Region’s international sales stars revealed
THIRTEEN Yorkshire businesses have staked their place on an elite league table which ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales.
The companies in Yorkshire include six new entrants to the annual Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table.
Their international sales have grown by an average of 38% a year over two years to a total of £160m, and together they now employ 4,040 people.
Among the new entrants is Harrogate-based High Street TV. Serial entrepreneurs Andrew Malcher and Jim Coleman set up this TV shopping channel in 2008, and exports reached £3.9m last year, boosted by new customers in Ireland and Australia.
Making a third appearance on the league table is York-based Stage One. This company makes stage sets and scenic features for sporting and corporate events across the world, including the Baku 2015 European Games. International sales grew to £28.9m in 2015, boosted by contracts with customers such as Jaguar and Samsung.
The companies in Yorkshire appear with businesses from around the UK, including women’s sportswear retailer Sweaty Betty, health and beauty products manufacturer Neal’s Yard Remedies, travel search engine Skyscanner, and sandwich shop chain Pret A Manger.
Amanda Murphy, UK head of corporate banking at HSBC, said: “The Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 is a great reflection of the value of building connections overseas. The world is getting smaller and for ambitious businesses, the opportunities to source goods and services and to grow organically via international trade, digitally or on the ground, are easier than ever. I’m delighted to see so many HSBC-backed mid-sized firms making such a strong impression on the world stage.”
