Fastest 50 companies 2010
by WIN Admin — published in Press Releases
THE waiting is over! Here we unveil the fastest- growing businesses in the North East.
Sponsored by leading law firm Ward Hadaway and backed by The Journal, the list celebrates companies and organisations in the region showing the strongest growth as a way of rewarding high-achieving companies and encouraging others.
Colin Hewitt, head of commercial law at Ward Hadaway, said: “Once again, the Fastest 50 has delivered a fascinating snapshot of the North East economy. The sheer variety of companies represented in the list demonstrates the continuing strength and vibrancy of the region’s business world and gives us all something to feel proud about – all the more important in view of the current economic climate.
“All the businesses listed are forging ahead and seeing turnover grow. They are real trailblazers who deserve our support, encouragement and applause.”
Experts from St Chad’s College/ Durham Business School were drafted in to help compile the list, making it even more authoritative.
Following today’s publication of the Fastest 50, an awards ceremony will take place at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead on Friday, October 8, when the winners of the Fastest 50 will be revealed.
There, awards will be given to the fastest-growing small, medium and large businesses, as well as an overall award for the fastest- growing business of the year.
Here is the Fastest 50 for 2010 in alphabetical order:
Arefco Special Products Ltd, Ashington
With its headquarters in Ashington and a US operation in Houston, Texas, Arefco supplies a range of blue-chip industrial companies with specialist engineering products including hydraulic and pneumatic seals.
Bannatyne Fitness Ltd, Darlington
Owned by Dragons Den TV star and entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne, this fitness club chain is one of the largest of its kind in the UK with more than 60 outlets nationwide. The company has previously won two Fastest 50 Awards, in 1999 and in 2000, and was also listed in the Fastest 50 in 2009 and 2008.
Bannatyne Hotels Ltd, Darlington
Bannatyne Hotels offers luxury accommodation in four locations, Darlington, Durham, Hastings and the Charlton House Spa Hotel at Shepton Mallet in Somerset. The latter hotel was bought in May 2010 as part of the company’s expansion plans. Bannatyne Hotels won the overall Fastest 50 award in 2006.
Carpet Line Direct Ltd, Middlesbrough
This company acts as a wholesale seller and distributor of carpets and carpet accessories, working from its base on Teesside.
Containerships (UK) Ltd, Redcar
Based in Redcar with further offices in London and Tilbury, this company offers a range of transport and haulage, warehouse and cargo-handling services, as well as a container depot. Earlier this year, it relocated from Teesport to Redcar to strengthen trading links with the eastern Mediterranean.
Costcutter (Eston) Ltd, Eston
This company is part of the national Costcutter franchise group of independent convenience stores. Across the UK as a whole, the group turned over more than £600m in 2009/10.
Coupe Construction Ltd, Birtley
Coupe Construction Ltd undertakes a wide range of civil engineering work from design and build, total management of project operation through to major groundworks contracts.
Culpitt Ltd, Ashington
Culpitt Ltd is the UK’s leading supplier of cake and food decorating products and the UK’s largest wholesaler of sugarcrafting edibles and equipment. The company employs almost 150 people at its Ashington factory and sells products to trade customers throughout the world.
Draeger Safety UK Ltd, Blyth
Draeger specialises in hazard management solutions and is one of the leading players in the £4.2bn-a-year market, supplying products to customers in a range of industries from the emergency services to shipping and mining.
Eden Farm Ltd, Peterlee
This family-run frozen food and ice cream wholesale and distribution company operates from a base in Peterlee with a sister site in Bradford and sells major brand products to more than 5,000 customers. It originally started in 1964 as a door-to-door seller of farm produce.
Elanders Ltd, New York, North Tyneside
Part of the global Elanders group, this company offers a range of printing services from individual products to total printing solutions with customers including Land Rover, Toyota and Bentley. Its New York facility is a complete printing plant.
Eurojag Ltd, Darlington
Eurojag is a leading supplier of new and used parts for Jaguar cars. The company has supplied parts and components for models since 1969 and has been in business for more than 20 years.
Express Engineering (Thompson) Ltd, Gateshead
Headed by well-known North businessman Chris Thompson, Express makes precision-machined components for customers in the UK and abroad in industries including sub-sea oil exploration and production, power generation and defence. It appeared in the Fastest 50 in 2009 and 2008.
Fenwick Ltd, Newcastle
An icon of North East retailing for more than 100 years, department store group Fenwick now operates 11 stores across the UK at locations including York, Windsor and London’s Bond Street. Its first store was opened in Newcastle in 1882 by JJ Fenwick, inspired by the department stores of Paris.
Fox Head Europe Ltd, Gateshead
Originally founded in 1974 as a motocross brand, Fox Head has become a leader in surf, BMX, wake, motocross and mountain biking and one of the most recognised action sport brands in the world.
Godfrey-Syrett (Holdings) Ltd, Newcastle
Office furniture maker Godfrey-Syrett’s products can be seen not only in workplaces and schools across the UK but, thanks to contracts with the Ministry of Defence, in military facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Guisborough Car Sales Ltd, Guisborough
This independent car showroom was established in 1997 and specialises in buying and selling quality used cars, mainly ex-main dealer stock.
Henry Colbeck Ltd, Gateshead
Established in 1893, Henry Colbeck Ltd is the oldest independent supplier to fish and chip shops in the UK. The company supplies 1,500 products to more than 2,500 customers from its base on Gateshead’s Team Valley and is targeting further market growth share in Yorkshire and Scotland.
ICS Integrated Cable Services Ltd, Billingham
This cable installation specialist was formed in 2000 and has carried out work on a wide range of major building projects across the country, including at England’s rugby stadium Twickenham, the Home Office, the London Stock Exchange and the 54-floor Beetham Tower in Manchester.
J Barbour & Sons Ltd, South Shields
Outdoor clothing maker Barbour is known across the world for its iconic wax jackets, famously worn by the Queen and other members of the royal family, as well as a range of celebrities. The family-owned business currently holds three royal warrants.
Kitwave Ltd, North Shields
Trading as M&M Value, this confectionery wholesaler sells sweets, drinks and tobacco to independent shops across the North. Last September the company bought Telford-based Westone Distribution in a £3.2m deal as part of its expansion plans.
Melbourne Holdings (Northern) Ltd, Middlesbrough
Melbourne sells a range of tyres and exhausts to the wholesale and retail markets from its base on Teesside.
Midland Steel Traders Ltd, Chester-le-Street
MST provides the construction, mining, quarrying and plant hire industry with replacement spare parts. As well as its headquarters in County Durham, the company has service centres in Airdrie in Scotland and in Redditch, near Birmingham.
Nobia Holdings UK Ltd, Darlington
Nobia owns the Magnet brand, which manufactures and supplies kitchen, bathroom and bedroom interiors mainly through its UK network of more than 200 retail stores. It also owns Interior Solutions and Gower, which mainly supply flat-pack kitchens to multiple retailers.
OSG Ship Management (UK) Ltd, Newcastle
OSG Ship Management (UK) is part of the Overseas Shipholding Group, which is a market leader in global energy transportation services. OSG owns and operates a fleet of more than 100 vessels that transport crude oil, refined petroleum products and gas worldwide.
Owen Pugh Holdings Ltd, Cramlington
Established in 1946, Owen Pugh specialises in plant hire, earthmoving and demolition. The company has also expanded into land remediation and reclamation, quarrying, drainage and civil engineering.
Pacifica Group Ltd, Chester-le-Street
Pacifica is a major supplier to the domestic appliance industry throughout the UK and Europe. The company employs more than 400 staff and operates services including warranties, replacements and 0800 Repair, which fixes household goods ranging from dishwashers to vacuum cleaners.
Precision Engineering International Ltd, Newcastle
This is the holding company of Metal Spinners Group, which specialises in solutions in a wide range of engineered components, and sub-assemblies for customers in sectors such as oil and gas, medical and other high integrity applications.
Protek-CNC Ltd, Washington, Tyne & Wear
Established in 2004, Protek is a CNC machining company which specialises in subcontract work. The company bought a purpose-built manufacturing unit in 2006 and is now a preferred supplier to several of the UK’s leading valve manufacturers.
Read Holdings Ltd, Middlesbrough
Operating from its base on Teesside, Read Holdings specialises in manufacturing lifting equipment.
Renvac Scaffolding Ltd, Blyth
Based in Blyth, Renvac specialises in scaffolding and work platform hiring, erecting and dismantling and serves clients across the construction and property sectors.
Robson Brown Ltd, Newcastle
A well-known full service marketing and advertising agency, Robson Brown offers a range of services include media buying, design, public relations, film and video production. In March 2010 the company was bought by US marketing company Round2, which plans to further expand the business.
Saft Ltd, South Shields
Saft is a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of advanced technology batteries for industrial and defence applications. The company acquired the former Invensys factory in South Shields in 2001, where it employs 120 staff making a wide range of batteries.
Seton Care Ltd, Berwick
Seton Care provides a wide range of care and support services for people in their own homes and communities, and in residential accommodation. Part of the Berwickshire Housing Association Group, the company operates on both sides of the Scottish border.
Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd, Wallsend, North Tyneside
Soil Machine Dynamics – or SMD – is one of the world’s leading subsea engineering companies, specialising in the design and manufacture of remotely-operated vehicle systems. The company won the overall title in last year’s Fastest 50.
STR Enterprises Ltd, Newcastle
Family-owned leisure group STR Enterprises owns and operates a number of well-known sites in the North East including Newcastle’s Centurion Bar, Sunderland’s Quayside Exchange and the Victoria Hotel in Bamburgh, Northumberland. It also operates the Centurion Park golf club in Wallsend.
Svitzer Marine Ltd, Middlesbrough
Svitzer operates a number of specialist and inter-related services within harbour, terminal, and ocean towage, salvage and emergency response as well as fast transportation of crew and supplies to offshore installations. The Teesside operation specialises in towage services.
Techdrill Ltd, Morpeth
Techdrill specialises in safety fittings for offshore oil rigs. The company makes a range of valves, pipework and high-pressure fittings known as choke and kill manifolds and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of manifold products with clients in areas such as Dubai, the US and Singapore.
The Abbeyfield Newcastle upon Tyne Society Ltd, Newcastle
This housing and care home specialist operates four homes on Tyneside, mainly around the Gosforth area.
The Clinkard Group Ltd, Stockton
The Clinkard Group is the leading independent footwear retailer in the North East and one of the largest independents in the UK. Its retail arm, Charles Clinkard, operates 36 stores across the country while the Intershoe wholesale division supplies and distributes footwear in the UK and Ireland.
The Hambleton Group Ltd, Stockton
Started by husband-and-wife team Bryan and Jeannie Goodall in 1976 as a Christmas hamper company, the Hambleton Group has grown to encompass five different divisions offering services ranging from contract packing to warehousing and caravan storage.
The Specials Laboratory Ltd, Prudhoe, Northumberland
Founded in 1999, The Specials Laboratory manufactures unlicensed medicines for the retail and hospital pharmaceutical markets. These “specials” are used to treat patients who don’t respond to normal prescribed medicine. The company was sold to Ireland’s United Drug for £20m in November 2008.
Thermon (UK) Ltd, Gateshead
Thermon is an industry leader in the specialised field of trace heating technology. The company offers a wide range of engineering and design services as well as manufacturing and installing trace heating systems.
Tranemo Workwear Ltd, Newcastle
Tranemo is an international quality workwear manufacturer and has production outlets in Sweden, Poland, Portugal and Bulgaria, in addition to its base in Newcastle.
Typhoon International, Redcar
Initially founded more than 60 years ago, Typhoon has grown to become the world’s largest manufacturer of drysuits. The company employs almost 100 staff on Teesside and supplies major military markets around the world, as well as the likes of the RNLI and the diving and watersports markets.
UK Independent Medical Services, Durham
Established in 2003, this company specialises in providing independent medical evidence to the insurance and legal industries in England and Wales.
Clients include solicitors, patients, insurers and medical experts. The company was runner-up in the Durham & Wearside Company of the Year Award 2009.
United Carlton Office Systems Ltd, Gateshead
United Carlton provides a range of IT and office equipment, including digital copier/printers, scanning and document management solutions. The company is ranked in both Toshiba and Sharp’s top 10 dealers in the United Kingdom and has more than 4,000 clients.
W Hodgson (Hartlepool) Ltd, Hartlepool
Fishmonger W Hodgson was established in Hartlepool in 1916. The company provides a ‘sea to plate’ service, running its own fleet of ships, fish processing plant, three fresh fish shops and a refrigerated delivery service to hotels and restaurants across the North East.
Wellburn Care Homes Ltd, Newburn, Newcastle
Wellburn operates 12 care homes and a day centre throughout the North East and Yorkshire. The family-run business achieved the Investors in People Award in 2000 and ISO 9000 in October 2004.
Wilton Engineering Services, Middlesbrough
Part of offshore and petrochemical industry specialist the Wilton Group, this company provides high-quality bespoke fabrications and associated services to blue-chip clients in the subsea, marine, offshore and renewable energy industries.
Today is the day when we reveal the businesses who have made it into the Ward Hadaway Fastest 50 for 2010. Iain Laing reports.
THE companies in this list have been selected from the table of fastest growing profit-making, private, regional companies, based on turnover growth.
Information has been compiled by researchers at St Chad's College/Durham Business School using data which is publicly available at Companies House of UK-listed companies.
The average turnover growth has been assessed on a percentage increase, based on the difference between turnover figures filed for the last three years.
To qualify, companies must be trading entities and have turnover in excess of £800,000 in the last three years of filed accounts, which are up to date as at July 31, 2010. Companies must also have made profits in each of the past three years’ accounts. Private limited companies which are subsidiaries of listed companies do not qualify.
Subsidiaries of foreign-controlled companies have been accepted if they have headquarters or a decision-making function in the region.
Ward Hadaway and The Journal do not accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions.
Source: The Journal, Iain Laing