec Mid-Market 100 ranks active, UK-registered companies on their four year average percentage turnover growth rate (CAGR). Companies must be profitable throughout the four year period. Over the four year period, year one turnover must be a minimum of 1m; year four ebitda must be at least 1m; year four turnover must be at least 10m. To focus the ranking on organic growth, companies that have consolidated accounts within the four year period are excluded. Latest accounts must have been filed after 1 August This analysis was carried out in August

9 Investec Mid-Market 100 Company name Key directors Headquaters What they do Latest turnover 4 Year CAGR (%) Latest EBITDA 1 Hamiltons Galleries Tim Jefferies London Art gallery 31,374, ,489,350 2 T & E Ferris Thomas Ferris and Edward Ferris Surrey Jewellers 28,315, ,588,916 3 Fio's Cash And Carry Arthur Zoga and Firat Mayil London Alcohol and drinks wholesaler 21,101, ,369,478 4 Conway Bailey Transport Mark Bailey Cornwall Freight transport by road 13,993, ,415,307 5 Jb Global Jason Bannister Wiltshire Furniture retailer 145,543, ,112,026 6 Oliver Twinsafe Valves Michael Oliver Cheshire Precision valves manufacturer 25,553, ,469,614 7 Leadenhall Capital Partners LLP John Wells and Luca Albertini London Investment manager 11,551, ,402,810 8 Childrensalon Michele Harriman Smith Kent Children s clothing retailer 13,185, ,970,764 9 Sterne Agee UK LLP Simon Mullaly London Financial trader 15,244, ,522, D.K. Engineering David Cottingham and Katherine Cottingham Buckinghamshire Vintage car repairs and sales 66,424, ,315, Cars 2 Allan Otley West Yorkshire Car dealer 36,287, ,091, Index Venture Management LLP Saul Klein London Venture capital firm 11,731, ,906, Ennismore Fund Management William Oldfield London Security broking and fund management 10,893, ,416, Animal Friends Insurance Services Elaine Fairfax and Christopher Fairfax Wiltshire Pet and equine insurance 11,694, ,945, Certeco Graham Smith and Richard Mossman London Technology consultants 14,386, ,488, Sadie Coles HQ Sadie Teller London Art gallery 38,834, ,564, Id Medical Group Michael Sacoor Buckinghamshire Medical locum recruitment 62,505, ,825, Bi Electrical Services (NI) Ian Humphreys County Antrim Electrical engineering 16,442, ,969, Wear Inns John Weir Cleveland Inns and pubs 11,750, ,788, P. Hughes Construction Philip Hughes Nottinghamshire Construction and civil engineering 18,624, ,823, Benson Park David Park and Alastair Benson North Humberside Meat and poultry producer 24,594, ,797, Victoria Plum Jason Walker North Humberside Online bathroom retailer 26,236, ,990, Lambert Metals International Howard Masters Middlesex Minor metals trader 54,741, ,685, Armstrong Packaging David Armstrong and David Mark Angus Packaging and cardboard manufacturer 10,926, ,487, Smart Solutions (Recruitment) Nathan Bowles Gwent Cross-sector recruiter 41,999, ,388, Interact Medical Marty Bettles and Steve Young Buckinghamshire Medical locum recruitment 39,391, ,797, Qualitycourse Jon Taylor and Paul Beasley West Yorkshire Temporary recruiter 70,823, ,748, Softcat Martin Hellawell and Colin Brown Buckinghamshire IT and software 395,755, ,615, Murfitts Industries Mark Murfitt Suffolk Rubber granule manufacturer 11,084, ,900, M.B. Crocker Mary Crocker Dorset Poultry farmer 16,633, ,373, FSR Trading Farooq Raja and Richard Hunter London IT consultants 16,072, ,623, Focusrite Audio Engineering Phil Dudderidge Buckinghamshire High-tech audio equipment manufacturer 36,078, ,387, Oaklands Farm Eggs Gareth Griffiths Shropshire Egg farmer 63,232, ,681, Oliver Valves Michael Oliver Aberdeenshire Precision valves manufacturer 31,590, ,428, Poundworld Retail Chris Edwards West Yorkshire Single-price retailer 345,259, ,272, Hoh Oilfield Services Darren Allport Buckinghamshire Oil and gas service provider 56,061, ,869, Harvard Engineering John McDonnell West Yorkshire Electronics manufacturer in power supplies 36,707, ,110, Simpson Oils Hugh Simpson Wick, Caithness Fuel deliveries 54,765, ,036, Pilgrim Foodservice Peter Bateman Lincolnshire Wholesale food retailer 20,527, ,139, J.E. Porter Graham Porter Lincolnshire Animal feed producer 52,983, ,406, Ocean Automotive David Kelly Dorset Audi car dealers 80,527, ,700, Cosatto Andrew Kluge Lancashire Manufacturer of children s nursery products 13,825, ,414, Total Computer Networks Aidan Groom and Paul Jones Northamptonshire IT and software consultants 30,653, ,124, Troy Foods David Kempley West Yorkshire Salad and dressings producer 51,982, ,056, Greencroft Bottling Company Anthony Cleary Co. Durham Wine bottler 22,259, ,602, Financial Market Engineering Julian Barker-Ward and Charles Miller London Financial trader 10,420, ,658,959

10 47 Dairy Partners Will Bennett, Clive Bennett and Robert Peel Gloucestershire Cheese maker 25,485, ,340, Please Hold (UK) Grant Reed Manchester Audio branding agency 11,136, ,777, Motis Ireland David McComb County Down Shipping 48,550, ,678, Independent Transition Management Grant Stanley and Dan Hockley London Pensions data software 10,706, ,096, Tithegrove Stephen Rayson and Paul Walton Wiltshire Civil engineering contractor 42,769, ,629, Davidson Brothers (Shotts) William Davidson Lanarkshire Animal feed producer 35,715, ,026, Lynn's Country Foods Denis Lynn County Down Artisan meat producer 20,205, ,974, Redrock Consulting Dean Harte Bristol, Avon Cross-sector recruiter 24,645, ,353, Watch Shop Kishore Naib Berkshire Online watch retailer 17,468, ,333, Quanta Consultancy Services Stephen Trigg Hertfordshire Cross-sector recruiter 29,547, ,418, Ukfast.Net Lawrence Jones Manchester IT consultant and data centre provider 19,869, ,930, Comline Auto Parts Divyesh Kamdar Bedfordshire Car-parts manufacturer 21,919, ,011, J & A Beare Simon Morris and Steven Smith London Violin auctioneers and restorers 52,950, ,318, Oxford Policy Management Simon Hunt Oxford Social and economic policy consultants 27,238, ,561, Intelliflo Nick Eatock and Akeel Ahmed Surrey CRM software provider 12,662, ,255, Caterers Choice Charles Pinder Cumbria Canned food wholesaler 48,954, ,727, John Pointon & Sons Carl Pointon Staffordshire Waste disposal and rendering of animals 50,037, ,861, Charles Tyrwhitt LLP Nick Wheeler SE1 2QG Shirtmaker and clothing retailer 120,857, ,081, Sweeep Kuusakoski Patrick Watts Kent Recycling of used electrical goods 11,213, ,369, M.V. Kelly Paul Wheelan West Midlands Civil engineering and building 94,339, ,316, Nigel Fredericks Nigel Tottman London Fine meat butcher 29,573, ,445, Excalon Des Donnelly and Kevin O'Donnell Lancashire Electrical utility service provider 27,613, ,608, Space Solutions (Scotland) Steve Judge Aberdeenshire Workplace design 33,960, ,176, The Bath Priory Andrew Brownsword Avon Luxury country house hotels 14,347, ,165, Pure Collection Nick Falkingham North Yorkshire Cashmere clothing retailer 30,759, ,032, Thomas Bell & Sons Andrew Major North Lincs Fertiliser importer 95,378, ,007, Cornish Farm Dairy Bill Clarke and Rachel Clarke Cornwall Dairy farm 25,856, ,939, Shopfittings Direct Paul Brooks and David Brooks Essex Retail environment specialists 21,714, ,012, Mitchell & Webber Robert Weedon Cornwall Oil delivery and boiler servicing 50,982, ,130, Millennium Cash & Carry Rishi Mashru Essex Food and drink wholesaler 90,113, ,579, Tillicoultry Quarries Wallace Menzies Fife Hard-rock quarries 43,834, ,094, Exponential-E Lee Wade London IT and network services provider 49,643, ,726, Chesterfield Poultry Mohammed Ahmed and Nadeem Iqbal Chesterfield Halal chicken producer 58,260, ,296, Harbour & Jones Nathan Jones and Patrick Harbour London Contract caterer 30,777, ,245, Henbury Katie Stewart West Lothian Corporate clothing manufacturer 12,686, ,481, A & L Restaurants Amir Atefi London McDonald s franchisee 14,606, ,094, First Call Contract Services David Mankelow London Temporary recruiter 27,714, ,223, TES (NI) Brian Taylor County Tyrone Environmental engineers 12,019, ,257, Baldwins Crane Hire Wayne Baldwin Slough Crane hire 16,687, ,057, Kingdom Security Terry Barton Lancashire Security services provider 27,686, ,217, Hudson Contract Services David Jackson North Humbersid Construction contract and payroll 502,098, ,515, Moresand Paramjit Singh Kang and John Kalia London Travel agency 112,731, ,032, Pump Supplies Andrew John West Glamorgan Submersible pump supplier 18,949, ,230, Silverstar Foods Toby Raphael Kent Food wholesaler 23,973, ,077, CDE Global Tony Convery and Brendan McGurgan Cookstown Industrial washing manufacturer 23,107, ,726, Pinnacle Foods Graham Reed and Chris Wilson Alton Meat and poultry producer 17,169, ,034, Cadline Debi Peppin Middlesex CAD design and data management 20,926, ,328, Oldfield Partners LLP Jamie Carter and Richard Oldfield London Investment manager 23,056, ,682, Glyn Hopkin Fraser Cohen London Car dealers 294,536, ,559, Olympus Distribution Keith Rice Tipton Automotive components distributor 13,055, ,865, Hit Training John Hyde and Jill Whittaker West Sussex Training and apprenticeship provider 24,088, ,827, Staples (Vegetables) Vernon Read Lincolnshire Vegetable farmer 74,999, ,289, Dams Furniture Chris Scott Merseyside Office furniture manufacturer and retailer 24,455, ,193, M.T.S. Cleansing Services Anthony Crust Kent Liquid waste management 51,818, ,820,993 Note: All companies are limited companies unless specified otherwise (for example, through the designation LLP )

11 Mid-Market 100 Company profiles 01 Hamiltons Gallery Located in the heart of Mayfair, in London, Hamiltons Gallery has built up a reputation for exhibiting the socalled modern masters of photography. Throughout its 30 years of existence, Hamiltons has represented luminaries ranging from Irving Penn to Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton to Richard Mapplethorpe, and many others. Tim Jefferies, the company s sole owner, has run the business since 1984, making it his mission to seek out and represent internationally-recognised photographers. Jefferies is, of course, also well known in the London art s scene. As the chairman of the Serpentine Gallery Summer Party, Jefferies little black book of contacts has become a veritable Who s Who, an intersection of the art and celebrity worlds. This has been instrumental to his own business s success. For the opening nights of the company s more famous exhibitions, it is not unusual to see queues lining up around the block. Not just to look at the art but to look who has come to look at the art. While Jefferies does not boast who his clients are, it is well known that musician Sir Elton John and fashion designer Tom Ford are among the gallery s biggest fans. Jefferies himself is heavily involved in advising private and corporate collections on acquisitions. In what is a temperamental industry, Hamiltons has managed to grow at an incredible rate. Compound annual growth over the last three years has been 131 per cent, which places the company firmly at the top of the Mid-Market 100 list. Turnover exploded from 2.5m to 31.4m in just three years, led by a particularly strong year in 2012, where sales grew by 25m. This is likely to have been strongly led by a major Modern Masters exhibition which the gallery held for three months and included works by Jefferies favourites: Richard Avedon, Roger Ballen, Horst P. Horst, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Jeanloup Sieff and Albert Watson. 10 Investec Mid-Market 100

12 The art world is an expensive, low-margin business, of course, so while sales have shot up, so have the cost of sales. The gallery spent some 28m on purchasing artwork in 2012, leaving the business with fairly tight profit margins. On sales of 31.4m, Hamiltons ebitda is 1.5m, which is actually less than half of the 3.6m average ebitda on the Mid-Market 100 list. This does not faze Jefferies though, who is truly passionate about what he does: curating important photography collections. One of the great aspects to photography is that for a fraction of the cost of a comparably important painting, you can buy a photograph by Richard Avedon or by Irving Penn for $20,000 or $30,000. Now that s a fairly large sum of money for a new purchase, but you re buying a work by a photographer who is as important in photography as Picasso is in painting. You re buying the work of a master, Jefferies explained to Billionaire magazine in Let s say you re worth $10m and you decide to invest $200,000 in art. That sort of money might get you a corner of a Warhol and a fraction of a Picasso. But for $200,000 you could put together quite a nice little photography collection, with very, very important name photographers. It affords a great entry point to collecting art. And it makes people feel good T&E Ferris With compound annual growth at an eye-watering 109 per cent over three years, T&E Ferris is jewellery designers Pandora s largest UK franchisee. Brothers Tim and Edward Ferris opened 17 Pandora franchises in just 17 months when the company won the rights to Pandora. From its humble beginnings as a one-man toy shop in Kingston-Upon-Thames in 1974, T&E Ferris Pandora stores can now be found across London and the southeast of England. Last year, the business sold close to 30m worth of the charm bracelets and assorted accessories, and business is still strong, with turnover up by another 30 per cent this year. 03 Fio s Cash & Carry Fio s Cash & Carry s specialises in selling drinks and importing licensed products and Eastern European Food. The company has operations split between Tottenham in London and Peterborough, where the company s 48,000 sq ft van depot is located. In London, the business sells mainly to licensed retailers on a cash and carry basis, but it also operates a deliveries service from Peterborough. Growth has been impressive, with turnover jumping from 2.4m to 21.1m in just three years. Ebitda is 1.4m Conway Bailey Transport Headquartered in Redruth, Cornwall, Conway Bailey Transport is a haulage firm specialising in refrigerated transport of perishable goods across Cornwall, the UK and into Europe. The company was started in 1951 by D. Conway Bailey, with a handful of trucks doing daily deliveries of fresh Cornish farm produce to the London markets. Son Mark Bailey is the boss now, overseeing the business from the same yard near Redruth. The business employs 117 staff and now has a turnover in excess of 14m. 11

13 05 JB Global Jason Bannister founded JB Global in 2002, selling directly on ebay, and becoming the auction site s largest retailer by turnover by The Swindon-based company is now a household name, known under its brand Oak Furniture Land, which sells oak furniture and, more recently, leather and fabric sofas. The company s 616 employees process around 350,000 orders per year through the company s website and its 57 showrooms across Britain. JB Global operates its own delivery and logistics company, JB Direct, which has been instrumental to the company s success, according to Bannister. Over the last three years, the company has been growing at 80 per cent, growing from 25m to 145.5m in This year sales are forecast to reach more than 190m Oliver Twinsafe Valves Oliver Twinsafe Valves is one of two separate companies owned by Michael Oliver that appears in the Mid-Market 100 list. Oliver Twinsafe Valves was established in 2000 on the back of an innovative new product the single-unit double block and bleed valve, which incorporates two separate valves into a single body construction. These valves were developed in response to increases in safety regulations in the oil and gas industry, requiring pipelines to always be isolated by more than one cut-off valve. Headquartered in Cheshire, but with another office in Aberdeen, Scotland, the company s 59 employees have helped the company grow by 71 per cent for three years, to reach a turnover in excess of 25m last year Leadenhall Capital Partners LLP Leadenhall Capital Partners is a Londonbased investment manager, who focuses entirely on investing in insurance-linked investment portfolios for institutional investors. The business a joint venture between the company s management team and the Amlin Group, a Lloyd s underwriter of insurance is led by chairman John Wells and CEO Luca Albertini, who have overseen its growth into a 11.6m turnover and 9.4m ebitda company. Total assets under management exceed $1.8bn across three separate funds and managed accounts Childrensalon When Sybil and Rene Harriman set up a children s clothes shop in Tunbridge Wells in 1952, they had no idea that their daughter, Michele Harriman-Smith, would eventually grow their company into a 20m business selling boys and girls fashion across 130 countries. Childrensalon now stocks more than 270 designer brands, selling via its website and its shop, which is still located on Tunbridge Wells high street. Today the business employs 93 people, and pre-tax profits stood at 3.8m last year Sterne Agee UK LLP This company was formerly known as Yorvik Partners LLP, until it was acquired by US firm Sterne Agee, last year. The company specialises in trading anything from public securities to private instruments, bankruptcy claims and structured products. Yorvik, whose name derives from the Viking name for the City of York, was founded in 2009 by Simon Mullaly, who has joined the new firm as head of international credit for EMEA. Growth over the last few years has been strong, seeing turnover grow from 3.7m to 15.2m. Ebitda stood at 13.5m in March Investec Mid-Market 100

14 10 D.K. Engineering Founded in 1977, D.K. Engineering specialises in vintage Ferrari sales and restoration work. The company was founded by David and Kate Cottingham, who continue to run the business alongside their three sons from their workshop in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire. Ferrari collectors from around the world now use D.K. Engineering to source, sell and restore their classic cars worth between $100,000 and $50m. Clients include musician Eric Clapton, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, DJ Chris Evans and Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay. Restoration to perfection is the company s motto, which has helped D.K. Engineering grow turnover to 66.4m Cars 2 Cars 2, Yorkshire s Trusted Motor Group, has recorded compound annual growth of 58 per cent over four years, making it the fastest-growing car dealer in Britain. Headquartered in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, the business operates six Hyundai, Seat and Peugeot dealerships across the county, with up to 1,000 vehicles on its books at any given moment. The fastgrowing company has been on a hiring spree to keep up with demand, adding 30 employees to its books last year to make Cars 2 a 113-person business. Ebitda at the company is 1.1m Index Venture Management LLP Index Venture Management is a pan-european venture capital firm based in London, San Francisco and Geneva. Founded in 1996, Index Ventures portfolio of investments includes companies such as Dropbox, ASOS, Skype, King.com and JustEat among others. In total, the company has over $1.5bn in client assets under management, as well as $100m in cash reserves. Turnover at Index Venture Management has grown from just under 3m to 11.7m in three years, ebitda stands at 5.9m Ennismore Fund Management Ennismore Fund Management was set up in London in 1998 and invests in small and mid-cap listed European companies. Typical investments, says the company, are under-researched companies whose future prospects are being mispriced by the market. Ennismore operates two funds, which were launched in 1999 and have been delivering annualised returns of above 15 per cent. Investments in the UK include JD Sports and Home Retail, which have helped the company increase ebitda to 4.4m. What the boss says 06 Michael Oliver, Oliver Twinsafe Valves Part of our success comes from designing our own valves and the parts that go into the valves here in the UK, but then subcontracting the manufacturing internationally. It means I don t need my own machine shop and can shop around for the best price. It also means I don t have a finite capacity or restrictions on orders we can scale up or down depending on demand. The company s it can be done attitude has also been instrumental. It s terribly important in order to overcome the psychological barrier of fast growth. This it can be done attitude means we re performing near-miracles every week, pushing ourselves to the limit. 13

15 What the boss says 08 Michele Harriman-Smith, Childrensalon We really concentrate on our customers focusing on who they are and what they would like to purchase. For us, it s all about the children and dressing them well. You need to take the time to talk to your customers directly. It s really good fun and they tell you everything you need to know. 14 Investec Mid-Market 100

16 14 Animal Friends Insurance Services This cat, dog and equine insurance company started trading in 2002 and now has more than 400,000 policyholders across the UK. Turnover at Animal Friends Insurance Services reached 52.8m last year, and the company expects growth to continue. The company was founded by Elaine Fairfax as a means to support animal charities, and she has donated nearly 2m to over 300 animal welfare charities since the business became profitable. A majority of new business comes from insurance aggregation websites (such as MoneySupermarket.com, for example), and retention rates for customers top 85 per cent Certeco Certeco is a technology-focused business change consultancy. Launched in 2009, the company has worked with all of the main retail banks to help them restructure and come in line with the continuously changing regulatory and compliance landscape. Certeco employs 120 staff, of which 100 are consultants that work directly with clients. The company s compound growth rate has stayed above 50 per cent, seeing the company pull in 14.4m in sales last year, with an ebitda of 1.5m Sadie Coles HQ This London art gallery has been presenting the work of established and emerging international artists since it opened in April Sadie Coles HQ is widely acknowledged as being part of the the Young British Artists movement, which includes artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin among others. Sales at Sadie Coles HQ have been growing steadily as the gallery continues to innovate and pioneer new artists. Turnover more than tripled, from 11.2m to 38.8m in three years, and ebitda stands at an impressive 5.6m ID Medical Group ID Medical Group is a medical locum agency, which supplies both temporary and permanent medical professionals to private and public sector clients throughout the UK. Formed in 2002, the Milton Keynes-based company holds preferred supplier contracts with more than 90 per cent of NHS hospitals and private medical sector organisations, and supplies more than three million hours to the NHS per year. Compound growth at the company is at 49 per cent over the last four years, which have seen the business reach 62.5m in sales Bi Electrical Services (NI) Bi Electrical Services was founded in Belfast in The Mollusk-headquartered electrical engineering firm now works in both the private and public sectors, with expertise in education and the commercial and industrial sectors. The business is a partnership between founder Ian Humphreys and Andrew McClenaghan, who started as an apprentice at the age of 18 before becoming a shareholder. Bi Electrical Services now employs 47 staff on a turnover of 16.4m. Ebitda is a healthy 4m Wear Inns Wear Inns specialises in the management and acquisition of freehold pubs, under the direction of managing director John Weir and operations directors Frank Malone and Scott Weir. The business now owns 26 pubs across the northeast of England, which brought in sales of 11.8m and ebitda of 1.8m last year. Acquisitions have been financed in part by NVM Private Equity, which owns a small stake in the business, and through the Business Growth Fund. At the heart of the company s strategy is to leave the pubs unbranded; this allows the pub managers to put their own mark on the business P. Hughes Construction Established in 1988, P. Hughes Construction is a family-run business that specialises in groundwork and civil engineering. The company works with all of the major home builders, including Persimmon Homes, Bellway Homes, Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Homes, working all over the UK. The company employs 79 employees, which are a mix of surveyors, contracts managers, project managers, civil engineers and site operatives. Turnover at P. Hughes Construction has grown at a compound annual rate of 46 per cent over the last three years, taking the business from 6m to more than 18m. Ebitda is 1.8m. 15

17 What the boss says 22 Jason Walker, Victoria Plum The problem with China is that it s a vast country, says Jason Walker, explaining how he sources products for his company. Some regions will have a higher manufacturing quality than others and you ve got to find where your region sits. We want to find a balance between middle and high-end products the right price is very important to us Benson Park From its purpose-built factory in Hull, Benson Park manufactures specialist cooked chicken and turkey products for the food industry. Specifically, the company supplies ingredients to customers who operate in the food to go sector of the retail multi-channel, convenience and foodservice markets. The company, which employs 90 staff, was recently acquired by Yorkshire-based food producer and FTSE 250-listed company Cranswick. Turnover at the business is 25.6m with ebitda of 2.8m Victoria Plum Victoria Plum which trades as Victoria Plumb is an online and mail order bathroom supplies retailer headquartered in Kingston Upon Hull. Set up by Jason Walker in 1999 as part of the Walker Group, the business has gone from a 9m turnover three years ago to more than three times that last year. The company is expanding fast and is expecting to employ 400 employees across its entire operation by the end of next year, up from 72 in Earlier in 2014, Jason Walker agreed to sell a 200m stake in his company to private equity firm TPG Capital in order to fund further expansion. Much of Victoria Plum s success steps from its supply chain: most of its range of products is made in China as well as in eastern Europe, which allows the company to challenge and make more margin than existing, more expensive, competitors in the market Lambert Metals International London-based Lambert Metals International is a minor metals trader, buying and selling diverse metals such as cadmium, gallium and selenium around the world. The company was originally formed in 1970 as a subsidiary of a larger metals processing group, but managing director Howard Masters and his partners performed a management buy-out in 1991 to establish the company as it exists today. Though the firm is only made up of six people, Lambert Metals made 54.7m of sales last year, with an ebitda of 4.7m. Masters attributes the company s current success to getting the markets right but admits there will be times where they will also get them wrong. 24 Armstrong Packaging Armstrong Packaging is a manufacturer of specialty rigid boxes based in Arbroath, Scotland. The business was established in 1985 and was built up by founder David Armstrong to an 11m business which has been growing at 42 per cent across the last three years. Ebitda at the company is a healthy 2.5m. The company was acquired earlier this year by Multi Packaging Solutions, which specialises in luxury packaging and gift sets. At the time of acquisition in July 2014, the business employed 87 people. 16 Investec Mid-Market 100

18 25 Smart Solutions (Recruitment) Smart Solutions is a recruitment and outsourcing company headquartered in Newport, Wales. It s key target sectors include manufacturing, waste and recycling, construction, contact centres, and food processing and packaging. The business is split into three key divisions: Smart Solutions Recruitment, Smart Solutions Waste & Recycling, and Smart Development. CEO Nathan Bowles founded the company in Pontypool in 2007, employing four people in the first six months; today the business employs 104 staff and handles more than 3,000 flexible staff a day Interact Medical Medical recruitment company Interact Medical has seen compound annual sales growth of 42 per cent over the last three years, seeing turnover grow from 13.8m to 39.4m last year. The company was founded in 2007 in Milton Keynes by Steve Young and Marty Bettles, who say that some of the company s growth comes from the NHS s increasing reliance on agency staff, as well as its desire to work with trusted, proven suppliers. For a recruitment firm, staff turnover is low, running at between 5 and 8 per cent per year, and a quarter of the company s 104 staff have worked at Interact Medical for more than four years Qualitycourse Qualitycourse is a temporary recruitment agency specialising in the logistics, warehousing and manufacturing industries. Trading as Transline Group, the company has nearly 7,000 staff most of which are temporary staff which the company places elsewhere on its books, bringing turnover at the firm to 70.8m last year. The company trades internationally, doing business in Europe, Canada and Southeast Asia, and has recently made a foray into the home delivery market, to capitalise on the growth of the ecommerce and click-and-collect sectors. Ebitda stands at 1.7m Softcat IT reseller Softcat has one aim: to be an extension of your IT department. The company trades with more than 8,000 customers in both the private and public sector, helping them to address their IT and software licensing needs. Softcat s decision to enter the public sector market four years ago has proven wise, with public sector accounts worth 100m now. Total turnover is 395.8m, up from 145.7m four years ago, and ebitda is 28.6m. More than 700 people work at the company from three operational centres Murfitts Industries Suffolk-based Murfitts Industries takes old tyres and recycles them into rubber granules, which can then be used in sports surfaces, children s play areas, practice pitches and carpet underlay. The company was formed in 2001 by managing director Mark Murfitt after new EC directives came into force, which meant that some 450,000 tonnes of tyres a year needed to find a home. After two years of research and development, Murfitt developed a technique to recover and recycle 100 per cent of the component materials of a tyre: the entirety of the rubber, the steel and the fibre. Today, Murfitts recycles 11 million tyres a year, supplying its rubber granules all across the world. The company has sustained compound annual growth of 39 per cent across three years. The company s latest turnover is 11.1m with an ebitda of 2.9m. 30 M.B. Crocker M.B. Crocker, based in Dorset, is a poultry farming business. The company s poultry house provides capacity for 150,000 chickens, which arrive on site as day-old chicks before being matured for 16 weeks and moved onto separate egg production facilities. In addition to this, company director Paul Crocker produces fertilizer pellets, by drying and pelleting the chicken manure. Turnover at the business has grown from 6.3m in 2010 to 16.6m last year, while ebitda was 3.4m. 17

19 31 FSR Trading FSR Trading was known as Mokum Change Management before it was acquired by professional services firm PwC earlier this year. The company specialises in implementing Oracle applications, managed services and related software, and at the time of its acquisition employed 160 staff across London and Manchester. Growing at an annual compound growth rate of 38 per cent, the company saw sales rise from 6m to 16.1m in three years with an ebitda of 3.6m last year. 32 uk.focusrite.com Focusrite Audio Engineering In 1985, Beatles producer George Martin asked pro-audio designer Rupert Neve to help make better recording desks at Air Studios. The result was the first Focusrite product, a microphone preamplifier and equaliser module, which quickly became ubiquitous within professional recording circles. The company was bought by former Led Zeppelin soundman Phil Dudderidge in 1989 who built a company that has become the number one audio interface manufacturer worldwide. Digital Focusrite systems are now used by artists ranging from Muse to Madonna, Skrillrex and James Blake. The 84-person company has been growing at a compound growth rate of 38 per cent, with a turnover of 36.1m and ebitda of 5.4m last year Oaklands Farm Eggs Oaklands Farm Eggs is a well-established family business based in Shropshire managed by Gareth and Elwyn Griffiths, whose parents set up the business in The company employs 166 people and Oaklands 1.6 million chickens produce nearly 500 million eggs a year. Chickens are all reared from day-old chicks, and the company produces three different ranges of products: retail freerange egg packs, boiled eggs and liquid egg cartons. Total turnover at Oaklands Farm Eggs was 63.2m last year, with an equally healthy ebitda of 10.7m Oliver Valves Oliver Valves is the second company owned by seasoned entrepreneur Michael Oliver to appear in the Mid-Market 100 (the first company on the list is Oliver Twinsafe Valves the sixth fastest-growing mid-market company). Oliver Valves, established in 1979, supplies a high volume of smaller valves used in a wide range of industrial applications and flow control technologies. Its product range and the markets it serves have grown and evolved over the 35 years since it started, seeing turnover reach 31.6m with an ebitda of 6.4m Poundworld Retail Family-owned Poundworld is one of the UK s largest single-price retailers. The Yorkshirebased company was launched in 2004 after rebranding from Everything s a 1, and now has more than 180 stores across Britain, with plans to open a further 200 over the next five years. The company also owns a multi-price brand, DiscountUK, which now has over 30 stores in the UK. Its combined distribution, office and retail team employs over 5,100 people. Strong demand for value stores has seen turnover grow from 132.9m to 345.3m in just three years HOH Oilfield Services HOH Oilfield Services delivers materials and provides services to the oil and water drilling industries, seismic, petrochemical, manufacturing and energy-related businesses. Founded by the late David Allport, the company is now entirely owned by son Darren Allport, the company s chairman. The group s growth has come from expanding its services to include providing access to additional oilfield equipment such as drilling and workover rigs, and offering companies joint venture opportunities. HOH Oilfield Services latest accounts show turnover at just over 56m with ebitda of 4.9m and just 14 employees Harvard Engineering This West Yorkshire-headquartered electronics manufacturer provides power supplies and control systems to the lighting industry. Founded in 1993 by John McDonnell, the company supplies products to most major lighting manufacturers in the UK and Europe, as well as supplying markets in the US and the Far East. The company s latest offering, a control system for street lighting called Leafnut, is also helping the business to grow, as cities and counties look to optimise energy consumption. Turnover at the firm is 36.7m, with compound annual growth of 37 per cent. 18 Investec Mid-Market 100

20 What the boss says 10 James & Jeremy Cottingham, D.K. Engineering We re the only specialist in the world to cover all aspects of Ferrari ownership, explains James Cottingham, one of the three sons involved in the family business, who looks after sales. Around 250 vehicles are in our care at any given moment. We re a family business which grew from and is still based on an enthusiasm for cars. Collectors know that with our 37 years of experience, they trust us. 19