Motorhome manufacturer, engineering group and brand agency top Yorkshire’s international exporters

New entrants rub shoulders with experienced exporters on this year’s Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200, which ranks mid-market companies with the fastest-growing international sales.

In an uncertain climate, these companies are forging ahead with trade on a global level, and ten companies based in Yorkshire made this year’s list. This is down from 13 last year, but also counts three new entrants to the rankings.

International sales have grown by an average of 51% a year over the last two years to a total of £259m, and together they now employ 3,400 people.

New entrants include Halifax-based A-Safe which supplies polymer safety barriers to Nestle, Coca-Cola, Heineken and Volkswagen, with exports totalling £22.2m in 2016 and History & Heraldry which sells to 70 countries from distribution bases in Estonia, the US and China and has international sales of £20.6m.

The third new entrant is Principle, the brand implementation agency, which has seen 77% growth in international sales, last year reaching £104.2m last year, as well as opening an office in Dubai.

East Yorkshire motorhome manufacturer The Swift Group completes a hat trick ors years on the list. Swift’s exports reached £17.9m in 2016 and it is building an £8m factory at its Cottingham HQ to meet demand.

Econ Engineering previously ranked in 2015 and William Lamb Group in 2013, and Ligentia in 2013.

The table reflects the importance of European export to the mid-market ahead of Brexit negotiations said the sponsors of the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 ,with 85% of companies in the list selling to the continent. This was followed by North America and Asia.

Amanda Murphy, UK head of commercial banking at HSBC, commented: “This year’s Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 is testament to the exciting opportunities available to ambitious UK businesses with appetite to grow their goods and services abroad.

“The ten companies in Yorkshire are putting the region firmly on the map as a thriving business hub. We work very closely with our business customers to help them achieve their goals, so it makes me immensely proud to see so many of them succeed.”

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