news opinion
Islanders. We are a strange breed
We blunder and bluster about Brexit in parliament and government– and seem to think that the people on the other side of the Channel can’t see and hear us.
They can – and they are not impressed.
And neither is business. As we go to press, companies across the UK are none the wiser about whether our Brexit will be a soft landing or a no-deal hard one, or even whether the whole thing is going to be kicked down the road for a few months.
It is close to negligence for our leaders to be so entwined in the politics of Brexit that they can’t see how damaging their decisions, or lack of them, are impacting companies – livelihoods – across the country.
It may be that by March 29 a deal is cobbled together and sold to MPs and the EU. But at what cost? Most voters will have turned away in disgust at the recent shambles, and businesses will have spent many millions on preparations that might end up being canned.
The global companies in the Thames Valley and Solent regions could be forgiven for thinking that there are more attractive countries in which to site their headquarters or next factory.
Since this is the March/April issue, it has a life which might extend beyond Brexit to a Transition Period. But what are we transitioning to? The lack of clarity is perplexing to businesses; frustrating to probably all our readers.
Despite all this, many SMEs continue to thrive, their entrepreneurial zeal and agility allowing them to grow. Check out 100 of them on pages 16 and 17.
David Murray Publisher
4
businessmag.co.uk
International-tracking the region Solent
One Bournemouth company stood out head and shoulders above all others in the Solent region when the latest Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 table, which ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales. was published.
Ceuta Group, which provides sales, marketing and consultancy services to the health, beauty and grocery sectors, was the only name from the region to make the UK’s top 150.
Founded 25 years ago by Edwin Bessant and Annette D’Abreo, Ceuta now has two specialist companies with offices in the UK, Ireland, New York, Rotterdam and Bangkok. It works with brands such as Nestlé, Unilever and HRA Pharma and has built a network of distributors across more than 100 countries.
The group has made eight acquisitions in the past four years with the backing of its majority owner, the private equity firm Juggernaut Capital. This has helped international sales surge to £39.1 million in 2018, a rise of an average annual 103% over the past two years.
The figures put the company in 25th place in the International Track 200 table. A staff of some 320 people helped the total sales figure last year to over £97m.
This latest recognition follows Ceuta’s recent success at the Big Green Awards, where it won the CSR Award for achievements in environmental management, corporate and social responsibility.
Only two other companies from the Solent region made the lower reaches of the table. Ahmad Tea, based at Chandlers Ford, gained 156th place after exports rose to £69.3m in 2017, an annual rise of 43%.
Chairman Rahim Afshar and his two brothers founded this firm in 1986. Now a household name in the Middle East and Russia, it sells to 80 countries and employs a staff of 300.
Ahmad uses British heritage in its marketing to boost global appeal. Strong demand for healthier teas and growth in North America and the Middle East helped the total sales figure to £73m.
CT Automotive, the Portsmouth-based car parts supplier, gained 175th place in the UK table with an export sales rise of 37%.
Co-founded in 2000 by engineer Simon Phillips, it makes plastic parts, arm rests and other interior products for the global automotive industry. It manufactures in China, Turkey and Sunderland for customers including Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen.
Exports hit an annualised £43.5m in 2017 from total sales of almost £72m, and the staff has grown to over 2,300 people.
NEED MORE CLIENTS?
Call: 0118 934 4119 Visit:
www.achieveuk.com
ACHIEVE UK Achieve
eighth.indd 1
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – MARCH/APRIL 2019 30/11/2015 10:32
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
