Mirfield company named as one of the fastest-growing international sales stars

The 11th annual Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales.

In total 11 companies headquartered in Yorkshire have been named in the list.

These regional stars have grown their international sales by an average of 54% a year over the last two years to a total of £320m. Together they employ more than 4,500 people.

Among the list in bedding manufacturer John Cotton Group based in Mirfield which in 2018 opened a factory in Poland.

The region’s top-ranked company is High Street TV (No.8), which sells own-brand and branded products on its TV channels as well as over the phone, online and through retailers. Its international sales reached £17.6m in 2018, on total sales of £66.4m, growing at an average of 175% per year over its last two years.

Bridlington, in East Yorkshire, is home to food supplement manufacturer Bee Health – which features for the first time with annualised international sales of £1.6m in 2018, on annualised total sales of £29.4m.

The company produces 100m own-brand and white label capsules and tablets a week, and sells to more than 40 countries. Its overseas sales grew an average of 33% per year over three years.

Halifax-based safety barrier manufacturer A-Safe features on the league table for the fourth time.

The company’s distinctive bright yellow safety barriers are used in factories by the likes of BMW and Unilever, and have been installed at more than 30 international airports. Its overseas sales grew at an average annual growth rate of 41% over two years.

The companies in Yorkshire appear alongside well-known British brands based across the UK including Mountain Warehouse, which opened 21 shops abroad last year; BrewDog, which was valued at £1bn in 2017 and now has nearly 100 bars worldwide; and Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, the London-based cosmetics and skincare brand, which ships to 76 markets.

The league table programme is sponsored by HSBC, DHL Express and Oracle NetSuite, and compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events firm.

Amanda Murphy, Head of Commercial Banking, HSBC UK, said: “The Sunday Times International Track 200 shows the strength, ambition and resilience of companies across the UK and we are delighted to be sponsoring again this year.

"At HSBC UK, we take great pride in recognising the contribution these businesses are making to driving growth across the UK. The two new entrants in Yorkshire are making a significant contribution to employment, driving prosperity and growth and are the sort of businesses we are pleased to support every day.”