Our countdown continues of the biggest Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire companies
Here is the third part of our 2022 BusinessLive list of the 500 biggest businesses in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire – taking us from 200 down to number 21.
Over the past few days we have been counting down from 500 in anticipation of a Top 20 reveal at a breakfast event this morning at the Radisson Blu Hotel at East Midlands Airport. Straight after the live announcement the Top 20 will be published on BusinessLive.
Looking at the below 179 companies – covering businesses with sales of £66 million to £841 million – it is interesting how many car dealers there are, due to the inevitable high values of the products they sell.
In the past couple of years, though, the sector has had a roller-coaster ride, first with sales hit by Covid, then by supply shortages. Despite that many have benefitted from vehicle price inflation even though actual car sales are now slowing – recently suffering the second worst May in three decades.
There are also a number of big fashion businesses in the region featuring in our Top 200, including the likes of Shoe Zone, Joules, Deichmann Shoes and Paul Smith.
Leicester's Watches of Switzerland sits just outside the Top 20, bolstered by its high value products and helped by the fact that the people who can afford to buy them continue to have more disposable income while the rest of us are struggling.
Housebuilders feature prominently, including Leicestershire's Davidsons, Jelson and William Davis, and Miller Homes in Derbyshire. Two more huge homebuilders make it into the Top 20 – to find out who they are you will need to hold on for that list to go up.
New Derby County owner Clowes Developments features at 130, and chairman David Clowes will be hoping County are soon competing with Leicester City on and off the field, who are in 88th position.
As well as listing the Top 20 later today we will also be listing the full Top 200 on BusinessLive in the next couple of days, as a handy guide to see who's doing what and where in the region.
The 2022 list has been compiled by researchers from the Business Schools at De Montfort, Derby and Nottingham Trent Universities, supported by East Midlands Chamber, and sponsored by Leicester property developer Bradgate Estates.
Because of the way the list is compiled it does not use the latest accounting figures published on Companies House. That means that some of the figures relate to the start of the pandemic.
However they still provide an indicator of the range and strength of businesses across the three counties.
Alexandra Charles, college head of Executive Education and Enterprise Development at the University of Derby said manufacturing in its many forms – from brickmaker Ibstock to Samworth Brothers foods and electrical component maker Otter Controls – remains a dominant force across the region.
And as it cleaned up its environmental act, she believed the sector would maintain that position.
She said: “Here in the East Midlands, we see first-hand the considerable contribution made by our manufacturing companies – the 2022 Top 500 East Midlands Business Listing identifies the manufacturing sector as employing 115,263 people, across 158 of the top 500 businesses, and generating over £20 billion in revenue.
“Manufacturing in 2022 was the largest of the six sectors in the region, contributing 22 per cent of the regions total revenue.
“With this presence comes significant responsibility. But manufacturing sector businesses are facing complex multiple challenges.
“These include: recovery from Covid; soaring energy prices, fluctuations in raw materials, the need for daily risk management, the uplift in National Insurance, the lack of skilled staff, and the effects of Brexit on trading relationships.
“However, the sector is responding energetically in these four interconnected ways: First, the sector is adopting a collaborative approach, through the launch of the expanded ‘East Midlands Manufacturing Network’ supported by East Midlands Chamber.
“Collaboration is also in abundance at the 155-acre Derby SmartParc SEGRO food manufacturing, distribution and incubation hub.
“Second, through diversification, in driving low carbon hydrogen technologies, and delivering new and advanced nuclear power as part of the Green Industrial revolution.
“The Midlands Engine Green Growth ‘Hydrogen Technologies Strategy’ shows the way to develop low-carbon hydrogen production capacity and accompanying employment.
“Rolls-Royce is developing a new Nuclear Engineering Academy alongside its plans for small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).
“Third, accelerating digital transformation, enabling both sustainability and enhanced productivity. This is seen in the announcement of £13 million funding for the East Midlands Institute of Technology (IoT).
“Academic partners will join forces to develop the highly advanced workforce needed to lead the UK’s green and digital revolution, to support post-pandemic recovery, and its journey to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“The Digital Transformation Accelerator project will also create and enhance skills to fill the digital skills gap, switch from manual to digital processes, and increasing long-term productivity and efficiency.
“Finally, to grow the return on investment from sustainable business practices.
“The East Midlands has the highest per capita CO2 emissions in England, a legacy from the high proportion of regional extractive and manufacturing companies.”
She said action was finally being taken to cut carbon emissions within industry which would “improve efficiency, increase resilience and reduce risks….. lower costs, drive sales and increase profits for the manufacturing companies in our region”.
She said: “These four responses – collaboration, net-zero diversification, digital and sustainable transformation, and return on sustainability investment – evidence our pride in our regional manufacturing companies and the enormous contribution they make locally, nationally and globally.
“Confronted by society’s biggest challenges, these companies continue to strengthen the UK’s industrial base, deliver sustained stable growth, transition to a net-zero economy, and build resilient workplaces and workforces for the future.”
Bus companies including Trentbarton and Kinchbus
Garage doors and front doors
Linen management for health, hospitality, air and care sectors
193 (n/a) PROJECT C TOPCO LIMITED
Conveyor belts and loading systems for baggage, building products, mining and warehouses
Packaging systems, industrial services, composites and energy
Materials and products for automotive, industrial and other drivetrain applications
Fostering, residential care, education and community assessments
181 (411) BLUEPRINT OPERATIONS & BLUEPRINT OPERATIONS
Pub, bingo and arcade machines & games developer
Clinical, commercial and digital services to life sciences companies
175 (323) SYNCREON TECHNOLOGY (UK) and SYNCREON AUTOMOTIVE (UK)
Supply chain support for global automotive and technology brands
HR and payroll services and software
Mild steel sheet and coil supplier
160 (154) J.H.& F.W.GREEN
Timber and building materials, farming and property developer and landlord
Windows, doors, conservatories and related building products
157 (n/a) MY HOME MOVE
Building engineering, installation, maintenance and monitoring
Ground engineer and geotechnical contractor
154 (149) MORTGAGE AND SURVEYING SERVICES LIMITED
Discount home and garden products
Event merchandising, online stores and licensing
Engineering, workforce and supply chain services
Advanced electronics design and manufacture
Vehicle parts and accessories wholesaler
Number of employees: n/a
Multi-channel marketing services including film, print, POS
Supplying major retailers with prepared vegetables
Supplies of chilled, ambient and frozen foods to caterers
Farming, processing and distribution of Red Tractor and halal poultry products
128 (142) MEXICHEM SPECIALTY COMPOUNDS t/a ALPHAGARY
Polymer compound manufacturer supplying speciality plastics
Industrial and aerospace parts and structures
125 (n/a) STRATFORD RETAIL PARTNERS LLP
Household energy supplies and heaters
121 (111 (113) HAJCO 199 t/a Watling JCB
Mining, construction and civil engineering machinery sales
Food labels and flexible packaging
118 (128) BROADTHORPE t/a WILLIAM DAVIS HOMES
Commercial linoleum, vinyl, flocked, carpet tile and entrance flooring
Commercial heating and plumbing merchants
Design consultancy and clothing supplier
The extrusion, anodising, painting and fabrication of aluminium
Reseller of IT services and solutions
Kidney disease medical products and services
99 (107) WALTER E. STURGESS & SONS
Platform, telehandler, cherry picker sales and hire
The manufacture and supply of electronic components
Recycling, land remediation, site clearances
92 (n/a) GLW FEEDS LIMITED
Livestock and speciality feed manufacturers
Manufacturer of corrugated packaging, sheet board and boxes
Traffic management, waste and recycling, fencing installations, vehicle engineering
Tyres for quarry, waste and port vehicles
81 (88) HUNTER DOUGLAS UK RETAIL t/a HILLARYS BLINDS
Paints, varnish, coatings, printing ink
Agronomy advice, seed, crop protection products and farming services
77 (69) AIRLINE INVESTMENTS t/a LOGANAIR
Chemical coating and additives manufacturer
74 ASHFIELD HEALTH/ASHFIELD HEALTHCARE/ASHFIELD MEETINGS & EVENTS
Products and services for biopharma, healthcare, education and government
Upholstered furniture and home furnishings
68 (n/a) MI HUB LIMITED
Ford and Slater DAF truck dealerships
Products and services for the process control industry
62 (245) TAYLOR HOBSON/AMETEK AIRTECHNOLOGY GROUP/FINE TUBES/AMETEK (GB)/AEM
Ultra precision measurement instruments and diamond turning lathes
Tile sales to public and trade
Technology and IT supplies reseller
Care homes and retirement living
Manufacturer and distributor of chemical and plastic products
Number of employees: N/A
Trucks, vans and car sales and rentals
UPVC doors, windows, fascias, roofing parts and fixtures
Waste management and resource recovery
Plastic injection parts for the automotive industry
Workspaces, data centres, e-commerce, IT, cloud and print services
32 (31) CROWN CREST GROUP t/a POUNDSTRETCHER
29 (34) GRAHAM BELL (HOLDINGS) t/a AVAILABLE CAR
The leasing and maintenance of rolling stock
26 (27) VAILLANT GROUP UK & VAILLANT INDUSTRIAL UK
Design, manufacture and maintenance of mechanical handling equipment, process plant and road tankers