Fresh Group number one in RAR Top 100
THE North West has the biggest showing in the Recommended Agency Register’s top 100 UK marketing services agencies outside London, with 20 recommended agencies from the region making it on to this year’s table, including The Fresh Group, which came first in the ranking.
The RAR Top 100 highlights marketing services companies, regardless of discipline, who perform well, grow their revenue, handle good business and consistently satisfy their clients. Rankings are applied by analysing agencies turnover, turnover per head, turnover growth, gross profit and gross profit growth.
North West agencies this year averaged a turnover of £7.3m and a gross profit of £2.6m. The average turnover per head meanwhile was £108,432.
Cheadle-based marketing, events and advertising agency The Fresh Group saw turnover grow by 55% to £9m in the last financial year, while gross profit increased from £1.9m to £2.9m. In terms of the agency’s efficiency, the turnover per head was around £150,300.
B2B specialists IAS also put in a good showing finishing 10th overall, while Gyro was 17th and Madhouse Associates 20th.
Not far behind were Grafton Media who appeared at number 24. They were followed by Barrett Dixon Bell, BJL, Blueleaf, C21, Carpe Diem, Clock, Code, CTI, Delineo, Forever Creative, Graham Shapiro, K2L, McCann’s, Sizzle Media and theEword.
The region also performed well in a breakdown of the Top 100 by the individual rankings. The Fresh Group and IAS ranked fifth and tenth for gross profit growth respectively.
K2L Marketing ranked top in terms of year on year turnover percentage growth, with an impressive 310%, and digital agency TheEword ranked in sixth place with 112%. Meanwhile, advertising stalwarts McCann Manchester ranked in second place for both gross profit and turnover from the most recent financial year, with BJL ranked tenth for gross profit.
Steve Antoniewicz, managing director of RAR, said: “As ever, comparing different marketing disciplines is a sensitive issue. Design agencies are very different business from PR likewise an integrated agency to a media specialist to an online marketing consultancy. But as these traditional marketing silos disappear it is only right that we look across the spectrum of creative and marketing services, taking into account the various disciplines.
“This year’s results show that across all regions some marketing agencies continue to thrive, despite the challenging economic climate. In the top 100 we’re looking at how profitable agencies are, how well they are growing, and how efficient they are in terms of turnover per head of staff. Before clients commit their expenditure these days they look for agencies with solid business performance. The companies included here are all performing well on that measure.”
