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TOP TRACK 250

34 AlmacSales £447.2m U 14% Profit £27.1m V 7%The late Sir Allen McClay established this pharmaceuticals developer in 2001, and it has grown to provide research, development and commercialisation services to more than 600 international biopharma companies. Based in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, it has offices in America, Singapore and Japan, and last year announced a £31m investment plan to expand operations in Europe and North America. Alan Armstrong, 58, is chairman and chief executive.

35 Hyperion Insurance GroupSales £433.9m U 45% Profit £65.3m U 95%This insurance broking and underwriting group was formed in 1994 when chief executive David Howden, 53, led a buyout from Lloyd’s broker SBJ. The London group merged with rival RK Harrison in 2015 and now employs more than 3,800 people in 39 countries. Last year, it acquired surety broker PMG Financial Services in March and German insurance broker Euroassekuranz in September, helping grow turnover 45% to £433.9m.

36 Parkdean ResortsSales £431.5m U 9% Profit £82.1m U 21%Parkdean Holidays and Park Resorts merged in 2015 to create Parkdean Resorts, which operates 73 holiday parks throughout Britain. Earlier this year, the leisure group was acquired by Canadian private equity firm Onex Corporation for a reported £1.35bn. The company, which is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, is led by chief executive John Waterworth, 53.

37 Buckingham Group ContractingSales £408.3m U 3% Profit £13.0m U 81%This Buckinghamshire civil engineer is best known for its expertise in building sports stadiums, such as the Amex Stadium in Brighton and the Copper Box Arena at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, the site of handball, modern pentathlon and fencing events at the 2012 Games. Led by founder and chairman Paul Wheeler, 63, the company also specialises in logistics facilities, land remediation, demolition and rail projects. It has expanded into highways and has plans to secure work on HS2.

38 LushSales £394.9m U 21% Profit £16.5m U 33%Lush is a common sight — and smell —on Britain’s high streets, thanks to the handmade bath and beauty products sold in its shops. The Poole business has

932 outlets in 49 countries, and has been growing fast, with last year’s group sales increasing 21% to £394.9m. The founders, including managing director Mark Constantine, 65, are issuing new shares to employees, providing them with a 10% stake in the business and a greater say in its future.

39 TelentSales £391.5m V 1% Profit £24.5m U 12%Warwick-based Telent provides a range of network and communications services across a variety of industries, from service providers and transport to public safety and defence. Recent projects include developing fast installation of pedestrian crossings for Transport for London and disaster recovery for an international law firm. Key clients include Network Rail,Virgin Media and GSK. Mark Plato, 58, is chief executive.

40 Tennants ConsolidatedSales £387.3m U 4% Profit £29.8m U 25%In the late 18th century, Charles Tennant revolutionised the linen trade by creating bleaching powder. Today, Tennants, the company he founded, is owned by the Alexander family and makes and distributes more than 3,000 chemicals across the world, from adhesives to animal feed. The Belgravia-based company also manufactures chemicals in Europe, North and South America, and China. Paul Alexander, 63, is group chairman.

41 WaterstonesSales £387.3m U 2% Profit £18.7m U 258%This high street bookseller was founded as a single store in 1982 and has since been owned by WH Smith, HMV and, most recently, Russian publisher Alexander Mamut, 57. He bought the business from HMV in 2011 for £53m and it now operates 270 stores across the UK, under the leadership of managing director James Daunt, 53. The London firm last year invested £9m in upgrading stores and in-store cafes, helping to more than triple annualised profits to £18.7m on turnover of £387.3m.

42 ZenithSales £383.0m U 16% Profit £30.2m U 51%This Leeds-based firm is one of the UK’s largest independent leasing, fleet management and vehicle outsourcing businesses. Established in 1989, Zenith was merged with Leasedrive in 2014 by private equity firm HgCapital. In January this year, Bridgepoint Capital acquired the firm from HgCapital for £750m. The following month, chief executive Tim Buchan, 53, led the

acquisition of Contract Vehicles Holdings for an undisclosed sum, adding HGV hire to Zenith’s offering.

43 Exterion MediaSales £381.3m U 8% Profit £14.7m V 41%Exterion is an out-of-home media company that reaches more than 185m people across the UK, Ireland, France Spain and Holland. It specialises in transport audiences and last year was selected to partner with Transport for London for its £2bn advertising contract. Led by chief executive Shaun Gregory, 47, the London firm acquired Dutch rival Centercom in February, helping to increase sales to £381.3m in 2016. Majority shareholder Platinum Equity is reported to have put the company up for sale, with a rumoured £1bn price tag.

44 Robinsons Motor GroupSales £378.2m U 11% Profit £8.9m U 19%Richard Robinson founded this car dealer in Norwich and, still controlled by the Robinson family, this year it celebrates its 90th birthday. It has Audi, Seat, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Smart outlets, with 28 dealerships across East Anglia, at locations including Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds, selling new and used cars. Martin Wallace, 49, is chief executive.

45 Keltbray GroupSales £369.4m U 36% Profit £24.2m U 109%Esher-based Keltbray provides engineering, environmental and construction services for the building and rail industries. It specialises in demolition and groundworks for projects including Earls Court and Crossrail. Last year, owner and chief executive Brendan Kerr, 52, bought concrete company Dunne Group out of administration, saving 400 jobs. Helped by the acquisition, turnover was up 36% to £369.4m in 2016, with profits more than doubling to £24.2m, assisted by the closure of loss-making projects.

46 Avant HomesSales £369.0m U 45% Profit £45.0m U 107%This Chesterfield housebuilder is on the rise again after a period of restructuring under the leadership of chief executive Colin Lewis, 61. This year, the group will deliver 1,636 homes, up 35% on 2016, with sales rising 45% to £369m. Profit more than doubled to £45m in the same period. In August, the group secured a £200m overdraft, which will be used to reach a target of building 2,000 homes a year, with sales rising to £500m in the next two years.

47 HillSales £367.3m U 21% Profit £36.0m U 17%This Essex-based developer operates in London and southeast England, building homes for sale and for housing associations and local authority partners. Led by founder and chief executive Andy Hill, 58, it also carries out estate regeneration and large refurbishment projects. In 2015, it formed a new subsidiary to run complex projects and to trial new techniques and processes. The group built more than 1,000 homes in 2016 and turnover rose by 21% to £367.3m, boosted by strong demand.

48 Sky Betting and GamingSales £363.6m U 47% Profit n.a. This bookmaker handles 53m transactions on its busiest day, ranging from sports bets to casino games. The Leeds-based group was formed by Sky in 2001 and grew rapidly through its association with Sky Sports. In 2015, private equity firm CVC bought a majority stake, valuing the group at £800m. Sky retained a 20% stake and agreed to a long-term licence of its brand. The company is led by chief executive Richard Flint, 45.

49 Day LewisSales £362.7m U 18% Profit £21.1m U 7%A pharmacy concession in Harrods, the luxury department store, is among more than 250 outlets across southern England run by this family-owned company. It supplies medicines and medical equipment to oil rigs and the shipping industry, and has a wholesale and distribution business. The Croydon-based group was founded in 1975 by Kirit Patel — who died in July last year — and his brother Jayanti, 71.

50 AvailableCarSales £340.8m U 21% Profit £7.7m V 9%This Castle Donington car supermarket says it sells 600 cars a week, and promises to refund the difference if you find the same car cheaper elsewhere within seven days. It is owned by husband-and-wife founders Graham and Alison Bell, 58 and 57 respectively, and has four sites located in Cannock, Leeds and Sutton-in-Ashfield, as well as Castle Donington. Turnover grew 21% to £340.8m last year on the back of record car sales in the UK.

51 Study GroupSales £340.3m U 11% Profit £16.6m V 27%More than 61,000 students from more than 150 countries enrolled in a Study Group programme last year. The

London-headquartered company prepares students for university, runs English language courses and also provides vocational training. Courses are taught in its own study centres across Europe, North America and Australasia, as well as through universities and online. Last year, chief executive David Leigh, 46, oversaw the renewal of five existing university partnerships and signed up three new universities, including Durham.

52 David Lloyd LeisureSales £335.5m U 21% Profit £43.9m U 1%Founded by former professional tennis player David Lloyd in 1982, this Hertfordshire group provides health, sports and leisure services to 560,000 members across 98 clubs in the UK and 13 in Europe. In 2015, the group sold and leased back 44 properties, raising £365m, and earlier this year acquired 14 health clubs from its rival, Virgin Active (No 22 on this year’s list), for an undisclosed sum. Led by chief executive Glenn Earlam, 52, the group is reportedly up for sale with a £1.3bn price tag, four years after private equity firm TDR Capital acquired it in a £750m deal.

53 Dorchester CollectionSales £335.5m U 12% Profit £24.3m U 1,748%Dorchester Collection runs 10 luxury, five-star hotels in Europe and America, including Le Meurice in Paris, Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan and the Dorchester in London. Established in 2006 by the Brunei Investment Agency, it is run by chief executive Christopher Cowdray, 62. Profits increased to £24.3m in 2015, driven by currency fluctuations. In April, the group’s most recent addition, Hotel Eden in Rome, reopened after renovations.

54 Westover GroupSales £333.0m U 19% Profit £7.9m U 26%Bournemouth-based Westover began life more than 90 years ago as a Morris Motors dealership and now has 28 sites in Dorset and Wiltshire, selling marques including Lexus and Toyota. In 1984, Peter Wood, 67, now chairman, led a buyout, and has subsequentlyexpanded the business through a series of acquisitions.

55 Kurt GeigerSales £330.0m U 13% Profit £33.9m U 11%The singer Ed Sheeran, model Kendall Jenner and actress Angelina Jolie are all fans of this London-headquartered footwear and accessories retailer.

Established in 1963 on Bond Street, the group now has more than 80 stores around the world and 240 concessions in department stores. Kurt Geiger’s portfolio of brands includes Kurt Geiger London, Carvela and Miss KG. Last year, chief executive Neil Clifford, 50, led a £245m buyout, backed by private equity firm Cinven. Profits of £33.9m in 2016 are presented before depreciation and amortisation.

56 Chelsea Football ClubSales £329.1m U 5% Profit £24.9m U 340%This year’s Premier League champions matched success on the pitch with impressive financial performance, more than quadrupling profits to £24.9m. Turnover also grew to £329.1m last year thanks to extra broadcasting revenue for participation in the Champions League, as well as increased commercial sales due to a new shirt sponsorship agreement. Player trades including Petr Cech and Ramires accounted for £49m. The club is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, 50.

57 Caffè NeroSales £328.9m U 10% Profit £26.2m U 3%Chairman Gerry Ford, 59, founded Caffè Nero in 1997 to recreate the European coffee bars he discovered while studying abroad. It now has more than 800 outlets across Britain, Ireland, Poland, Turkey, Cyprus, the UAE and America, selling coffee and food. In June last year, the London company acquired coffee chain Harris & Hoole from Tesco for an undisclosed sum. In February, it joined forces with recycling company First Mile to turn coffee grounds into biofuel.

58 NisbetsSales £328.3m U 26% Profit £36.1m U 25%Claiming to be the UK’s largest independent supplier of catering equipment, this Bristol company has a branch in Ireland and subsidiaries in Britain, France, Spain, Holland, China and Australia. Last September, it acquired linen manufacturer Mitre Linen, which has held a Royal Warrant to supply the royal household since 1955.Nisbets is led by founder and chairman Andrew Nisbet, 57.

59 Turners (Soham)Sales £322.6m U 26% Profit £27.6m U 16%From packing oranges to deliveringoil, this Cambridgeshire company has been providing warehousing and distribution services across Britain since 1930. Specialising in temperature-controlled storage and delivery, it has built up a network of 1,750 vehicles and 1,400 trailers, with acquisitions including Macintyre Transport and Goldstar Transport in 2016. Turners is led by managing director Paul Day, 58.

60 William Jackson Food GroupSales £315.3m U 14% Profit £18.3m U 4%Founder William Jackson started this East Yorkshire food producer as a grocer and tea dealer in 1851, and the company is now chaired by his great-great-grandson, Nicholas Oughtred, 56. The group operates businesses including fresh produce supplier MyFresh and Jackson’s Bakery, and has brands such as Aunt Bessie’s, Abel & Cole and Jackson’s Yorkshire’s Champion bread. In 2016, it acquired a majority stake in healthy snack-food manufacturer The Food Doctor for an undisclosed sum, helping turnover reach a record £315.3m.

61 The Little GroupSales £306.1m U 30% Profit £17.2m U 120%Based in Eastbourne, The Little Group is a family-owned holding company for Gardners Books, which says it is Britain’s largest independent wholesaler of books, music and DVDs. Its retail customers include high street booksellers, internet retailers and supermarkets. Other subsidiaries supply music retailers, public libraries, colleges and schools, with more than 40% of sales to international trade customers. Under chairman Jonathan Little, 52, the company is investing to expand its facilities in America, as well as in its ebook technology.

Look down this year’s Top Track 250 league table and you will quickly see the vital role these companies are playing in the economy.

Between them, they generate combined sales of £62.4bn, the equivalent of 3.2% of GDP, and employ more than 380,000 people across the UK. More than half are based outside London and the southeast of England, which is reassuring for the country’s overall prosperity.

While many may not be

Mid-market heroes navigating uncertain watershousehold names they are leaders in their respective industries and are quietly doing the heavy economic lifting the country needs. They are also facing numerous challenges, from the outcome of Brexit to rapidtechnological change, and their ability to thrive going forward will depend on how well they adapt.

One firm taking action is homeware and clothing brand The White Company (No 132), which is investing in a next-generation ecommerce platform to support its expansion overseas. Well-known in the UK, it is now breaking into North America, having opened its first US store in New York in June.

Founder Chrissie RuckerMBE, who started the business in 1994 with £6,000, said: “I want to approach our expansion in America in the same way I always have done with my business: quietly and steadily.”

The London-based firm is aLloyds Bank client of nine

years and is served by the local team, who work with many businesses in the capital and southeast Englandunder regional managing director Mark Burton.

Lloyds Bank has provided ahealthy funding line to back the retailer’s growth plans in the UK and America.

Clients such as The WhiteCompany have access to the bank’s international trade portal, which includes an extensive database of buyers and suppliers in every country, helping firms identify new trading partners to capitalise on international opportunities.

They can also benefit fromour working capital management tool, which models scenarios to show where trade terms could be more efficient and there is the potential to release capital.

While such tools can helpgive companies a competitive advantage, they will never replace the relationships that are central to doing business.

Another company that

understands the value of close strategic relationships is Telent (No 39), which installs communications infrastructure for clients such as Virgin Media and BT.

In 2014, the firm acquiredservices provider Telindus UKfrom Belgium’s Belgacom for an undisclosed sum, a move that exposed the group to significant volumes of business in foreign currencies. Using their extensive knowledge of the company, our Midlands, east and southwest regional managing director David Richardson and his team were able to work with Telent and suggest ways to mitigate this exposure.

Another business we havehad a relationship with since its inception is MKM Building Supplies (No 69). It started as a single builders’ merchant in Hull in 1995 with a small working capital facility from Lloyds Bank. Co-founder and executive chairman David Kilburn has grown the group to an impressive 49 branches

in England and in Scotland. Like us, he understands the power of a common goal and has introduced an innovative structure that sees branch directors take an equity stake in their branch and gives them an opportunity to share in profits.

MKM counts the local Lloyds Bank team, headed by our Scotland and North regional managing director Nick Laird, among its most trusted advisors.

It bought out investors 3iand LDC in March, with new funding from private equity firm Bain Capital and Lloyds Bank. Kilburn said: “MKM has enjoyed exceptional growth over the past 22 years and I would like to thank 3i, LDC and Lloyds Bank for their long-term backing and support.”

Lloyds Bank recognises that careful risk-management and long-term funding, supported by deep and long-lasting relationships, are increasingly important in successfully navigating these

economically uncertain times. Founded in 1765, we have backed British firms operating here and overseas for more than 250 years.

We have relationships withhalf of the firms on this year’s Top Track 250, and we want to grow that figure. Strong relationships and our footprint across the UK give us powerful insights into our clients’ businesses, allowing us to serve them better.

Our support of the mid-market and the companies on this year’s league table is an integral part of our commitment to helping Britain prosper.

UK businesses such as The White Company, Telent and MKM Building Supplies are the heartland of the UK economy. They are creating new jobs and expanding internationally, and we will continue to support them on that journey.Tim Hinton is managing director, Mid Markets & SME Banking, Lloyds Banking Group

Through strong relationships and investment in innovation, these companies are forging ahead

TIM HINTON Lloyds Banking Group

Under Chrissie Rucker, The White Company (No 132) is investing in ecommerce and the US in order to expand

While many international financial services firms are reviewing their presence in the City, and in some cases scaling back, Hyperion Insurance Group (No 35) is doing the opposite. In the past four years it has expanded via 26 deals, including a merger with broker RK Harrison in 2015 and the acquisition of a majority stake in German insurance broker Euroassekuranz last year.

Its growing international footprinthas seen profits nearly double to £65.3m on revenues, which consist of fees and commissions, of £434m in 2016. This performance directly benefits the 21% of its 3,800 employees who hold shares in the group and its subsidiaries, and who collectively own 65% of the business.

Founder and chief executive DavidHowden, 53, says empowering staff through ownership is crucial: “Employee ownership is a fundamental part of our DNA. It’s who we are. It’s what drives our growth and success and creates a more dynamic and diverse business.”

Howden also believes sourcing toptalent has helped Hyperion grow. “You’ve got to get the best people in. We’ve succeeded because of the quality of people we have,” he says.

Founded in 1994 and now operatingin 37 countries, Hyperion is confident about its prospects, irrespective of the impact of Brexit on the City.

HYPERION INSURANCE: TOP TALENT IS KEY

Hyperion’s annual convention in Sevilleand, right, founder David Howden