Lucky 13 for firms in profit track league table

SOME 13 companies headquartered in the North West have been listed in the annual Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 league table, which ranks UK firms with the fastest growing profits over three years.

This compares to 11 companies in the region last year and includes nine new entrants to the league table.

Together they employ 7,000 staff and have achieved combined profits of £138m.

Among the new entrants in the region is Manchester-based Missguided. Led by founder Nitin Passi, 33, the online retailer offers catwalk looks and celebrity-inspired fashion to women aged 16 to 35.
 
Celebrity endorsements and overseas expansion in France, America and Australia helped profits grow by an average of 86% a year to £5m in 2015.
 
Featuring on the league table for the fifth time is Carlisle-based Story Homes. The housebuilder strengthened its land bank during the recession and has been expanding into Scotland, and across the North of England. It completed on 410 properties, and grew profits by an average of 68% a year to £15m in 2015.

The companies in the North West appear with businesses from around the UK, including domestic appliance manufacturer Gtech, craft beer maker BrewDog, sushi bar chain Wasabi and toy retailer The Entertainer. More than a quarter of the companies (29) are involved in construction and housebuilding, up from 15 in the previous year.

They include BPD and George Roberts Scaffolding.

The league table and awards programme is sponsored by BDO and UBS Wealth Management, and is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events firm.

Ed Dwan, partner in the North West at BDO, the title sponsor of the league table, said: “Medium-sized businesses across the UK are thriving, creating one in four jobs and responsible for one third of the country’s total revenue.
 
“They are seizing the opportunities a recovering economy presents and the most profitable have remained focused on sustainable growth through investment in innovation, diversification and overseas expansion.”