County’s business dynamism highlighted in new report

Compiled by professional services firms Grant Thornton UK LLP and Howes Percival LLP, the report highlights the county’s entrepreneurial dynamism and business performance by analysing the Top 100 privately-owned businesses in Northamptonshire.

Turnovers range from £18.3million at number 100 to £1.26billion at number one. The top spot was held by Avara Foods, based in Brackley, who supply chicken and turkey products to supermarkets and restaurants around the country.

Overall, these 100 businesses generate £10billion in turnover and £664.7million in profit between them and employ more than 39,000 people around the county. Profit growth (measured by EBITDA) was the highest out all of the Eastern counties that Grant Thornton produce limited reports on, with a 22.5% increase year on year.

This increase has been driven by the technology and services sectors, which have both seen strong growth of 78.6% and 95.5% profit increases year on year. Meanwhile, the consumer sector made up the largest portion of businesses, with 30 entries on to the top 100 list. The sector was closely followed by industrial goods, with 23 entries and real estate & construction, with 17 entries.

Mike Tillson, Corporate Finance Partner at Grant Thornton, commented on the report during a recent appearance on the All Things Business podcast. He celebrated “the amazing range of businesses in the county from the multinationals at the top to the owner-managed successes further down the list. Business gets done when people are talking about things, so we’re proud to facilitate those collaborations through the report and help more business happen.”

Matt Thompson, Corporate Partner at Howes Percival, shared on the same podcast: “It’s been incredible to see the increasing presence of tech businesses in the county. We’re only one percent behind Cambridgeshire, which shows how the sector is growing. People might know the county for shoes and engineering, but we have such a huge range of incredible businesses.”

The 2023 report is the 11th edition, with the project being started by Grant Thornton. This is the first time the firm have collaborated with Northamptonshire-based lawyers Howes Percival LLP to produce the report. Both businesses have presence in the county, with Howes Percival having over 200 years of history in Northampton.

To read the full report visit the Grant Thornton website here: https://www2.grantthornton.co.uk/2023-11-15-Download-Central-Northamptonshire-Limited-7226_Page.html?_gl=1*1gomcv4*_ga*ODUzMzk4MDkuMTY4NDc0MjYxNg..*_ga_JLRBBJ6PTP*MTcwMzA2ODM2OS4xMzcuMC4xNzAzMDY4MzY5LjYwLjAuMA..