UNCOVERED: THE COMPANIES AND AREAS DRIVING LANCASHIRE’S GROWTH

LANCASHIRE Business View’s annual Hot 100 list of the county’s most profitable SMEs has been officially unveiled – along with its growth hotspots.

This year’s highly-anticipated list highlights that despite continuing uncertainty over Brexit having an impact, the county’s key business sectors continue to deliver.

The Hot 100 2019, revealed in full in Lancashire Business View’s July/August edition, also highlights trends in the local economy including the growth of the care sector and the impact of the fast-emerging vaping market.

This year’s Hot 100 has been produced in partnership with Edge Hill University’s Productivity and Innovation Centre and supported by law firm Brabners, Haworths Chartered Accountants, who compiled the list, and IT firm Nybble.

And as well as the traditional Hot 100 table, Lancashire Business View has also been working with Edge Hill University this year to uncover which parts of the county are hotspots for growth.

That exclusive analysis of around 3,600 high-growth businesses that are delivering £4.6bn to Lancashire’s economy will also feature in the July/August edition of the magazine. And it has delivered some surprising results.

Prof Simon Bolton, associate dean and chair professor for innovation at Edge Hill, said: “It is of critical importance that we continue to shine a light on successful business within the region. It is also important that universities continue to help to link research to business practices.

“With this aim in mind, Edge Hill University has been working to get under the bonnet of why Lancashire’s successful businesses are more productive and to identify which parts of the county are driving growth and why.”

Richard Slater, publisher of Lancashire Business View, said: “It is great to have an institution of Edge Hill’s calibre involved with Hot 100.

“Haworths has been providing a goldmine of data for over a decade and now we have gone even further with a detailed look at where our growth is coming from and how it is being delivered.

Mark Schofield of Haworths said: “The Hot 100 is a fascinating project that for 13 years has given us a great snapshot of Lancashire and its economy. It has covered a recession, recovery and now Brexit.

“Working with Edge Hill and Lancashire Business View is a unique opportunity to really find out what has been driving the findings we have reported over the years.”

Ram Gupta, managing director of sponsor Nybble IT said “The Hot 100 provide the aspiration to all growing businesses. Being a local business, we are honoured that Nybble IT has been offered the opportunity to part sponsor the event and help share in the success these businesses enjoy. 

IT is a key element to any ambitious business and we are delighted to be part of the panel and this prestigious celebration of the Lancashire business community.”

Nicola Whittle, partner at Brabners commented: “Lancashire Business View’s Hot 100 is a very popular feature, which we have read with great interest for many years and are proud to be a part of in 2019.

“The Hot 100 is a valuable resource in better understanding the businesses that are driving the county’s economy, and as a leading SME in the region ourselves, we are proud to support the SME market, with the development of the region's businesses at the heart of our work and history.

“Through our work with SMEs and owner managed businesses across the region, we see some key trends in the market, and our formal involvement in this feature gives us a greater depth of understanding as well as the opportunity to contribute our own insight to the project."

To get your hands on a copy of the July/August edition featuring the Hot 100 please click here.