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Thames Valley companies make the Profit Track 100


Six Berkshire companies were among a dozen from the Thames Valley which made the 14th annual Profit Track 100, the league table featuring the UK’s private companies with the fastest-growing profits over an audited three-year period.


Autodata, the Maidenhead publisher of technical information to help mechanics service and repair cars and trucks, was the best placed of the Berkshire companies in 29th place nationally. Founded in 1975, it grew staff levels to almost 200 by the end of the period under review under chief executive Rod Williams.


The company’s information is available online and in print, covering 15,000 models from 80 vehicle manufacturers. Clients are typically independent garages and workshops, while Autodata also licenses its products to diagnostic equipment manufacturers.


Profits grew to £8.6 million through new products, overseas expansion and with the move online and away from print. The figures revealed a 77% profit growth since the £1.5m recorded in 2008.


Global Personals, the Internet dating specialist with a staff of 110 based at Windsor, made the top 40 thanks to profits reaching £3.2m in 2012 for an annual growth of 66%.


A total of 7,600 dating sites are run by the company, which was founded in 2003 by Ross Williams and Steve Pammenter. It also has its own dating sites and plans 650 new ones in America.


Leasedrive at Wokingham was not far behind at number 46. Created through a merger with Velo in 2007, the firm leases a fleet of 35,000 cars and vans to blue-chip companies, including British American Tobacco and Lloyd’s Register. It also advises on issues such as cars’ green credentials and taxation, doubling profits to £9.2m in 2011, the same year it acquired Masterlease. Managing director David Bird leads a staff of over 100.


Huntswood (55th) was the lone Reading representative in the table. The group handles customer complaints for banks, pension firms and insurance companies. Founded in 2000, it is led by chief executive


Craig Coffield and owned by founder David Brownlow and management.


Pharmalink Consulting (69th) at Maidenhead provides regulatory affairs support to healthcare firms, checking that clients’ manufacturing processes meet local regulations; it has a network of 2,300 consultants and most of its sales are overseas. Founded in 1998 by husband and wife Peter Griffin and Una Loughrey, profits grew to £4.9m in 2012.


QA, the Slough provider of IT and professional skills training, just made the top 100 table after a series of acquisitions over two decades. With more than 250 instructors, the firm – led by chief executive William Macpherson – offers 1,500 courses in 25 locations around Britain.


Acquisitions and organic growth helped to boost profits to £15.5m..


Wellness Foods, the Chertsey company whose brands include Dorset Cereals, Rowse Honey and Fruit Bowl, was actually the highest based company in the region at 26 in the Profit Track table. Founded in 2005, it is majority-owned by Irish entrepreneurs JP McManus, John Magnier and Dermot Desmond. Profits reached £8m in 2011 for an average growth of 82%.


Unipart Group at Oxford (54th) manages the supply chains of customers such as Jaguar, BSkyB, Homebase and Virgin Mobile. The firm was formed in 1987 and saw profits grow to £8m as it developed its overseas operations. H2 Equity Partners bought 50.1% of Unipart Automotive in September 2011.


Focusrite of High Wycombe (64th) develops recording equipment for sound engineers, professional musicians and bedroom amateurs. Under founder Phil Dudderidge it has increased sales through lower- priced, entry-level products and gaining market share in America and Germany, helping profits reach £3.2m in 2012.


Phlexglobal of Amersham (81st) was founded in 1998 and provides a digital solution for pharmaceuticals firms that are required to record all documents associated with drugs trials. Inflexion backed a management buyout in 2011 led by managing director Stella Donoghue


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – JUNE 2013


and global business development director Karen Redding.


State Oil at Weybridge (82nd) was founded in 2000 by husband and wife Sanjeev and Arani Soosaipillai to import fuel from the Continent which it blends before selling under the Prax Petroleum brand. Running nine service stations, its profits grew to £6m as it expanded in the UK.


Wireless Logic at Beaconsfield (83rd) provides Sim cards, software and communications infrastructure for wireless transmission of data between devices — such as card- payment handsets, vehicle trackers and CCTV cameras. Founded in 1999, it was the subject of a £35m management buyout in 2011 and the following year had profits of £4.2m.


The Profit Track 100 was published in the Sunday Times, sponsored by PwC and compiled by Oxford-based Fast Track.


Business THE TM MAGAZINE:DIGITAL


Read these stories in full in the current issue of The Business


Magazine:Digital at www.businessmag.co.uk


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