ALL FIRED UP – Lancashire’s most profitable SMEs revealed

Lancashire Business View’s annual list of the county’s 100 most profitable SMEs reveals they have risen to the challenge of the pandemic, volatile price rises and Brexit to deliver for the local economy once again.

Profits generated by this year’s Hot 100 stand at an impressive £290m – a 39 per cent increase year on year.

The businesses featured in the magazine’s hotly anticipated list have a combined turnover of £1.9bn and employ more than 11,000 people.

This year’s hot sectors are construction, logistics and environmental and recycling and the towns with the largest number of new entries are Accrington, Blackpool and Nelson.

The Hot 100 report also highlights the impact government initiatives played in supporting businesses through the pandemic.

The featured businesses received just under £10m in government grant funding. This doesn’t include any government backed loan schemes.

Lancashire Business View publisher Richard Slater said: “Once again, what comes through in the list is the determination and resilience of businesses in the county.”

To view the full exclusive list of companies that make up the county’s Hot 100, pick up a copy of issue 105 of Lancashire Business View, out now.

The latest issue of the independent voice of Lancashire business also features in-depth coverage of the 12th annual Red Rose Awards, the county’s biggest business celebration, enjoyed by more than 1,000 guests who attended the evening at Winter Gardens Blackpool.

There are also interviews with two of the winners on the night. Roger Bracewell, chairman of GA Pet Food Partners, and Chorley Group managing director Adam Turner talk business and share the philosophies behind their companies successes.

The July/August issue’s Legal View feature takes an in-depth look at the long shadow that Covid-19 has cast on the world of work and the challenges it poses to Lancashire’s employers.

And a special report on soaring energy prices highlights how businesses in the county are meeting that growing challenge.