Shrewsbury and Telford businesses named among stars of international trade
Two companies in Shropshire have been included in a list of the UK businesses with the fastest-growing international sales.
Telford-based Evolution Foods and Morris and Company, the Welsh Bridge headquartered company in Shrewsbury, were both named on the eighth annual Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table, which ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales.
In total 20 companies headquartered in the Midlands were included in the list, up from 17 last year.
Of those businesses, 11 were new entrants to the league table, including both the Shropshire companies.
Evolution, which exports packs of dried fruits, nuts and healthy snacks to Europe, was 115th on the overall league table after growing its overseas sales by 36 per cent to £2.7 million last year.
The company turns over a total of £41.8 million, and employs 116 staff.
Morris saw its overseas sales bolstered recently by a major deal in its site machinery arm to export lighting towers to Australia last summer, and grew overseas sales by 24 per cent to £3.6 million last year.
That gave it total sales of £47.9 million. The conglomerate employs 693 staff.
Amanda Murphy, UK head of commercial banking at HSBC, said: “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 20 companies in the Midlands 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.”
Midlands entrants on the list grew their international sales by an average of 47 per cent a year over the last two years to a total of £211 million, and together they now employ more than 6,200 people.
The companies in the Midlands appear with businesses from around Britain, including jewellery designer Monica Vinader, cycling gear manufacturer Rapha, and sandwich shop chain Pret. Past stars range from drinks maker Fever-Tree to travel search engine Skyscanner.
The league table reflects the importance of Europe to Britain’s mid-market exporters ahead of the Brexit negotiations.
Almost 85 per cent of the companies (167) sell to the continent, the most popular market, followed by North America (112) and Asia (75).
