Hot 10 towns and cities No Town/City 1 Preston 2 Blackpool 3 Blackburn 4 Chorley 5 Carnforth 6 Burnley


7 Lancaster 8 Accrington 9 Darwen 10 Clitheroe


80 New entry


Count 29 10 9 7 6 5 3 3 2 2


Myriad Contracts, Thornton-Cleveleys


Myriad Group is a nationwide building contractor specialising in fit-out and refurbishment projects, particularly in the hospitality sector. With in-house joinery and upholstery capabilities, it delivers everything from rapid refurbishment to complex structural works. The company delivered turnover of £21.9m representing 12 per cent year-on-year growth.


78 New entry Ashlea Landscaping, Carnforth


Ashlea Landscaping is one of the UK’s largest privately owned commercial landscaping contractors. Established in 1910, it delivers nationwide services including hard and soft landscaping, grounds maintenance and arboriculture, supporting major infrastructure and development projects.


77 79 New entry 83 2025: 44 Northern Diver, Chorley


In business for more than 45 years, Northern Diver manufactures and supplies drysuits and other diving-related equipment to hobbyists, commercial, rescue and military sectors worldwide. It employs 61.


James Alpe, Clitheroe


James Alpe Holdings is a diversified group of companies in three sectors: property investment, motor vehicle accident repair and bodyshop conversions with a reputation for repairing specialist and unique vehicles including motorhomes and bespoke builds.


Expert View DON’T WAIT FOR


TALENT, HELP BUILD IT By Linda Dean


Managing director of the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology (IoT)


82 2025: 15 Wingnut Utilities, Preston


Wingnut Utilities is a utility and telecommunications infrastructure specialist founded in 1997. It offers duct excavation, fibre and cable installation, electrical works and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems.


81 2025: 72 Spencer Clarke, Preston


This recruitment agency was formed in 2017 and operates across public and private markets. It offers temporary, permanent and contract placements across multiple disciplines. The company has grown turnover, revenue and profitability. It also grew the team from 49 to 64.


Lancashire is full of businesses doing remarkable things. The Hot 100 proves it. But behind every growing company is the same quiet question: where will the skilled people come from next?


Recruitment is harder, technology is moving faster, and the roles that matter most – welders, technicians, digital and engineering specialists, finance and leadership talent – are the hardest to fill. Success creates its own skills demand.


The Lancashire & Cumbria Institute of Technology exists to help. We’re currently a partnership of eight colleges and three universities working across six sectors, from engineering and construction to digital, clean energy, health and professional services. Crucially, our training is designed with employers, not for them –


shaped around real operational needs and delivered locally.


What I’d really like the county’s most ambitious businesses to know is this: you don’t have to wait for talent to arrive. You can help build it.


The most rewarding relationships we have are with employers who get involved directly – joining advisory boards to shape what we teach, giving guest talks, setting live projects for students to solve, and offering work placements that turn classroom learning into genuine capability. Students meet the businesses they could one day join, and you get an early look at the talent coming through.


If your company is thriving and thinking ahead, that’s exactly the conversation worth having: how to help shape the skills you’ll need in the future.


LANCASHIREBUSINES SV IEW.CO.UK 2025: 59


Preston Caravans and Motorhomes, Preston


Operating from a seven-acre site, this leisure vehicle retailer offers a wide range of caravans, motorhomes and accessories. It also sells related accessories and awnings and exports its vehicles to countries ranging from Ireland to South Korea and Australia.


Continued on Page 56


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HOT 100


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