~rising stars~ 30. Aconite
Turnover: £4.27m (+45%) Pre-tax profits: £670,000 (+10%) Sector: Software Based: London Aconite provides software products and consulting services for businesses that manage applications on chips in smart cards, tokens or mobiles. As the phasing out of magnetic stripe cards continues across Europe and further afield, the business has secured major contracts with financial services providers in the product localisation and marketing of its ‘chip and PIN’ technology. CEO Mike Woods founded Aconite in 2002 after 20 years of experience in the banking and retail industry.
31. Fuse8
Turnover: £5.1m (+12%) Pre-tax profits: £684,000 (+14%) Sector: Digital design Based: Leeds In its first year of trading on AIM, website design company Fuse8 achieved its fifth consecutive year of growth, as well as making its maiden acquisition. The move to becoming a publicly listed company – through a reverse takeover – was one that CEO Nigel Hunter says was about achieving integrity in a market that is often construed as a bit ‘smoke and mirrors’.
32. SnackTime
Turnover: £7.7m (+15%) Pre-tax profits: £1.3m (+555%) Sector: Food & Drink Based: Berkshire This Berkshire-based business spent seven years as a private company before floating on AIM in late 2007. Substantial progress was made in 2010 when CEO Blair Jenkins completed the purchase of Snack in the Box, a deal that eliminated a major competitor in the process. The recent acquisition of hot beverage vendor Vendia for £11 million has brought the company closer to becoming Europe’s leading chilled and hot beverage vending machine provider.
35. Solar Communications
Turnover: £7.5m (+20%) Pre-tax profits: £315,280 (+47%) Sector: Telecommunications Based: Chippenham, Wiltshire Solar provides telecommunication solutions to businesses, including videoconferencing, networking and computer telephone integration. Its solutions help customers save money, increase productivity and improve customer service and interaction. The company’s customers operate across a range of sectors, including health, education, legal, travel, manufacturing and finance. Chief executive Mark Colquhoun took the helm when the business was loosing money and has since turned the company around.
33. Immunodiagnostic Systems
Turnover: £50.2m (+35%) Pre-tax profits: £37.5m (+36%) Sector: Biotechnology Based: Boldon, Tyne & Wear IS provides innovative immunoassays and automated immunoanalyser technologies for use in clinical and research laboratories worldwide. CEO Ian Cookson attributes the success of the company partly to the worldwide growth in vitamin D testing, which represents about 60 per cent of its total turnover. He expects the company to grow by 15 to 20 per cent in the next 12 months.
2% 8%
4% 2%
8%
4% 8% 22% 42%
regional breakdown 34. A1 Pharmaceuticals
Turnover: £33m (+22%) Pre-tax profits: £1.8m (+40%) Sector: Pharmaceuticals Based: Essex Co-founder Carmen Lewis left school at 16 with no qualifications and took a job at a local deli, a move that ignited her interest in business. It was while slaving away at the check-out that she came up with the idea to sell own-label over-the-counter products to independent pharmacists. Alongside her co-founder (and husband) Gary, she launched A1, risking all their joint savings in the process. With turnover now at £33 million, the goal is to double the business in five years.
36.
Cheapflights.co.uk
Turnover: £30.2m (+15%) Pre-tax profits: £7.3m (+33%) Sector: Travel Based: London Cheapflights, an online travel price comparison website, has achieved consistently high revenue and profits growth since being established in 1996. Despite the intense pressure of operating in the hyper-competitive world of travel, the business has grown organically out of cash flow without external funding or borrowing. In recent years, Cheapflights consolidated its international operations and now has eight websites that cover ten countries.
36 business xl
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