Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018 by Belfast Telegraph

In association with

NORTHERN IRELAND COMPANIES 2018

Your guide to the leading profit-makers, employers and business people

Contents  INTRODUCTION 

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

Alastair Hamilton, Invest NI

06-07 Arthur Cox

08-11

John Simpson

Angela McGowan

Ann McGregor

Belfast Telegraph Awards

18-21

Top 100 Tables

22-29

Entries 1-20 profiled

30-42

Entries 21-100 profiled

Catalyst Inc.

Construction industry

50-51

Our biggest employers

52-53

NI’s hotel sector

Sir William Hastings: a tribute PUBLISHED BY Belfast Telegraph Clarendon House, Clarendon Dock, Belfast, BT1 3BH ADVERTISING Jackie Reid – Senior Advertising Manager Tel: 028 90554685 j.reid@belfasttelegraph.co.uk EDITOR Margaret Canning mcanning@belfasttelegraph.co.uk TOP 100 Compiled by John Simpson TOP 100 PROFILES Compiled by Margaret Canning, Emma Deighan and Michelle Weir DESIGN Stuart McKinley - INM Design Studio, Belfast FRONT COVER DESIGN Heather Byrne & Raymond Esteban PRINTING INM, Newry

elcome to the Belfast Telegraph Top 100 Companies 2018 in association with Arthur Cox. We are proud that the prestigious law firm is supporting our must-read guide to Northern Ireland’s most profitable companies for the fourth year in a row. The make-up of this year’s Top 100 reflects many business and economic trends. Our four main banks are represented in the top 10, signalling the resurgence of the sector — and a likely harbinger that competition between the four, to say nothing of non-indigenous competitors, is only going to heighten. That is good news for their business customers. We are also happy that the Top 100 continues to celebrate the success of many of our homegrown manufacturers and traders, from the family-run W&R Barnett and Norbrook Holdings, to Moy Park, now part of Pilgrim’s Pride. And the Top 100 would be far less stim-

ulating without the big changes it reflects, such as the decision of Lagan Group to sell the majority of its interests to Breedon Group Aggregates — a new presence in the Top 100. Lagan Group’s sale of many of its interests, such as asphalt and quarrying, but its retention of the Lagan Homes business, is a reminder of the growing importance of housebuilding. Some in our Top 100, such as FP McCann, now have housebuilding divisions which complement their main activities. No company faced greater turmoil in 2017 than aeroplane manufacturer Bombardier. We have to welcome their candour in describing 2017 as another challenging year. But it is comforting to reflect that one of biggest hurdles it faced during the year – a challenge to the sale of its C Series in the US by rival Boeing — ultimately worked out in its favour. We also profile our Top 50 biggest employers, including supermarkets Asda and Sainsbury’s. This time next year, their merger is likely to have gone ahead in a big shake-up for thousands of Northern Ireland supermarket employees. We are also pleased to assemble some of the most influential businesspeople who are

writing in this year’s Top 100, from Alastair Hamilton, chief executive of Invest NI in our foreword, to Ann McGregor and Angela McGowan of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the CBI NI respectively. The Top 100 does show a pattern of growing profits and success. But it’s wrong to ignore some of the problems that our Top 100 are battling are coping with — thankfully, with success. The lack of Executive is a brake on optimism about the future of Northern Ireland, whether we like it or not. Looking back at last year’s introduction to the Top 100 is a reminder that 2018 was to have seen the introduction of a lower rate of corporation tax for Northern Ireland. The month passed without remark by the business world as it displayed its usual pragmatism, and go-getting attitude. That must serve as a reminder that we are at our best when we carry on regardless of what might have been. Brexit serves as another worry for companies in Northern Ireland as there is still no satisfactory conclusion to the issue of how the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic will operate.

By Margaret Canning Belfast Telegraph Business Editor

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

 FOREWORD  The head of economic development agency Invest NI reflects on the Top 100

lobalisation has been a key driver of the world economy for more than 20 years, increasing investment, boosting innovation and enhancing overall competitiveness. Increasing international competitiveness is particularly important for a small, regional economy such as Northern Ireland. Innovation and exporting are key drivers for achieving this. By increasing the number of businesses selling products and services outside Northern Ireland, and attracting more international companies to invest here we are driving our economic growth. This will safeguard the future of our businesses, our economic prosperity and provide employment for generations to come. Supporting the delivery of this is at the very heart of what we do. The value of Northern Ireland exports has increased for three consecutive years, hitting an all-time high of £8.6 billion in 20171. The Republic of Ireland and US have been our biggest individual export markets for some time, around 8,000 businesses currently sell products and services in these territories2. During 2017 there were increases in exports to four of our top five destination countries, with the largest increases in exports of goods to the Republic of Ireland and Canada3. Over the past two years exports from Northern Ireland to the US have grown by 16 per cent to £1.5billion4. The changing global business environment and the final out-workings of Brexit in particular, will bring significant change for our exporting businesses. Supporting companies to help manage this risk through increased innovation and extending their export reach into new markets is essential. During the year we increased our international presence in 10 new territories, including Hong Kong, Toronto, Johannesburg and Sydney to provide in-market support for Northern Ireland companies investigating export opportunities or looking to build on existing business in these markets. As well as the direct support we offer to businesses we also work in partnership

BUILDING OUR COMPETITIVENESS ON THE GLOBAL STAGE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER FOR NI

Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive of Invest NI with industry stakeholders to support economic growth. We recently partnered on an event with NI Water and Irish Water where local companies pitched their innovative solutions to water industry experts. These innovations may lead to supply chain opportunities for businesses in the water sector but also open up subsequent export market development. Investing in innovation is crucial, not just to business growth but to survival. Studies show a solid link between investment in innovation, and profitability and growth. Innovation is everything from changing processes, to make them more efficient to refining products to meet

changing customer needs, and exploiting new business models to maximise global opportunities. Driving growth in innovation and research and development is a central strand of our Business Strategy. Investment in R&D doesn’t tend to attract media headlines but it plays an important role in driving economic growth. Every £1 of our support towards R&D projects has generated £9 of economic return5. In recent months we welcomed announcements of two major investments in innovation, research and development: BT is investing nearly £30m in a new Innovation Centre focusing on advanced research into the

Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics; and Randox is undertaking £50m of R&D to help deliver cutting-edge technologies to better diagnose conditions such as cancer and heart disease. A successful business has innovation at its heart. A company that builds a culture of innovation can become more efficient, save time and resources and increase its competitiveness in the global marketplace. It is absolutely essential to wider economic growth and has never been higher up the agenda of governments. Working in collaboration with others can open up opportunities for stronger innovation, with increased potential for success, by drawing in expertise from other areas. It can also open access to wider funding streams such as the funding available in the UK, primarily through Innovate UK, and Europe through Horizon 2020. I would strongly encourage our local companies to explore and avail of these valuable funding streams to support their innovation ambitions. It is through innovation and export that companies become more competitive. And from greater competitiveness comes growth which leads to more jobs. Currently 845,000 people over the age of 16 are in employment6. The draft Programme for Government has ambitious targets to build on this and improve employment opportunities in Northern Ireland. We will contribute to this by supporting and encouraging the companies we work with to create 30,000-40,000 additional jobs by 2021. I congratulate all those businesses that appear in the Belfast Telegraph Top 100, in particular those that are listed for the first time. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of our smaller businesses. Every business in Northern Ireland, regardless of its size, plays a vital role in our economy. An entrepreneur today has the potential to be a large employer of the future. Sources 1. HMRC Regional Trade Statistics 2. NISRA’s Broad Economy Sales and Exports Statistics 2016. 3. HMRC Regional Trade Statistics 4. HMRC Regional Trade Statistics 5. Invest NI: analysis of 500 R&D projects (provisional figures as at April 2018) 6. NISRA – Labour Force Survey (DecemberFebruary 2018)

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

Arthur Cox:

A natural partner for business success

Operating at the heart of the Northern Ireland economy, and working closely with many of the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful businesses, leading law firm Arthur Cox is a natural partner for the Top 100 Companies. Well established as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;go-toâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; firm for trusted legal advice that is innovative, nuanced and pragmatic, Arthur Cox is a force for growth at the heart of the market. Managing Partner Catriona Gibson and Chairman Alan Taylor provide their insights into how locally-based companies are ensuring their continued success.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

Alan Taylor, Chairman

A regional economy making a major global impact

igures published by HMRC show that Northern Ireland’s export trade grew to £8.6 billion last year. The value was up 9% on the prior year, due mainly to an increase in trade with the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the EU. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s second largest export market, the United States, accounted for some £272 million in trade. The continuing negotiations between UK and European Union officials have placed Northern Ireland at the centre of the Brexit agenda. Whilst Brexit certainly has the potential to be disruptive and make exports more challenging, ambitious firms will increasingly look beyond the borders of the EU in order to maintain a strong growth trajectory.

International markets

Despite its relatively small size in terms of geography and demographics, Northern Ireland has long punched above its weight on the global stage. Development of export markets is something at which local businesses excel, and even smaller SMEs are becoming increasingly confident in international markets. Yes, local firms must first familiarise themselves with jurisdictional differences

and potential pitfalls before investing in new export programmes, but the international markets are there for our products and services. Additionally, Northern Ireland’s strong talent pool has ensured a continued number of foreign direct investors establishing a base here, while the guide also includes numerous indigenous firms that have gone on to make their names known across the world. As a result, Northern Ireland continues to enjoy an internationally-recognised distinction for the world-class calibre of its businesses and a strong relationship with its key trade partners across the world. The pedigree that businesses from across Northern Ireland have displayed indicates that they can rise to the challenges of Brexit and beyond, and negotiate the pitfalls as they grow their global presence and continue the local success story.

NORTHERN IRELAND CONTINUES TO ENJOY AN INTERNATIONALLY-RECOGNISED DISTINCTION FOR THE WORLD-CLASS CALIBRE OF ITS BUSINESSES

Catriona Gibson, Managing Partner

Top 100 proves resilience of local firms, a decade on from the financial crisis of 2007-08

he Belfast Telegraph Top 100 always presents a welcome opportunity to celebrate and benchmark the successes of the Northern Ireland business community. With Brexit negotiations ongoing and the political impasse at Stormont continuing, this year’s guide has been compiled during a time of significant uncertainty for locally-based companies. As we enter the last financial year before the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, there are a range of additional challenges facing local businesses, such as potential inflationary pressures, subdued consumer activity and volatile currency markets. Significant hours will have been spent by many firms in the early part of 2018 making final preparations for compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This crucial process has placed further strain on company budgets, as they endeavour to comply with the necessary changes in employment law before the new regulation becomes effective later this month.

Strength

This updated list of our Top 100 businesses is timely, therefore, as a reminder of the incredible strength and depth of our leading firms despite the numerous challenges they face. The list features a broad spectrum of compa-

nies, covering all sectors and including family firms, large private enterprises, utilities firms and multinational corporations. At Arthur Cox, we are privileged to provide legal counsel and guidance to many of these organisations.

Confidence

Their success is reflected in a wider look at the economy in general, with businesses across all industries illustrating newly-invigorated confidence, a decade on from the recession and property crash. The most recent Labour Force Survey, published by the Department for the Economy, showed the Northern Ireland economy was operating at “effectively full employment” according to one leading analyst. Standing at 3.5% in the three months from December 2017 to February 2018, the rate compared to 4.2% nationally - while unemployment in the Republic of Ireland is 6.1%. The statistics are accompanied with various caveats, including the economic inactivity rate for the region remaining stubbornly high and productivity being below the levels of our nearest neighbours. However, bearing in mind that the unemployment rate in Northern Ireland peaked at 8.2% as the 2008 recession loomed large a decade ago, it is clear that the local economic outlook has improved very significantly. By their very presence on the Top 100 list, the

companies have proved their resilience to cope with the challenges of the intervening years since the economic downturn, and take their place among the region’s elite. That experience will hold them in good stead for the difficult tasks that undoubtedly lie ahead as we prepare for the post-Brexit economy. On behalf of Arthur Cox, I would warmly congratulate all those firms included on this year’s Top 100, and wish them every success for the future.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

 ANALYSIS 

By John Simpson Top 100: Selecting the businesses PRIVATE SECTOR BUSINESS KEEPSTHE ECONOMY GROWING

017 was a buoyant year for most of the larger private sector firms. Private sector businesses in Northern Ireland continue to be a source of expansion and strength for the local economy. Looking back on 2017, it was a year of greater uncertainty about the business and political environment. The news continued to debate the impact, shape and consequences of Brexit. Whatever the merits of Brexit, in the period of political negotiation about the final settlement of the Brexit arrangements, the lack of certainty about future trading relationships between the UK and our European neighbours, including the Republic of Ireland, has been a critical ‘unknown’ in the business environment. In Northern Ireland in 2017 most businesses continued to function successfully. Although the dynamics of business investment plans have been more modest, the reassuring baseline has been the continuing improvement in profitability, even when turnover has grown quite slowly. There are several ways in which a readily understood perspective of the achievements of the private sector businesses can be compiled. This year in the Belfast Telegraph, the focus is on profitability. In a more comprehensive analysis, the performance of private businesses might be put in the context of value added to the economy, changes in employment, wider market reach in export markets or through examples of innovation and research. These characteristics need to be developed in other studies.

Selecting 100 businesses for the Top 100 The 100 businesses which have qualified to be included in this years’ review have been chosen on a simple criterion: they are usually the businesses registered (or headquartered) and reporting their accounts in Northern Ireland which have the highest levels of pre-tax profits. The 100 businesses are ranked on the level

of pre-tax profits. Conceivably, in some circumstances and for varying purposes, there would be an interest in a ranking using either, operating profits, the value of capital invested, turnover, or the rate of return on turnover. To retain comparability with earlier years, this year the key yardstick for inclusion was the reported level of pre-tax profit. A striking feature of the selection of the 100 largest locally registered businesses with highest pre-tax profits has been the sharp increase in the lower profit level at which businesses qualified for inclusion.

of research, there are statistics for nine businesses that were not on our data base a year ago.

The cut-off level of pre-tax profits for inclusion was:

The new business arrivals are offset by 29 departures.

Last year

£3,187,000

Two no longer have NI trading figures

This year

£4,182,000

The 32% increase in the qualifying pretax profit level is a strong indicator of a significant improvement in the overall profits being earned. When interpreting the 32% increase, there needs to be an understanding that, whilst many of the same businesses are included in each year, there have been big changes, in and out, as some businesses have enjoyed either better or less satisfactory results. Of the 100 which qualified last year, this year, 29 have left the list and, logically, 29 others have arrived. These changes are explained further below. There are two reasons why a business may have joined the Top 100. First, because their pre-tax profits have improved. Second because there are registered results which were not available, or discovered, previously. There were eight companies in last year’s Top 100 which a year ago reported that they were trading whilst making losses. These companies have now all returned to profitable trading. There are 12 companies for whom the latest trading results show an increase in pre-tax profits taking them from below the minimum cut-off profit level to a position above the new minimum. In addition, in several other developments and with the benefits

16 are profitable but now below the new minimum Three had good profits but are now below the new minimum Eight were loss making last year Another indication of the significance of the locally registered profit earners is that 28 of the businesses in the Top 100 list are also in the list of the largest local employers. There are 50 employers with more than 775 employees: (see special annex ..page) of this 50, 28 are in a business trading mainly in NI and 22 are businesses with ‘branches’ in NI but which report as part of an externally registered company.

Understanding the statistics The number of changes in the Top 100 may seem large. Despite the volatility of the number of businesses in the list, an explanation is not difficult. An examination of the turnover or employment of the larger businesses would show a much lower number of ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ in a single year. Of the 100 businesses listed last year, all but two are still in business. However, ranking the selection of the Top 100 on pre-tax profits, builds in more volatile statistical

outcomes. Year by year big fluctuations in profitability are an expected feature. Twenty nine new entries are the result, in part, of what may be seen as a normal ‘ebb and flow’ between continuing businesses. The information for the Top 100 is compiled, largely, from the annual report and accounts of local registered businesses. There is a small number of businesses owned or controlled by local shareholders, usually a family run business, which file their results in the GB companies’ office. In contrast, there is a small number of NI registered companies for whom all (or nearly all) business is outside NI: these are not included. Using pre-tax profits as the key yardstick means that care must be exercised when businesses have exceptional costs (or revenue) usually in a one-off deduction from reported profits. Exceptional items occur for a range of reasons. Consequently, when they affect pre-tax profits, an interested reader may wish to consider the implications alongside the normal year to year variations in trading conditions. In this report, as far as possible, where a business operates through a number of subsidiary companies along with a parent company, the results have been consolidated for the larger group, if that group is based in NI. As in other years, an invitation is offered to readers to help in the updating and improvement of the information used in this compilation. Guidance on omissions, oversights and errors is welcome. Every year our data base is improving. In a changing business world, statistical updating is a continuing process.

Continued on page 10 

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

 ANALYSIS 

By John Simpson

Businesses at the top of the league table

he Top 100 pre-tax profit-earners make a considerable contribution to the sustaining and success of the Northern Ireland economy.

This year, the Top 100 recorded: £1,720m in pre-tax profits £2,735m in employment costs 78,500 employees: about 15% of private sector jobs When the pre-tax figures are corrected to exclude some major distortions from losses recorded a year ago, the average level of pre-tax profits per business (admittedly not a useful average because of the influence of several large companies) was over 20% higher than a year ago. This compares with the 32% increase in the minimum level of profits to qualify for inclusion. The 32% increase is also somewhat deceptive since the figure should be corrected to allow for an upward bias in the choice of successful companies. Whatever the qualifications or reservations, the results of the analysis of the Top 100 offer a picture of the better performers in a much more buoyant private sector. In the more extensive list of the profits and employment of the Top 100 companies, there is a wide range of differing results. The largest profits come from a small group of group of well-known organisations.

Highest local profit makers (Pre-tax profit) 2018

This yr.

Last yr.

£’000

Danske Bank

147,500

116,983

N.I.Water

102,912

99,141

(2017)

1(1) 2(4) 3(6) 4(3) 5(9) 6* 7(2) 8(5) 9* 10(7)

There will be an interest in the presence of the four main retail banks operating in NI towards the top of this list. Also, given the efforts to improve various infrastructure services, another three are noteworthy: NI Water, Viridian, and NIE Networks. In the world-wide trading markets, the improved results from Bombardier were welcome, as was the continuing trading success of Moy Park and Schrader Electronics. A more broadly based indicator of impact on the economy lies in the contribution of the largest businesses to the generation of profits and employment costs. The table below adds together both of these figures to give a useful proxy to their contribution to the GDP or generation of incomes.

Largest impact on local economy This year

Last year

£’m

Moy Park

£302m

£262m

Bombardier

£281m

n.a.

Almac Group

£211m

£180m

Danske Bank

£207m

£173m

NI Water

£161m

£115m

Ulster Bank

£147m

n.a

NIENetworks

£120m

n.a

Norbrook Holdings

£118m

£105m

Schrader Electronics

£107m

£116m

John Graham

£102m

£90m

First Derivatives

£101m

£76m

Dunbia

£92m

£85m

The data from the Top 100 businesses confirms an overall improvement in the returns earned. Viridian Gp. Investments 68,600 50,400 Whilst there are firms with a range of Bombardier 61,531 (273,582) experiences, ranging from trading losses to handsome profits, there is a pattern of Moy Park 59,709 35,721 improvements across the complete range Ulster Bank (in NI) 59,000 58,000 of businesses. Compared to a year ago, the Schrader Electronics 56,322 61,726 number reporting trading losses has fallen from 33 to 24. In contrast, the number making First Trust Bank 54,000 47,000 profits has increased from 67 to 76. Perhaps the most notable feature of an Bank of Ireland (in NI) 53,000 50,000 analysis of profitability is that 48 of the 100 N.I.E.Networks 52,600 50,700 businesses reported an improvement of over *New information from these banks 20% in their pre-tax profits.

Changes in pre-tax profit Profits change in year

This year

Last year

Losses increased by >10%

Losses increase 0 - 9%

Profits increase 0 – 9%

10 – 19%

20 – 99%

100%+

Returned to profit from previous losses

None of the companies included in the Top 100 last year have disappeared from the list although the ranking, based on pre-tax profits, has changed markedly.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

Largest employers growing, but more slowly

he list of the Top 100 locally registered businesses, for which annual financial results are available, differs significantly from a list of the largest employers. Both lists overlap but, critically, many UK national businesses report on a UK basis which means that their profit earnings in one region, such as Northern Ireland, are not published.

For additional information and to illustrate the degree of commonality, a separate table has been prepared showing the employment numbers for the largest 50 employers in Northern Ireland. These are the numbers employed in N.I. Employees outside N.I. are not included.

The largest employers, as assessed in returns to the Equality Commission, were:

The largest employment increases from The largest reductions in employment the Equality Commission analysis were: were in: Convergys

1,834

Tesco

-568

NIE Networks

373

Four Seasons

-365

G4S

298

Asda stores

-357

Noonan Services

247

Firstsource

-280

John Henderson

237

Dunnes Stores

-164

Tesco

9,634

Dunbia

197

Allstate (NI)

-107

Bombardier

4,778

PwC

196

Bombardier

-104

Moy Park

4,593

Terex

152

Teleperformance

Asda

-93

3,911

Four Seasons

3,839

Noonan Services

3,600

Three of the six largest employers are national organisations, not registered with separate local results. In the list of 50 large employers, 28 are locally registered and included in the analysis of the Top 100.

In the group of 50 largest employers the experiences were varied. 17 reported a reduction in employment whilst 33 reported an increase. The 50 largest employers employed 95,971 people which was an increase of 2,949, or 3%, on the same total a year ago.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

 CBI VIEW 

GOOD FIRMS HAVE STRONG VALUES AND INSTIL THEM IN ALL THEIR EMPLOYEES

The value of business

ince I wrote my column for last year’s Belfast Telegraph Top 100 there have been some significant economic and geopolitical changes across the globe. Yet the global economy remains strong with growth reaching 3.8% in 2017. Over the year we have also seen a welcome upturn in investment levels in many advanced economies which augers well for growth in the year ahead. Across the globe technological advances are continuing to infiltrate every sector and all walks of life and that can only be a good thing for a company’s efficiency, productivity, competition and progress. Closer to home in the local economy we continue to face political deadlock and subdued economic growth. Much remains to be clarified when it comes to Brexit and its impact on this small, peripheral region that is heavily reliant on both inward and outward trade flows with our European neighbours. Nonetheless, as the list of Top 100 companies demonstrates, many firms across Northern Ireland are still managing to deliver a strong growth trajectory in terms of turnover and employment. These firms remain focused on their long-term goals despite the many obstacles and uncertainties that are put in their way. This year’s celebration of successful companies is a wonderful reminder that indigenous companies as well as foreign direct investors continue to deliver economic benefits for Northern Ireland. These flourishing businesses, and indeed many other companies who have not made it on

Angela McGowan CBI Northern Ireland Regional Director to our Top 100 list, are continuing to provide this region with jobs as well as quality goods and services. This salutation to the most successful firms provides us with an opportunity to step back and appreciate the true value of business in any society. We often forget that our overall prosperity and living standards are linked to the success of business. But it is business that creates wealth and generates tax revenue for our schools and hospitals, and it is business that provides hope and opportunity for future generations. Across the UK there is a now a growing national and political conversation underway about the role and the value of business in any society. A recent CBI survey has shown that 64% of people in Northern Ireland agree that the reputation of business is ‘good or very good’ and 67% of employees surveyed said that they had a positive relationship with their employer. While people generally understand the role of business and are aware of the contribution

that a healthy private sector makes, there is undoubtedly still more work to be done on improving those overall levels of trust in the corporate sector. But trust needs to be earned, and it always comes back to behaviour. In today’s world, good companies tend to take their responsibilities to their workforce, their customers, shareholders and the local community very seriously. CBI members will talk to me about ‘company values’ which they try to instil across all employees. Those company values will be reflected in their employee’s behaviour – right through from the security person that you meet at the front gate to the board members and chairperson sitting around that executive table. Company values are needed to set the standard for employee behaviours within any firm. They determine for example, how customers are treated, how employees treat each other or how an employee’s actions could impact upon the planet 50 years from now. Company values determine the quality

of the product or service that is offered to customers. Although such values tend to differ across firms, they generally don’t stray too far away from principles such as: integrity, transparency, value creation, quality focus and team-focus. When company values are well embedded and understood across the firm, employees tend to find it much easier to make the right decision when facing new or difficult situations. Unfortunately, we are all aware that not all firms display exemplary behaviour. Indeed, it tends to be that less desirable (and less frequent) corporate behaviour that makes the media headlines. So, if the corporate sector wants to fully regain the public’s trust in business, then firms and business representatives such as the CBI need to engage constructively with the wider debate on issues such as executive pay, reward, representation, equality and diversity. In 2018, business behaviour is now firmly in the spotlight and that can only be a good thing. The public’s attitude about who they trust, who inspires them and what they value has shifted and business must show it understands how society is changing. The companies listed in this year’s Top 100 should without doubt take time out to celebrate their success and reflect on how their leadership and their employee’s hard work have all paid off. But these companies must also be conscious of the fact that success brings with it huge responsibility. Our most successful companies, our biggest employers and all industry leaders must recognise that they now have a key role to play in terms of increasing the public’s trust in business through their own behaviours and that of their staff.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

ANALYSIS It’s great to see so many of our members in the Top 100, says the head of one of our main business bodies

he way you digest economic news really can depend on your overall outlook on life. At Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry we have consistently seen export as the biggest opportunity for our local businesses. So taking the optimistic view of economic growth, it is pleasing to see the results of the Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index (NICEI), published recently by the Northern Ireland Statistics Research Agency (Nisra), which outlines how the economy has performed in quarter up to the end of 2017. Total output grew in that period compared to the previous quarter, albeit by less than 0.5%, but that is mirrored by the other GB regions and cuts across all sectors. However when compared with the rest of the UK over the whole of 2017, where growth stands at 1.4%, we actually went backwards, with output down since the start of the year. Being realistic about it, our economic recovery is at best stagnant. Nisra has also reported that up to 2016 external sales by Northern Ireland firms are sitting at an all-time high of £24.1bn. Just over a third of that trade is to markets outside of the UK with the remaining £14bn going to customers in Britain, while £3.4bn of export trade makes its way across the frictionless soft border into the Republic of Ireland (RoI). The EU market is currently worth £5.7bn in sales for Northern Ireland. Given that these figures cover the period right up to the EU referendum, it serves to underline just how important the ‘home’ export market will continue to be for Northern Ireland firms. It is probably natural for local businesses to look for sales to those markets on our doorstep, be that

EXPORTING AFTER BREXITWILL FORM A CHALLENGE BUT ALSO A BIG OPPORTUNITY

By Ann McGregor, CEO, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the RoI or Great Britain or both. The same language, same culture, and readily accessible markets geographically all adds to a relatively straightforward means of conducting export business. NI Chamber is therefore delighted to see so many of our members, including major exporters, featuring in the Belfast Telegraph’s Top 100. The publication is to be commended as an excellent compilation of Northern Ireland’s top profit-making companies who are committed to achieving growth and success and driving sales both at home and overseas which are evidenced by their figures. And of course they are doing this amid all the uncertainty around Brexit

and what the future of trade relations will bring. The EU as a trade bloc is the destination for more than half of NI’s goods exports. On a country by country basis, however, the Republic of Ireland (RoI) remains our key export partner which makes the issue concerning a hard border all the more critical. The British and Irish governments and the EU have all ruled out a hard border in Northern Ireland after Brexit, but European leaders have said the only way to guarantee this is through some form of customs union – something the UK has repeatedly ruled out. Former US Senator George Mitchell, who as United States

Special Envoy for Northern Ireland chaired the talks that led to the historic Good Friday Agreement, has said a hardening of the border could mean “stereotyping resumes, demonisation resumes and people turn inward.” During his recent visit here to mark the 20th anniversary of the Agreement, he said: “The real danger is if you reinstate a hard border, you go back to the days where stereotyping resumes, demonisation resumes and people turn inward as opposed to outwards and they lose the benefits that come from open borders, open societies and trade.” No one wants that. We know of course that selling beyond the UK market is about to get a lot more complicated, no matter how the ongoing negotiations eventually conclude and the issues of the customs union and the single market are sorted out. Both sets of Nisra figures are very valuable in illustrating firstly exactly the shape of our economy (not strong enough), and secondly where the opportunities and challenges lie. Northern Ireland firms currently sell some volume of goods and services to virtually every single country in the European Union. That’s the current opportunity. Somewhere in Northern Ireland today a product is being shipped off not only to our biggest EU mainland markets which are Germany (£569m) and France (£489m), but business is also being done at a lower level with Romania, Hungary, Finland among others, all ranging in the tens of millions of pounds. Planning for those export sales in a post Brexit era is the challenge, and one which our businesses must be preparing for at this stage. The scope of the opportunity is equalled by the scale of the challenge – both must be embraced.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

 BUSINESS AWARDS 

Dr Norman Apsley, winner of Lifetime Achievement Award, and Richard Donnan, head of chief sponsor Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland

Novosco won IT Company of the Year and Oustandng Business of the Year. Gary Parkinson, Susan Hill and Dominic O’Neill accepted their award, sponsored by Jobfinder, from Sarah Little, Commercial Director of the Belfast Telegraph

Gareth Chambers won Young Business Person of the Year. Terry Moore, CEO of Outsource Solutions, presented the award, with host Wendy Austin

Glyn Roberts, chief executive of Retail NI, presented the Retailer of the Year award to Keith Irvine of Warden Bros, with Wendy Austin

A night of celebration

T’S the most eagerly-anticipated night in the Northern Ireland business calendar — and this year, around 350 of the brightest and best gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast for the 2018 Belfast Telegraph Business Awards in partnership with Ulster Bank. It was the second year in which Belfast Telegraph has been proud to join forces with Ulster Bank to champion the achievements of Northern Ireland’s business world. Companies and businesspeople from around Northern Ireland were honoured in a total of 15 categories. From lauding the achievements of Catalyst Inc chief executive Norman Apsley in building the former Northern Ireland Science Park into a powerhouse of innovation, to recognising the success of a start-up company like Copeland Spirits, the awards recognised a vast range of business talent. The night was hosted by BBC journalist and presenter of Radio Ulster’s Inside Business, Wendy Austin. Representing the world of politics were North Belfast DUP MP Nigel Dodds, and Sinn Fein Deputy Leader and West Tyrone MLA Michelle O’Neill.

The audience was entertained by Ciaran Nolan and Gerard Jordan of Balloon Factory Productions. Neil Gibson, chief economist at EY Ireland, delivered an address, and commented on the upbeat economic message he drew from the success of the night’s winners and finalists. But he commented that he founded the continuing lack of an Executive in Northern Ireland "heartbreaking". But Mr Gibson observed that businesses would keep making progress regardless of the political situation facing them, including Brexit and the lack of a powersharing Executive. He said: "Focusing on success presents a pleasant change of pace for an economist. The very evident challenges that continue to constrain Northern Irish growth are clearly not holding back all firms. "The business awards were full of wonderful examples of growth and success across the broadest possible range of sectors. "Interestingly, business conversations with many of the winners reflected a message coming through clearly in 2018 across corporate boardrooms, namely that businesses need to act now and not be paralysed by the fears that future uncertainty may bring."

Where the awards went Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Ulster Bank Dr Norman Apsley, chief executive of Catalyst Inc Outstanding Business of the Year sponsored by Ulster Bank Novosco Excellence in Marketing sponsored by Mascott Mackle Pet Foods

Excellence in Exporting sponsored by Crowne Plaza Belfast Environmental Street Furniture Excellence in the Development of Management and Leadership sponsored by Asda Mascott Excellence in Innovation sponsored by Copius Group Northway Mushrooms Best Use of Digital/ Social Media sponsored by Saville Audio Visual Digital 24/Babocush

Young Business Person of the Year sponsored by Outsource Solutions Gareth Chambers, Around Noon IT Company of the Year Sponsored by NI Jobfinder Novosco Retailer of the Year sponsored by Retail NI Warden Bros Excellence in Workplace Health and Wellbeing sponsored by the Public Health Agency Flynn Best Established Small/Medium Business sponsored by Fleet Financial Shredbank Emerging Business/Start Up sponsored by FintrU Copeland Spirits SME Healthcare Business of the Year sponsored by Homecare Independent Living New Life Teeth Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility sponsored by Northway Mushrooms Lidl NI

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

1-25 No.

Name

Sector

Year end

Pre-tax profits £’000

Pre-tax pr year ago £’000

No. Employees

Pay bill £’000

Northern Bk /Danske

Bank

12.17

147,500

116,983

1,293

60,000

N.I.Water

Utility

3.17

102,912

99,141

1,255

57,750

Viridian Gp. Invest.

Utility

3.17

68,600

50,400

580

25,400

Bombardier

Aerospace

12.16

61,531

(273,582)

4,558

219,510

Moy Park

Poultry processor

12.16

59,709

35,721

9,620

242,671

Ulster Bank

Bank

12.17

59,000

58,000

2,000

88,000

Schrader Electronics

Electronic.Eng

12.16

56,322

61,726

1,432

50,939

First Trust Bank

Bank

12.16

54,000

47,000

771

n.a.

Bank of Ireland in NI

Banking franchise

12.17

53,000

50,000

500

n.a.

N.I.E.Networks

Utility

12.17

52,800

50,200

1,284

73,800

Norbrook Hlds

Veterinary Prd.

7.17

49,238

35,545

2,068

68,511

W&R Barnett

Grain imports

7.16

36,244

27,485

1,140

49,367

Belfast Harbour

Port

12.16

35,837

33,536

141

7,700

Terex GB

Engineering

12.16

28,272

23,440

1,694

62,446

Almac Group

Pharmaceuticals

9.16

26,785

27,977

3,975

183,638

SHS Group

Distribution

12.16

24,813

21,114

781

31,664

Coolkeeragh ESB

Utility Electricity

12.16

24,190

(15,334)

Nil

N.I.I.B. Group [BoI]

Finance

12.17

23,869

39,045

121

5,100

SSE Airtricity [2 cos]

Elect + gas

3.17

23,805

10,107

177

5,209

LCC Group [Lissan]

Distribution

9.16

20,815

16,536

233

5,788

John Henderson

Distribution

12.17

20,040

20,346

3,387

65,296

FP McCann Gp

Construction

12.17

19,471

19,150

1,374

50,614

TG Eakin

Medical equip.

3.17

18,096

16,471

2,094

GE Grid Solutions

Engineering

12.16

16,659

(10,170)

242

14,497

A.E.S [2 hld cos]

Utility

12.16

16,191

(1,094)

267

22,432

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

26-50 No.

Name

Sector

Year end

Pre-tax profits £’000

Pre-tax pr year ago £’000

Construction

3.17

16,056

17,168

1,844

85,688

12.16

13,446

12,927

739

29,287

No. Employees

Pay bill £’000

John Graham

Capita Managed IT

McAleer & Rushe

Construction

12.17

13,386

10,030

300

18,615

Kainos Group plc

3.17

13,320

14,261

884

43,747

Montupet

Engineering

12.16

13,283

13,692

582

21,577

Gardrum Hlds

Auctions

12.16

13,104

6,509

3,123

Heron Bros

Const

2.17

12,798

2,603

244

9,354

Hilton Foods [NI] [pr]

Meat processing

12.16

12,737

10,437

6,748

Andor Technology

Cameras

3.17

12,678

11,002

287

15,441

First Derivatives

2.17

12,498

10,384

1,595

88,180

Retlan Manuf.

Engineering

3.17

12,370

10,911

886

26,111

Randox Holdings.

Medical Prd

12.16

12,331

17,970

1,185

32,700

Buttercrane Centre

Property

10.16

11,929

(12,719)

n.s

Dunbia

Meat Process.

3.17

11,779

7,156

3,584

79,863

Glen Electric

Invest.Hld

3.17

11,581

2,339

Carnbane House

Const

12.16

11,134

(4,225)

188

7,578

McLaughlin& Harvey

Construction

12.17

11,068

5,527

790

42,814

Severfield (NI)

steelwork

3.17

11,032

5,701

296

13,234

Isaac Agnew [8 cos]

Vehicle sales

12.16

10,972

13,996

935

29,563

Deka Energy Ass

Utility:firmus

12.16

10,732

7,951

103

4,158

Wrights Group

Bus Manuf.

12.16

10,717

11,718

1,861

52,250

Progressive Building

Finance ser.

12.17

10,700

11,759

176

7,500

Phoenix Natural Gas

Utility

12.16

10,177

25,863

123

5,788

Caterpillar Corp

Engineering

12.16

10,098

(1,795)

1,624

67,122

Mutual Energy

Utility

3.17

10,003

12,152

2,009

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

51-75 No.

Name

Pre-tax profits £’000

Pre-tax pr year ago £’000

No. Employees

Pay bill £’000

Sector

Year end

Manufacturing

4.17

9,968

4,111

219

6,864

6.16

9,945

15,261

1,404

63,461

Tobermore Conc

Seagate Technology.

Kilwaughter Hld.

Lime.

4.17

9,627

7,466

132

5,465

Thompson Aero S

Engineering

12.16

9,015a

13,6 90

364

17,050a

Clearway Hlds.

Waste recovery

12.16

8,920

2,242

165

6,009

Bemis Healthcare

Paper manuf.

12.16

8,453

6,543

275

7,804

Dale Farm Co-op.

Milk Proc.

3.17

7,916

6,824

1,058

33,512

Charles Hurst

Distribution Cars

12.16

7,726

7,178

870

25,851

Heartsine Technol

Medical equip

12.16

7,691a

758a

126

4,938a

Denvir Hld (Argento)

Dist

6.16

7,561

4,196

579

6,486

Lagan Const. Gr

Construct

3.16

7,554

4,329

527

25,332

MJM Marine

Const. Fit out

12.16

7,448

4,948

215

7,412

Brett Martin Hlds

Construct mat

12.16

7,349

5,473

935

30,278

Old Bushmills Dis.

Spirits

12.16

7,101

20,035a

106

5,476

Tennents NI

Drinks dist.

2.17

7,035

9,884

113

3,782

Liberty Info.Tech.

12.16

7,022

6,629

498

24,434

Ballyvesey Hld

Transport

9.16

6,895

4,625

2,540

82,959

Lough Erne Inv

Egg process

12.16

6,771

3,187

113

2,697

Multi Packaging

Packaging

6.16

6,722

4,837

165

5,202

Ulster Carpet Mills

Textiles

3.17

6,717

6,,593

640

24,258

Lagan: Whitemountain

Const

12.16

6,387

4,617

205

8,746

Geda LLP

Const.

12.16

6,188

2,905

n.s

Cooneen by Design

Textiles

11.16

6,176

8,340

152

5,572

Walter Watson

Struct Steel

12.16

6,145

4,051

247

7,620

Kingspan Envir.

Engineering

12.16

6,142

2,752

726

27,702

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

76-100 No.

Name

Sector

Year end

Pre-tax profits £’000

Pre-tax pr year ago £’000

Const

12.16

5,974

(2,650)

6,238

No. Employees

Pay bill £’000

Lagan Asphalt

Warner Chilott UK

Medical pro

12.16

5,884

3,290

144

8,166

Forestside Acquisit.

Property

12.16

5,868

24,845

Donegall Place Invest

Property

9.16

5,776

2,215

2,640

CB SME:Stothers ME

Construction

6.17

5,713

4,810

3,752

Chain Reaction Cy

Distribution

12.16

5,703

1,351

470

15,692

Diageo [2 cos]

Drinks

6.17

5,568

5,833

272

13,730

William Keys

Distrib. Plant

12.16

5,558

(2,315)

376

Springvale EPS

Manuf

6.17

5,517

5,766

115

4,740

CDE Global

Engineering

12.16

5,299

2,838

173

6,505

Golf Holdings [6 cos]

Drinks dist.

12.16

5,207

5,755

2,118

28,196

Calor Gas NI

Gas

12.16

5,134

6,450

3,582

Huhtamaki (Lur)

Paper prod.

12.16

5,062

4,087

219

7,657

Hastings Hotel Gp

Hotels

10.16

4,919

4,066

1,138

12,220

Regen Waste Hld.

Waste recycle

12.16

4,895

2,617

194

3,779

Gordons Chemist

Distrib.

4.17

4,809

4,745

662

11,860

BSG Civil Eng.

Const

12.16

4,611

2,868

1,956

Avondale Foods C’n

Food Manu

3.17

4,591

5,316

402

9,465

Breezemount UK

Transport etc

9.16

4,511

4,974

879

13,720

Western Build S Hl

Manuf

4.17

4,480

3,669

1,773

Lagan Homes UK Gp

Const

12.16

4,410

4,308a

570

C.J.Upton

Steel dist.

12.16

4,380

443

111

4,757

Northstone (NI)

Construct

12.16

4,342

4,354

1,146

45,869

BA Kitchen Comp

Wood units

3.17

4,198

3,264

242

7,035

100

Coca-Cola HBC

Drinks

12.16

4,181

9,681

449

23,403

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

Danske Bank Chief executive: Kevin Kingston Pre-tax profit: £147.5m Employment: 1,293 Pay bill: £60m Donegall Square West Belfast BT1 6JS 028 9004 6100 www.danskebank.co.uk

NORTHERN IRELAND’S

TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

anske Bank chief executive Kevin Kingston describes 2017 as another strong year for the bank, singling out growth in its mortgage business. “There was a 28% increase in new mortgage lending year-on-year, with our market activity share now having more than doubled since 2015.” Growth in the mortgage business had been advanced through the introduction of a digital system for the third party broker network, Mr Kingston said. “This investment has made brokers’ online interactions with our products slicker, reducing their workload and in turn improving customer experience. We have also expanded our own mortgage consultant team, making this service more readily available.” There had also been changes in its small business division, he said.

“We completed a programme of relocating our small business advisers back into key branches throughout Northern Ireland. This decision was taken as a result of strong feedback from small businesses and it has allowed our people to be more accessible and closer to customers. “These changes have made a tangible impact, with an average of 37 new small business relationships being established every week.” Danske Bank said lending to medium to larger-sized businesses was also up 3% year-on-year. A new digital invoice finance system had been introduced. And the bank said that the corporate sector remained buoyant, despite ongoing economic uncertainty as a result of the EU referendum result in 2016. During 2017, the company also sold its wealth division to stockbrokers firm Davy as part of its drive towards cost efficiencies and business simplification. It has also teamed up with two external wealth providers.

Mr Kingston said: “We also leased one of the floors of our head office to professional services firm, Grant Thornton. In addition, we re-assessed our defined benefit pension arrangement, closing it to future accrual. “This relates to employees who joined the bank before 31 December 2003. From October 2018, all staff will avail of a competitive defined contribution pension arrangement.” Mr Kingston added: “This year we have an ambition of making more possible for our customers. “Whilst the macro environment remains challenging, we firmly believe Danske Bank is very well positioned to further support the Northern Ireland economy, whilst continuing to assist customers in realising their ambitions.”

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

NI Water Chief executive: Sara Venning Pre-tax profit: £102.9m Employment: 1,255 Pay bill: £57.75m NI Water 40 Old Westland Road Belfast BT14 6TE Tel: 08457 440088 www.niwater.com

I Water writes that it “exists to provide the water for life we all rely on to thrive”. Established in April 2007, NI Water describes itself as “one of the most successful examples of a government organisation achieving private sector levels of performance and efficiency, underpinning the health, economy and environment in Northern Ireland”. To provide a sense of scale, NI Water delivers 570 million litres of clean, safe drinking water to 850,000 households and businesses and recycles 340 million litres of used water from 680,000 households and businesses. Thousands of assets, at a value approaching £3bn, are operated and maintained to provide these services. This includes over 40,000 kilometres of water mains and sewers — one and half times longer than Northern Ireland’s entire road network. As a government-owned Company which is publically funded, NI Water has delivered over £2bn of investment, provided record levels of service to customers, record environmental compliance and reduced its day to day annual running costs by 30% or £65m (since 2009/10). NI Water has just entered the fourth year of an ambitious six year business plan, which the company says “sets out how the company will grow value and trust by

being world class”. It adds that analysis by Ulster University Business School indicates that NI Water is benefiting the local economy to the tune of £440m per year. Over a six-year period to 2021, it is estimated that NI Water will pump £2.5bn into the local economy, positioning NI Water as a major contributor to Northern Ireland’s Gross Value Added (GVA). The services provided by the company are essential for a modern regional economy. NI Water is committed to working

with government to secure the necessary medium term funding to underpin delivery of investment in resilient and sustainable services for all customers. During 2017 it acquired complete ownership of clean water production here after acquiring Kelda Water Services (KWS) holdings in four plants for over £100m. KWS, the owners of Yorkshire Water, disposed of its holdings in treatment points in Antrim, Coleraine, Craigavon and Magherafelt.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Viridian Group Investments Chief executive: Ian Thom Pre-tax profit: £68.6m Employment: 580 Pay bill: £25.4m Greenwood House Belfast BT9 5NF Tel: 028 9038 3757 www.viridiangroup.co.uk

iridian is one of the biggest energy companies in Northern Ireland and the Republic. It is part of I Squared Capital after its sale by former owners Arcapita. Viridian consists of Power NI, the supplier of electricity to around 600,000 homes in Northern Ireland. Its power procurement business manages around 600 MW of contracted generation capacity here. Viridian also owns Energia Group, an all-island energy business, which last year unveiled five new windfarms across counties Tyrone and Antrim. Energia supplies electricity and gas to business customers in Northern Ireland and homes and businesses in the Republic. Viridian has around 20% of the domestic electricity market Ireland-wide. In September last year, Viridian announced the successful conclusion of its debt refinancing, which the firm said “optimises its capital structure, reduces costs and extends maturities”. Viridian Group FinanceCo PLC and Viridian Power and Energy Holdings issued £225m aggregate principal amount of their 4.75% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 and €350m aggregate principal amount of their 4.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2025. Like US energy company AES, Viridian has been affected by the Integrated Single

Electricity Market — which was due to come into force in May this year but has now been delayed until October. In February, Viridian said it plans to close its gas-fired Huntstown plants which generate up to 747MW of electricity — after one of the plants failed to secure a capacity contract following an auction under the ISEM. But Viridian said it “continues to believe the Huntstown plants are critical to the security of electricity supply in the Dublin area”. The ISEM is a new wholesale elec-

Bombardier Chief executive: Michael Ryan

Moy Park Chief executive: Janet McCollum

Pre-tax profit: £61.5m

Pre-tax profit: £59.7m

Employment: 4,558

Employment: 9,620

Pay bill: £219.5m

Pay bill: £242.7m

Airport Road Belfast BT3 9DZ Tel: 028 90 458444 www.belfast.aero.bombardier.com

39 Seagoe Industrial Estate Craigavon BT63 5QE Tel: 028 3835 32233 www.moypark.com

ombardier was in the headlines for much of 2017 as it fought off a competitive challenge from rival Boeing. Even aside from that battle, Bombardier says 2017 was “another extremely challenging year” due to the reduced sales volume of non-Bombardier contracts and continuing cost competitive issues. But its customer services division achieved a good year of profitable growth and a four-year pay deal was agreed. In 2017, Belfast boss Michael Ryan became President, Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services as Bombardier reached the half-way mark in its five-year global turnaround plan. In May, the US Department of Commerce (DoC) launched an investigation

tricity market arrangement for Ireland and Northern Ireland. The new market arrangements are designed to integrate the all-island electricity market with European electricity markets, enabling the free flow of energy across borders. In order to ensure the demand for electricity is always met, generators receive a payment for being ready to generate electricity — called the capacity remuneration mechanism. An auction in February determined the capacity remuneration payable between May and September 2019.

into Bombardier’s trade practices in the United States, following a complaint from Boeing. In December, the DoC announced affirmative final determinations in both its antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, resulting in proposed tariffs of just under 300% on future imports of C Series aircraft from Canada. Early this year, however, the US International Trade Commission voted unanimously to overturn the DoC’s determinations ruling that no anti-dumping or countervailing duties will apply. Bombardier said: “This is a very positive endorsement for Bombardier following a vigorous defence of its position throughout 2017.” The Belfast operation has acknowledged the strong support received from its unions, government, suppliers, and industry representatives. Bombardier also launched a C Series partnership with Airbus.

oy Park is a £1.4bn business employing over 12,000 people across facilities in the UK, Holland and France. The company is Northern Ireland’s largest private sector business and one of Europe’s foremost poultry producers. In 2017 Moy Park was bought by Pilgrim’s – one of the leading chicken producers in the world. The company works with over 800 poultry farmers in the UK and processes 6 million fresh chickens per week. Although best known for poultry, Moy Park is a major European producer of beef products, vegetarian products such as spring rolls and onion rings, as well as desserts including donuts and apple pies — a full range from starters and main courses to desserts.

Moy Park continues to grow its business as part of its strategic investment programme, investing over £40m in industry-leading operations in 2017, further enhancing its position as one of the UK’s most advanced food manufacturing companies. This figure included the completion of a new hatchery in Newark, England. The new facility is one of the first of its kind in Europe and hatches 2.5 million chicks per week, making it the largest single-build hatchery in the UK. The company has been recognised with awards including the Excellence in Food Safety Award at the 2017 Northern Ireland Food and Drink Awards. Moy Park chief executive Janet McCollum was also named ‘Large Company Director of the Year’ at the IoD UK 2017 Awards. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 Belfast Telegraph Business Awards in partnership with Ulster Bank.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Ulster Bank Chief executive: Richard Donnan Pre-tax profit: £59m Employment: 2,000 Pay bill: £88m

Schrader Electronics/Sensata Managing director: Graeme Thompson Pre-tax profit: £56.3m Employment: 1,432 Pay bill: £50.9m

First Trust Chief executive: Adrian Moynihan Pre-tax profit: £54m Employment: 771 Pay bill: n/a

Belfast Road Antrim Tel: 028 94 461300 www.schraderinternational.com

92 Ann Street, Belfast BT1 3HH Tel: 028 9033 0099 www.firstrustbank.co.uk

11-16 Donegall Square East Belfast BT1 5UB Tel: 0345 948 2222 www.ulsterbank.co.uk lster Bank retained the largest share of the personal and business current account market in Northern Ireland in 2017 and started 40,000 new personal banking relationships. It continued to invest in new products and services, including introducing a paperless mortgage process, providing Financial Health Checks that helped 31,000 customers become financially fitter, through Get Cash which enables customers to withdraw money from one of the bank’s ATMs without a debit card, and SignVideo, a new service for deaf customers allowing them to access a third-party interpreter to assist in branch or telephone banking. In business lending, Ulster Bank saw an increase in drawdowns by small businesses of 29% in 2017 and an increase in lending to large companies of 15%, as the bank continued to support a wide range of customers to invest and grow. As the principal sponsor of Northern Ireland’s largest agri-food event, it is a major contributor to the farming and food & drink sectors in Northern Ireland. Its Ulster Bank Entrepreneur Accelerator has made a significantly positive impression on the entrepreneurial community in Northern Ireland.

chrader Electronics, based in Antrim, is a pioneer in tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), a vehicle safety feature that is standard in all cars. In February it announced 125 job losses at its Carrickfergus site, blaming a fall in demand for its products. The company is a world leader in the design and manufacture of valve, mechanical and electronic system components and sensing technologies. It has been part of Sensata Technologies since October 2014. Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. (NYSE:ST) incorporated in the Netherlands, is a global industrial technology company, a leader in the development, manufacture and sale of sensors and controls. Sensata produce a wide range of customised, innovative sensors and controls for mission-critical applications such as thermal circuit breakers in aircraft, pressure sensors in automotive systems and temperature control devices in electric motors.

irst Trust Bank provides banking services to personal, business and corporate customers across Northern Ireland. These services are delivered by a team of 560 people operating across its branches, business centres, digital and phone channels and headquarters in Belfast. First Trust Bank provides c. £2bn in financing to personal, business and corporate customers across Northern Ireland. First Trust Bank says that since 2017, it has “embarked on a significant investment programme to create a sustainable, modern bank that is positioned to meet the current and future needs of its customers and to enable growth in communities and the broader Northern Ireland economy”. This involves a £10m investment spend to modernise its branch network, to open five new regional business banking centres and create new customer offerings across its mortgage offering, digital channels and via a partnership with the Post Office. Its corporate side recently led on the refinancing of the Belfast International Airport – one of NI’s largest financial transactions – and aiding the development of hotels including Bullitt Hotel.

Bank of Ireland UK Regional manager: Sean Sheehan Pre-tax profit: £53m Employment:500 Pay bill: n/a

NIE Networks Chief executive: Nicholas Tarrant Pre-tax profit: £52.8m Employment: 1,284 Pay bill: £73.8m

Norbrook Holdings Chief executive: Liam Nagle Pre-tax profit: £49.2m Employment: 2,068 Pay bill: £68.5m

1 Donegall Square South Belfast BT1 5LR Tel: 028 9043 3420 www.bankofireland.com

120 Malone Road Belfast BT9 5HT Tel: 03457 643 643 www.nienetworks.co.uk

Camlough Road Newry BT35 6QQ Tel: 028 3026 4435 www.norbroook.com

ank of Ireland now has 28 branches in Northern Ireland and has pledged to invest £10m in its branches, including refurbishing 18 of them. In common with the rest of the main banks in Northern Ireland and the UK, it has closed branches, with six shutting down in 2017. Sean Sheehan, regional manager for Northern Ireland, said that the bank has to ensure that the network is cost-effective and fit for purpose. “The Northern Ireland marketplace is competitive and we must service our customers through a full range of contemporary and easily accessible channels. “The changes we are making, particularly the investment in branches, are designed to help us develop our business in what is a core franchise for Bank of Ireland.” Last year, the bank said that it had lent £1bn to businesses in Northern Ireland in 2016 — an increase of one third. The bank said the growth took place across small, medium and large companies. Overall, small business lending saw a 22% increase in 2016. In the Republic, the bank is now led by new chief executive, Francesca McDonagh.

IE Networks, which owns the electricity transmission and distribution networks in Northern Ireland, increased network investment by 7% last year and agreed its 2017 to 2024 investment plans with the Utility Regulator. This 2017 investment was primarily to refurbish and replace worn assets and to maintain the reliability and safety of the electricity network for its 870,000 customers. During 2017, 287MW of large scale generation, 71MW of small scale generation and 3MW of microgeneration was connected to the network, taking the overall total to 1.4GW of renewable generation connected to the network. A substantial proportion of large scale generation (150MW) was connected through windfarm clusters established in the vicinity of a number of windfarm projects to enable more efficient connection on a ‘hub and spoke’ basis with associated environmental, technical and operational benefits. In overall terms they reduce the length of network required to connect all projects and enable additional capacity to be connected.NIE Networks also reads and maintains all electricity meters.

orbrook is a world-leading provider of veterinary pharmaceuticals for the health of farm and companion animals. Headquartered in Newry, Norbrook has a presence in more than 100 countries, with facilities in the UK and Ireland, Europe, the US, Africa and Australia. Norbrook continues to make a significant contribution to the Northern Ireland economy, spending over £80m annually in payroll and services in Northern Ireland. In 2017, the company’s CSR programme was launched. 2017 was another very strong year for the company, with growth across the business and significant capital investment made to further strengthen its position in the global veterinary pharmaceutical market. A £50m investment programme saw the introduction of two new laboratories. The company also further strengthened its product portfolio with three new products. Carprofen Chewable Tablets for Dogs in the US in particular, supports Norbrook’s business growth plans. In 2017, the company continued to grow in key markets including North America, which grew by more than 17%.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

W&R Barnett Chief executive: William Barnett Pre-tax profit: £36.2m Employment: 1,140 Pay bill: £49.4m

Belfast Harbour Chief executive: Joe O’Neill Pre-tax profits: £35.8m Employment: 141 Pay bill: £7.7m

Terex GB (materials processing) President: Kieran Hegarty Pre-tax profit: £28.3m Employment: 1,694 Pay bill: £62.4m

Clarendon House Belfast BT1 3BG Tel: 028 9032 5465 www.wrbarnett.com

Corporation Square Belfast BT1 3AL Tel: 028 9055 4403 www.belfast-harbour.co.uk

Drumquin Road Omagh BT78 5PN Tel: 0845 0305 200 www.terex.com

&R Barnett is the holding company of a diversified group of international commodity trading, storage, agribusiness and industrial companies. It’s a global trader of molasses and related liquid commodities, and the leading trader of grain and non-grain animal feed commodities. It is also a prominent supplier of bulk liquid storage facilities to the UK food, feed, industrial and energy sectors with over 400,000 cubic meters of storage assets located on the Mersey, Humber, Thames and Avonmouth. Through John Thompson & Sons, it is the largest manufacturer of animal feed in Northern Ireland. W&R Barnett entered corrugated packaging market in 2015 with the acquisition of Logson Holdings. Turnover and profits rose in the year reflecting the addition of Logson and Hansa NFC GmbH to the W&R Barnett Group. It made significant investments in buildings, plant and IT and continued to make acquisitions, including The Boxshop Limited in East Kilbride, Scotland and Argos Feed Group Zrt. in Hungary.

Almac Group Managing director: Alan Armstrong Pre-tax profit: £26.8m Employment: 3,975 Pay bill: £183.6m

elfast Harbour handled a record 23.7million tonnes in 2017, representing 70% of all Northern Ireland’s seaborne trade and around 20% of the entire island. In recent years sectors such as aggregates, wind farm machinery, freight, ferry passengers and cruise visits have performed strongly. The Harbour Estate is also a major driver of Northern Ireland’s economy with over 700 firms based there. In addition to being a major conduit for imports and exports across virtually every business sector, Belfast Harbour is also a major investor in infrastructure. In the past decade the Harbour has invested £250m in new marine facilities and the ongoing regeneration of Belfast Harbour Estate. Last year £40m was invested in new capital projects whilst a further £135m has been committed to future projects. By 2019 Belfast Harbour will have invested £120m in City Quays. City Quays 1 and 2 are already complete and the Harbour has committed a further £50m towards City Quays 3. A new 190-bedroom AC Hotel by Marriott has opened, as well as a film studio on the North Foreshore leased to Warner Horizon Scripted Television.

erex GB is the American-owned and Northern Ireland-registered company which bought Powerscreen plc. It is part of Terex Corporation, a NYSE-listed global organisation. Terex GB is part of Terex Materials Processing, one of five divisions of Terex Corporation. Terex Materials Processing designs and manufactures mobile crushing, screening and washing equipment and the material processing group’s main lines include Powerscreen, Terex Finlay and Terex Mineral. For the full year in 2017, Terex Corporation reported income from continuing operations of $60m on net sales of $4.4bn. In February, Terex Corporation chief executive and president John L Garrison said it expected an improved picture for 2018.: “By implementing our strategy, strengthening the company, and increasing backlog by 56%, we are well positioned for what we expect to be an improving global market environment in 2018. “We expect to increase revenue and improve operating margins in every business segment. We will continue to implement the Simplify and Execute to Win elements of our strategy.”

SHS Group Chief executive: Elaine Birchall Pre-tax profit: £24.8m Employment: 781 Pay bill: £31.7m

Cooolkeeragh ESB Director: John Healy Pre-tax profit: £24.2m Employment: Nil Pay bill: Nil

Seagoe Industrial Estate BT63 5QD Tel: 028 3833 5815 www.almacgroup.com

199 Airport Road West Belfast BT3 9ED Tel: 028 9045 4647 www.shs-group.com

2 Electra Road Londonderry BT47 6UL Tel: 028 00 000000 www.esb.ie

lmac Group is an established contract development and manufacturing organisation providing integrated services to the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors globally. The company is privately owned and has grown organically over almost 50 years and now employs nearly 5,000 people globally. Almac is headquartered in Craigavon with additional operations throughout Europe, across the US (Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California) and in Asia (Singapore and Tokyo). In February, it announced the completion of a £20m investment with the opening of a 95,000sq ft custom built cold store facility at its global headquarters in Craigavon At the start of last year, it announced a new facility in Dundalk, Co Louth to guarantee continued single market access following Brexit. In 2016, the company announced investment plans totalling £31m to expand its operations in Europe and North America, increasing its global headcount to reach 5,000. And £20m is being spent on expanding Almac’s US headquarter site in Souderton, Pennsylvania as well as leasing new office space in nearby Lansdale.

ounded in 1975, the SHS Group operates in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector in the UK, Ireland and increasingly in international markets. From its Belfast headquarters it supports its commercial divisions with information systems, HR, finance, procurement, logistics, customer services and corporate affairs. Employing over 900 people throughout the UK and Ireland, the company owns brands such as WKD, Shloer, Bottlegreen and Merrydown Cider and distributes a portfolio of well-known brands including Jordans, Ryvita, Finish, Mars Drinks and Colgate. The SHS Group is also the largest supplier of own label herbs and spices in Great Britain and manufactures a range of branded and private label condiments and sauces. In the last 12 months, the SHS Group announced the acquisition of Standard Brands, the global leader in ignition products and the acquisition of a majority shareholding in the 3V Group, owners of the Meridian and Rocks brands. Meridian is the leading brand of nut butter in the UK and Ireland and Rocks is a leading brand of organic squash.

he Coolkeeragh ESB gas fired electricity generating plant in Londonderry is owned by Irish parent company ESB. The combined-cycle gas turbine plant was commissioned in June 2005. A leading energy security expert has said Coolkeeragh is critical to Northern Ireland’s electricity security. Dr Patrick Keatley, an Ulster University academic specialising in energy storage, made the observation after AES announced it would close two coal fired generators at Kilroot in May. The US-owned firm opted for the shutdown after bids to sell electricity capacity to the grid from the two units failed in a recent Single Energy Market (SEM) competitve auction. Mr Keatley was more sanguine when he spoke to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC), stating: “We have system security in Northern Ireland.” He said energy security was not dependent on AES’s Kilroot coal units, and that its other generators in NI, plus ESB’s gas-fired plant at Coolkeeragh, alongside the latter’s renewable generators, guaranteed supply.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

1 Donegall Square South Belfast BT1 5LR Tel: 028 9072 4411 www.northridgefinance.com

17 to 25 Great Victoria Street Belfast BT2 7AQ 0843 133 1147 www.sseairtricity.com

18 Churchtown Road Cookstown Tel: 028 8676 5588 www.lcccoal.com

Northridge/NIIB Managing director: James McGee Pre-tax profit: £23.9m Employment: 121 Pay bill: £5.1m

IIB Group Ltd, trading as Northridge Finance, is an Asset finance company based in Belfast with a UK wide operation. NIIB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of Ireland UK PLC and has been part of Bank of Ireland Group since 1984. Established more than 60 years ago, NIIB traded solely in Northern Ireland until 1999, when it expanded into Great Britain — now a valuable part of business income. NIIB is a prime lender providing hire purchase, personal contract purchase and lease arrangements via motor dealers, commercial brokers and its direct sales team. The business said its main focus is with motor dealers where the business thrives on a fully transparent partnership model. Its “Joint Venture” product was recognised as the Best Finance Product at the European Motor Finance Awards in 2015. The business employs around 120 people, mainly located at Bank of Ireland’s offices at Donegall Square South, Belfast. The business acquired Marshall Leasing during 2017, the 27th largest fleet provider in the UK. The deal gives it the full range of asset finance products.

SSE Airtricity (two companies) Chief executive: Stephen Wheeler Pre-tax profit: £23.8m Employment: 177 Pay bill: £5.2m

SE is Northern Ireland’s second largest energy utility and a major provider of renewable power. Its enrgy supply business, SSE Airtricity, provides greener electricity, natural gas and energy-related services to home and business customers across Northern Ireland. SSE is also the third largest energy generator by capacity in the all-island Single Electricity Market, with over 1,800MW of thermal and renewable energy generation in operation. It generates over 120MW of renewable energy at our wind farms in Northern Ireland, enough to power roughly 100,000 homes. Since 2008, SSE has invested over £0.5bn in the development of Northern Ireland’s sustainable energy infrastructure, Three years ago, the company announced a 10-year naming rights partnership with The SSE Arena, Belfast. In June 2016, it was announced that SSE Airtricity would be the commissioning supplier of natural gas to domestic and small commercial customers for the new Gas to the West distribution network, further securing the company’s position as a major provider of natural gas.

LCC Group Managing director: Michael Loughran Pre-tax profit: £20.8m Employment: 233 Pay bill: £5.8m

CC Group is made up of LCC Coal, LCC Oil, Go Power and a number of other companies. Profits are largely derived from overseas bulk trading activities as far afield as South Africa, Columbia and across Europe. The bought Cloghan Point Oil Terminal near Carrickfergus from AES Power in a multimillion pound deal. And in October 2016, it bought out its joint venture partner, Norwegian oil giant Statoil ASA, to acquire full ownership of the Maydown oil terminal in Co Londonderry. Go Power has risen to hold a prominent share of the Northern Ireland business power market, government and council contracts to supply electricity. LCC Power has grown from employing seven people in 2012 to close to over 170. LCC’s oil division was established in 1997 to expand the range of fuels available to its customers.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Hightown Road Mallusk BT36 4RT Tel: 028 9034 2733 www.henderson-group.com

3 Drumard Road Magherafelt BT45 8QA Tel: 028 79 642558 www.fpmccann.co.uk

15 Ballystockart Road Comber Co Down Tel: 028 9187 1000 www.eakin.eu

7 Lissue Walk Lisburn BT28 2LU Tel: 028 92 622915 www.gegridsolutions.com/MD.htm

Larne Road Carrickfergus Co Antrim BT38 7LX www.aesukireland.com

Ballygowan Road Hillsborough Co Down Tel: 028 9268 9500 www.graham.co.uk

62 Church Road Newtownabbey Tel: 028 9085 9085 www.capita-mits.co.uk

17 to 19 Dungannon Road Cookstown Co Tyrone Tel: 028 8676 3741 www.mcaleer-rushe.co.uk

John Henderson Hldgs MDs: Geoffrey and Martin Agnew Pre-tax profit: £20m Employment: 3,387 Pay bill: £65.3m

he company manages a number of subsidiaries. Henderson Wholesale Limited holds the franchise for Spar, Eurospar and Vivo in Northern Ireland. The company provides a marketing, advisory and distribution service to over 450 grocery retailers. Henderson Retail owns and operates 79 supermarket, neighbourhood and forecourt stores and similarly trades under license at a further seven stores. Henderson Foodservice is a food service business. Henderson Group Property Limited owns retail property leased mainly to Henderson Retail. The Streat Franchising Ltd sell and provide support to café franchises. There is also a technology subsidiary and a property management company. During the year operating profit at the group rose from £23.8m to £26.2m.

AES Chief executive: Ian Luney Pre-tax profit: £16.2m Employment: 267 Pay bill: £22.4m

ES UK & Ireland is part of the AES Corporation, a Fortune 200 energy company with a global portfolio of businesses operating in 17 countries worldwide, employing 19,000 people. It operates Ballylumford and Kilroot power stations but marked a tumultuous start to 2018. It lost out in capacity contracts in the auction for the new Integrated Single Electricity Market (ISEM) — with the company saying it will close down Kilroot with the loss of 260 jobs. It comes a year after AES celebrated 25 years of investment and operation in Northern Ireland. It operates the largest battery energy storage facility in the UK and Ireland, the Kilroot Advancion® Energy Storage Array, as well as Kilroot and Ballylumford. AES directly employs around 260. It acquired Kilroot in 1992 — its first acquisition outside the US.

FP McCann Chief executive: Eoin McCann Pre-tax profit: £19.5m Employment: 1,374 Pay bill: £50.6m

stablished in 1945, Magherafelt-based civil engineering and precast concrete manufacturing business FP McCann says it is going from strength to strength. Over the past 12 years, the company has been growing the business both organically and through acquisition. Their most recent acquisitions include Patrick Bradley Ltd (Kilrea), Cootes Concrete Products (Armagh), P. Clarke and Sons Ltd (Lisnaskea), Buchan Concrete (Byley) and Bison Flooring Manufacturing Ltd (Glasgow). As a result, the company is now the largest precast concrete product manufacturer in the UK. Among its range of core activities, the company boosts a residential developments division (FP McCann Homes) as well as being a major supplier of quarry products and ready-mix concrete products.

John Graham Hldgs Chief executive: Michael Graham Pre-tax profit: £16m Employment: 1,844 Pay bill: £85.7m

o Down-based GRAHAM is Northern Ireland’s largest construction company, delivering building, civil engineering, facilities management, project investment and fit-out projects across the UK and Ireland. GRAHAM currently has a record £400m worth of live construction projects in Northern Ireland. These include the major redevelopment of Acute Services at Ulster Hospital, the stunning Grand Central Hotel for Hastings Hotels in Belfast and the A6 upgrade between Derry/Londonderry and Dungiven. GRAHAM’s turnover for 2016/17 rose 11% on the previous financial year, to £565m (up from £508m), with recorded profit sales of £16m. It now has offices all over the UK and Ireland including Hillsborough, Belfast, Dublin, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dumfries and Edinburgh.

TG Eakin Managing director: Paul Eakin Pre-tax profit: £18m Employment: 63 Pay bill: £2m

G Eakin is a Comber-based company which makes medical skincare products for use in stoma and wound care. With a turnover of £31m, the family-run Eakin Group is one of Northern Ireland’s biggest success stories in the health sector. The firm’s biggest market is the US but its products are sold in 40 countries around the world. In 2014, the company invested £12m extending its Comber manufacturing facility to over 100,000 sq ft. It also acquired English firm Cliffe Medical, which owns Respond Plus in Larne, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition of Cliffe was TG Eakin’s first since 2007, when it took over Pelican healthcare in Cardiff. The company was founded by Tom Eakin and is now run by his sons Paul and Jeremy.

Capita Managed IT Solutions Managing director: Ed Brown Pre-tax profit: £13.4m Employment: 739 Pay bill: £29.3m

apita Managed IT Solutions is a major IT services organisation delivering cloud, end-to-end IT Solutions, and IT Managed Services to thousands of customers. Its Newtownabbey centre supports customers including The Education Authority (NI), Department of Justice and Equality (ROI), Balfour Beatty, Viridian, DVA, AAH, and Transport for London. The company says it invests “heavily in our people and technologies, working with Microsoft to deliver IT Services that deliver true digital transformation to businesses and organisations”. For over 30 years, Capita Managed IT Solutions has focused on key areas including education, public sector, health, utilities and commercial. Services range from subcontracting a single element of and organisation’s IT, to a full IT Infrastructure outsource.

GE Grid Solutions (UK) General manager: Graham McGuigan Pre-tax profit: £16.7m Employment: 242 Pay bill: £14.5m

E Grid Solutions (UK) Limited, a global technology business headquartered in Lisburn is a subsidiary of US multinational General Electric (GE). Operating across aviation, healthcare, capital, transportation, power, oil and gas and digital solutions, GE’s global teams work on powering, curing and moving the world. Leveraging manufacturing and core product expertise out of Lisburn supported by global direct and indirect sales networks, the Lisburn operation is a leading vendor in condition monitoring devices, software and services for Asset Performance Management (APM) of electrical grid and substation equipment such as AIS/GIS and power transformer.

McAleer and Rushe Managing director: Martin Magee Pre-tax profit: £13.4m Employment: 300 Pay bill: £18.6m

cAleer and Rushe is based in Cookstown with offices in London, Dublin and Belfast. The company employs 300 people in the UK and Ireland and celebrated 50 years in business last year with an expected £300m of design and build turnover. The business a strong presence and growing client base with around 20 active sites including Edinburgh, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Dublin, Belfast and several London projects. The company focuses on residential, commercial office, student accommodation and turnkey hotel projects across a range of brands. Projects in Northen Ireland include a new Maldron Hotel in Belfast and student accommodation. The new Maldron Hotel opened in March. Managing director Martin Magee said its “dedication, expertise and professionalism” helped the firm stand out in the construction sector.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

4 to 6 Upper Crescent Belfast BT7 1NT Tel: 028 9057 1100 www.kainos.com

The Cutts Dunmurry BT17 9HN Tel: 028 90301049 www.montupet.fr

72 to 74 Omagh Road Dromore BT78 3AJ Tel: 028 8289 8262 www.euroauctions.com

2 St Patrick Street Draperstown BT45 7AL Tel: 028 7962 8505 www.heronbros.com

c/0 PwC Laganbank Road Belfast Tel: 028 9024 5454 www.hiltonfoodgroupplc.com

Springvale Business Park 7 MillenniumWay Belfast Tel: 028 9023 7126 www.andor.com

3 Canal Quay Newry BT35 6BP Tel: 028 3025 2242 www.firstderivatives.com

116 Deerpark Road Toomebridge BT41 3SS Tel: 028 9446 0898 www.sdctrailers.com

Kainos plc Chief executive: Brendan Mooney Pre-tax profit: £13.3m Employment: 884 Pay bill: £43.7m

ainos, situated in the university area of Belfast, specialises in digital services and platforms, with clients in government and healthcare. A trading update from the company in April, one of just three plcs in Northern Ireland, said employee and contractor numbers had grown by 200. The firm said that trading in the year to the end of March “continued in line with market expectations”. The trading update said that it was also acquiring more international clients, supported by the group’s growing physical presence in Europe. As its sales had grown, its contracted backlog was also up. In October last year, Kainos announced it was opening a base in Copenhagen to “meet growing demand” in Europe for its WorkSmart business, which covers areas including payroll and finance. It already has offices in Dublin, the US, Germany and Poland.

Hilton Foods Finance director: Nigel Majewski Pre-tax profit: £12.7m Employment: 24 Pay bill: £6.7m

ilton Foods, which changed its name from Hilton Meats two years ago, is part of the Hilton Food Group plc group of companies. The group supplies major international food retailers from facilities in the UK. The company buys is meats from a global base of suppliers, which it then processes and packs in large scale meat-packing plants for distribution by third-party hauliers to customers. The company says its plants operate at “high volume levels necessary to produce competitive unit packing costs, whilst achieving the levels of hygiene, food safety assurance, shelf life and product quality”.

Montupet Managing director: John McMichael Pre-tax profit: £13.3m Employment: 582 Pay bill: £21.6m

ontupet has been operating in Northern Ireland since 1989 and is now part of the Canadian industrial group Linamar, based in Guelph, Ontario. The Montupet Group was purchased by Linamar in February 2016. This acquisition was to add a leading player in the design and manufacture of complex aluminium light casting to the Linamar capabilities. The larger group now consists of 58 manufacturing plants worldwide with a total workforce of 26,000 employees and total turnover of CAN$ 6.5bn, and net earnings of CAN$550bn. The product range encompasses engine, transmission, driveline components and assemblies, and the brand Skyjack manufacturing scissor lifts and telescopic booms.

Andor Technology Managing director:Gary Wilmot Pre-tax profit: £12.7m Employment: 287 Pay bill: £15.4m

ndor Technology, now part of Oxford Instruments plc, manufactures high performance scientific imaging cameras, spectroscopy solutions and microscopy systems for research and OEM markets. Andor, which started out as a spin-out from Queen’s University, has been involved in the photonics industry for over 20 years and is expert in light measuring solutions that allow consumers to perform light measurements previously considered impossible. The company’s products are used in a wide range of applications including medical research to further the understanding of heart disease, cancer and neuronal diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It also has applications for forensic science and astronomy. The company had been a plc in its own right before its takeover in 2014.

Gardrum Holdings MD: Derek Keys Pre-tax profit: £13.1m Employment: 87 Pay bill: £3m

ardrum Holding’s main business is conducting off-site and onsite machinery auction sales and valuations throughout Europe, trading as Euro Auctions. It’s the biggest auctioneer of construction machinery in the UK. Some group companies hold properties for use within the group or for development and resale. Its first auction took place in Dromore, Co Tyrone in 1998, before holding its first auction outside the province in Wetherby, Yorkshire in 2000. It branched out into holding auctions outside the British Isles in 2006 with an event in Dormagen, Germany. It now has five permanent sites around the world, including Brisbane in Australia.

First Derivatives Chief executive: Brian Conlon Pre-tax profit: £12.5m Employment: 1,595 Pay bill: £88.2m

EWRY financial software firm First Derivatives has said it expects to benefit from tax cuts in the US as it reported strong trading in the second half of the year. In an update, the company — which has now branched out into other uses for its software — said revenue would likely be ahead of the forecast £180.2m. And it said it had analysed the impact of the US Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which has cut the US Federal corporate income tax rate form 35% to 21%. During the last 12 months it’s also signed up clients in new sectors, including the Formula 1 Red Bull team and Airbus defence and space. The company is based in Newry but has offices around the world. FD said its Airbus deal was for “large scale processing of geospatial data”, and would bring oppportunities in energy and engineering.

Heron Brothers Chief executive: Damian Heron Pre-tax profit: £12.8m Employment: 244 Pay bill: £9.4m

eron Bros and Heron Property Ltd said that it’s enjoying one of the busiest years since 2007 with strong order books across all divisions. The company says: “Heron Bros is an award winning construction and property development company which operates throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe. We have combined our traditional values with an advanced innovative approach to construction which delivers excellence in project value, quality and client satisfaction.” The company is now in its sixtieth year. Projects include Gallagher Shopping Park in Port Glasgow and a Porsche Centre in Belfast.

Retlan Manufacturing Director: Enda Cushnahan Pre-tax profit: £12.4m Employment: 886 Pay bill: £26.1m

etlan Manufacturing is a holding company with interests in a number of engineering companies specialising in the manufacture and sale of commercial trailers — SDC Trailers — — as well as the sale of commercial vehicle and trailer parts. The group is registered in Toomebridge. Two years ago SDC Trailers was sold to CIMC Vehicles in China in one of three big deals last year involving the sale of Northern Ireland assets to Chinese firms. SDC Trailers is the largest trailer manufacturer in the UK and Ireland, with production facilities in Toomebridge, Antrim and Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. SDC offers heavy duty trailers for the road transport and logistics industries including box vans, curtainsiders, skeletals, platforms, urban and extended length trailers. It has been in business for 40 years.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Randox Holdings Chief executive: Dr Peter FitzGerald Pre-tax profit: £12.3m Employment: 1,185 Pay bill: £32.7m

Buttercrane Centre Director: Patricia Henry Pre-tax profit: £11.9m Employment: n.a Pay bill: n.a

Dunbia Director: Jim Dobson Pre-tax profit: £11.8m Employment: 3,584 Pay bill: £80m

55 Diamond Road Crumlin CoAntrim Tel: 0 28 9442 2413 www.randox.com

1 Ballycregagh Road Cloughmills Ballymena BT44 9LD www.buttercraneshopping.co.uk

Granville Industrial Estate Granville Road Dungannon Tel: 028 8772 3350 www.dunbia.com

Greenbank Industrial Estate Warrenpoint Road Newry Tel: 028 00 000000 www.glendimplex.com

andox is a global leader in healthcare diagnostics. More than 5% of the world’s population – receives medical diagnosis using Randox products each year. Randox is the largest diagnostic company from the UK and exports over 95% of products worldwide. Randox has an extensive portfolio including food diagnostics, alcohol and drugs testing, and a comprehensive test menu of markers for disease diagnosis and risk. The company has a major focus on R&D, with scientists working in pioneering research into common illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Up to 16% of turnover is reinvested in R&D. It has key manufacturing and research and development sites in Northern Ireland, Ireland, India, and in the USA. This year it marked the second year of a five-year deal as title sponsor of the Grand National.

uttercrane Centre Ltd is a property investment company with a portfolio including the Newry shopping centre of the same name. The centre has benefited from growth in footfall from the Republic following the referendum decision of 2016, as the fall in the value of sterling left it a cheaper venue for shoppers in the Republic. But it faced disappointment following the decision of anchor retailer Marks & Spencer to relocate to The Quays Shopping Centre in Newry earlier this year. Buttercrane received a lift earlier this year when Burger King, the home of the Whopper, has opened and Superdrug opened in the centre, with 650 m squared now let to the two national brands.

n the last four decades, Jim and brother Jack Dobson have grown their small Dungannon butcher shop into meat giant Dunbia, with sites throughout the UK and Ireland, turning over almost £800m each year. Set up in 1976 after the brothers bought over a small frozen meat shop in Dungannon, Dunbia has grown to employ nearly 4,000 staff — 1,200 working in Northern Ireland — across a dozen sites, selling and exporting beef, lamb and pork across the globe. In December 2015, it emerged that the brothers were considering a sale of both the red meat and pork businesses. In 2016, the pork business in Ballymena was sold to Cranswick plc while a joint venture in its red meat was formed with Irish processor Dawn Meats.

Glen Electric Director: Fergal Naughton Pre-tax profit: £11.6m Employment: 0 Pay bill: 0

len Electric acts as an investment holding company and supplier of management services. It’s run by Fergal Naughton, the son of Glen Dimplex founder Martin Naughton. In 1973 Glen Electric was established by Mr Naughton snr and four colleagues in Newry, Northern Ireland. The new business started manufacturing oil-filled radiators, employing seven people. With the acquisition of Dimplex in 1977, a company eight times Glen’s size, and a brand leader in electric heating, the ambition of the young Glen Dimplex management team was confirmed. Today, Glen Dimplex describes itself as “the undisputed world leader in intelligent electric heating and renewable energy solutions, as well as holding significant global market positions in domestic appliances, cooling and ventilation”.

Carnbane House Chief executive: Eamon O’Hare Pre-tax profit: £11m Employment: 188 Pay bill: £7.6m

McLaughlin & Harvey Director: Philip Cheevers Pre-tax profit: £11m Employment: 790 Pay bill: £42.8m

Severfield Director: Ryan Davis Pre-tax profit: £11m Employment: 296 Pay bill: £13.2m

Shepherds Way Newry Co Down Tel: 028 3026 4662 www.ohmg.com

15 Trench Road Mallusk BT36 8FA 028 9034 2777 www.mclh.co.uk

Fisher House Ballinamallard BT94 2FY Tel: 028 6638 8521 www.severfield.com

4 Boucher Crescent Belfast BT12 6HU Tel: 028 93 80325 www.agnewcars.com

arnbane House is the holding company of O’Hare & McGovern Ltd, a major contracting firm in Newry. It has 40 years’ experience of delivering high quality projects across the UK and Ireland with a turnover in excess of £100m. The company says: “We deliver award winning construction projects for our clients across a range of sectors; and are recognised as an industry leader in Innovation and construction excellence with a particular emphasis on Building Information Modelling and Sustainable Construction Development.” Major projects in recent years include construction work on a former Belfast Met building, now student accommodation site John Bell House.

cLaughlin & Harvey is a major construction firm which has worked on a wide range of contracts. It recently won a deal for the new headquarters of UTV at City Quays in Belfast (see picture). It has worked extensively in education, including a building at Oxford Brookes University. In Scotland, the company’s work has included the included a £7m music department at Fettes College, the private school attended by Tony Blair. It has also built a £67m critical care unit and helipad at King’s College Hospital in London. As well as growing its construction and civil engineering work, it is also increasing its facilities management (FM) services. At present, it carries out FM for retailers including Marks & Spencer and Waitrose in Great Britain. And the business has also said it’s keen to extend its work in airport infrastructure.

he Co Fermanagh steel construction firm formerly known as Fisher Engineering is now part of a UKwide plc. The Northern Ireland firm substantially grew pre-tax profits to £11m in the 12 months to March 2017, from just over £5.7m in the year before. The firm has worked on projects at Wimbledon Centre Court, the Shard and the 2012 Olympic Stadium. Severfield (NI) which employs nearly 300 people in the design, fabrication and installation of steel structures, was known as Fisher Engineering Ltd until a rebrand in 2016.

Isaac Agnew (eight cos) Chief executive: Yuile Magee Pre-tax profit: £11m Employment: 935 Pay bill: £29.6m

he Agnew Group is Northern Ireland’s leading motor vehicle retailer group, and is also counted as one of the UK’s top 25 franchised dealers. The Agnew Group was acquired by the Sytner Group in 2012, the UK’ s largest motor retailer. Sytner Group’s parent company is Penske Automotive Group a NYSE listed company. The business represents nine manufacturer brands across 15 various dealership locations in Belfast, Newtownabbey and Portadown. Agnew Group also operates Agnew AutoStore (Multi-franchised used car outlet), Agnew Corporate (Contract Hire Offering), TPS (VW Group Trade Parts), Agnew Repair Centre (Bodyshop) and Agnew Trade Centre (Trade Auction Site). The group has experienced 20% growth in new and used car sales over the past five years.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

firmus energy Kilbegs Business Park Antrim Tel: 028 9442 7814 www.firmusenergy.co.uk

Fenaghy Road Ballymena BT42 1PY Tel: 028 2564 1212 www.wrightbus.com

Progressive House 33 to 37 Wellington Place Belfast Tel: 028 9024 4926 www.theprogressive.com

197 Airport Road West Belfast BT3 9ED Tel: 03454 55 55 55 www.phoenixnaturalgas.com

Old Glenarm Road, Larne BT40 1EJ Tel: 028 2826 1000 www.caterpillar.com

85 Ormeau Road Belfast BT7 1SH Tel: 028 9043 7580 www.mutual-energy.com

2 Lisnamuck Road Tobermore BT45 5QF Tel: 028 7964 2411 www.tobermore.co.uk

Springtown Industrial Estate Londonderry BT48 0LY Tel: 028 7127 4000 www.seagate.com

firmus energy* Chief executive: Michael Scott Pre-tax profit: £10.73m Employment: 103 Pay bill: £4.2m

eka Energy Associates is the natural gas, supply and distribution, parent company which owns firmus energy (distribution) and firmus energy (supply). The purchase of firmus energy was completed at the end of June 2014 at a cost of £78.4m. Deka Energy Associates paid its first dividend of £3.75m to its shareholding owners in 2016. DEKA Energy Associates is a subsidiary of iCON Sapphire Holdco Sarl which is, in turn, a subsidiary of iCON Infrastructure Partners LP, registered in Jersey. The company has brought natural gas to over 30 towns, cities and villages across Northern Ireland, along the route of the North-West and South-North gas transmission pipelines.

Wrights Group Chief executive: Mark Nodder Pre-tax profit: £10.7m Employment: 1,861 Pay bill: £52.25m

ased in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Wrights Group currently employs around 1700 people and is one of Europe’s leading independently-owned manufacturers of public transport vehicles. In recent years the company has delivered 1000 iconic New Routemaster buses for service in London as well as repeat orders for double decker buses in Hong Kong and Singapore. In November 2016 the company unveiled the world’s first hydrogen-powered double decker, and continues to lead within the field of low and zero emission buses. The company announced up to 85 potential job losses earlier this year.

*Deka Energy Associates Ltd

Caterpillar Corp Director: Mark McClure Pre-tax profit: £10m Employment: 1,624 Pay bill: £67m

aterpillar Northern Ireland employs around 1,700 people. Its headquarters are in Larne, and it has offices and a manufacturing facility at Springvale Business Park in Belfast. Its principal activity is in the design, manufacture, sale and support of quality standard and customised generator sets and bespoke associated equipment that provide reliable electric power. During 2017, it supplied generator sets for projects around the world including commercial and public sector projects. The company also has a shared services centre in the Springvale Industrial Park, Belfast, providing administrative support for the local business as well as for other Caterpillar European entities. In recent years Caterpillar Northern Ireland has diversified its product portfolio to include the production of axles for Cat® articulated trucks.

Mutual Energy Chief executive: Paddy Larkin Pre-tax profit: £10m Employment: 22 Pay bill: £2m

utual Energy is a mutual company which says it “manages strategic energy assets in the long term interests of Northern Ireland’s energy consumers”. Having no shareholders, any financial surpluses are for the benefit of energy consumers. This combined with long term secure finance has allowed the company to manage major energy assets at a very low cost to consumers. Following an open competitive process, Mutual Energy and SGN were awarded licences by the Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland to build and operate the high pressure and low pressure gas pipelines which will extend the natural gas network into the west of Northern Ireland. This significant gas network extension will bring the benefits of natural gas to the towns including Coalisland, Cookstown, Derrylin and Dungannon.

Progressive Bldg Soc Chief executive: Darina Armstrong Pre-tax profit: £10.7m Employment: 176 Pay bill: £7.5m

orthern Ireland’s largest locally owned financial institution has maintained its strong financial position in 2017 with pre-tax profits of £10.7m. Last year, Progressive Building Society helped more than 1,000 people to buy their home and almost 600 to build a new home, with overall new mortgage lending of £200m. Progressive created nine new jobs throughout the year, bringing its employment number to 176 people across its 12 Northern Ireland branches and head office. Darina Armstrong, chief executive of Progressive Building Society, said: “Our commitment to serving our members in communities across Northern Ireland is the bedrock of our business and has seen us maintain a strong financial position for many years.” She said the society had “experienced staff across our 12 branches”.

Tobermore Chief executive: David Henderson Pre-tax profit: £9.97m Employment: 219 Pay bill: £6.9m

obermore specialise in the manufacture of paving and walling products for the commercial and domestic markets, and has enjoyed major success in the UK and Ireland. David Henderson, managing director at Tobermore, is the second generation of his family to lead the business. It has paving and walling centres in Tobermore, Bangor, Dublin and Cork and a national sales team covering the UK and Ireland. Mr Henderson said: “Over the years, we’ve tried to set ourselves apart in the marketplace with our superior product range, our innovative manufacturing processes and our first class customer service.” Tobermore is a UK and European Quality Award winning company and says that it believes in conducting business “in a manner of integrity, honesty and teamwork”.

Phoenix Natural Gas Chief executive: Michael McKinstry Pre-tax profit: £10.2m Employment: 123 Pay bill: £5.8m

hoenix Natural Gas is the largest gas distribution business in Northern Ireland, operating a distribution network across the Greater Belfast Area which extends to 3,500km of pipeline and brings natural gas to over 50% of the population of Northern Ireland. After 20 years in Northern Ireland, Phoenix Natural Gas has developed the market and built its network, connecting over 200,000 customers and establishing natural gas as the fuel of choice for customers in the licence area. Since it was set up in 1996, the company has made natural gas available to 320,000 properties in the original license area of Greater Belfast and invested £500m building its network and connecting customers. It’s now bringing natural gas to parts of Co Down including Annahilt, Ballygowan, Ballynahinch and Hillsborough.

Seagate Technology VP, heads operations: Dr Brian Burns Pre-tax profit: £9.95m Employment: 1404 Pay bill: £63.5m

eagate is the industry leader in harddisc drives and storage solutions. The company offers the industry’s broadest portfolio of hard disc drives, solid state drives and hybrid drives, as well as an extensive line of retail storage products for consumers and small businesses. The Springtown facility, which has been operating for over 20 years, is the largest factory of its type.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Kilwaughter Holdings Chief executive: Simon McDowell Pre-tax profit: £9.6m Employment: 132 Pay bill: £5.5m

Thompson Aero Seating Chief executive: Gary Montgomery Pre-tax profit: £9m Employment: 364 Pay bill: £17.5m

Clearway Hlds. Chief executive: Paul Murphy Pre-tax profit: £8.9m Employment:165 Pay bill: £6m

Bemis Healthcare Manufacturing director: Paul Millar Pre-tax profit: £8.5m Employment: 275 Pay bill: £7.8m

9 Starbog Road Larne BT40 2TJ Tel: 028 2826 0766 www.kilwaughter.com

50 Seagoe Industrial Area Portadown, Craigavon BT63 5QE Tel: 028 3833 4000 www.thompsonaero.com

41 Dobbin Road Portadown BT62 4EY Tel: 028 38337333 www.clearway-group.co.uk

Campsie Industrial Estate Londonderry BT47 3GQ Tel: 028 7181 4000 www.bemis.com

ilwaughter is one of Northern Ireland’s leading manufacturers, providing specialist products for the construction and agriculture

sectors. The Co Antrim-based company employs 132 people and is best known for its brands – K Rend and Kilwaughter Lime. Market-leading K Rend is the UK’s largest independent silicone render manufacturer while Kilwaughter Lime has been processing the county’s much sought after white limestone at its Larne site since 1939. The company aim is to build a long term sustainable business, becoming the brand of choice across various sectors, through ongoing investment.

hompson Aero Seating make airline seating and says it is “recognised for cutting edge design,engineering and manufacture of premium business-class, full flat-bed airline seating”. The company reported a successful time exhibiting at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, April 2018. In December 2016, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) acquired Thompson Aero Seating in a multi-million pound deal. To meet increased demand Thompson’s first production facility was secured at the Seagoe Industrial Park, Portadown in 2011, and the manufacture of the first Thompson Vantage seats began. Customers include Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Air Canada, Brussels Airlines and Austrian Airlines. Thompson Aero Seating said it was looking forward to expanding its capacity after the AVIC deal.

learway was established in the mid 1960s when John Murphy started in the waste management and scrap recycling business. Clearway operates from four modern processing and exporting facilities located at Portadown (head office), as well as three export divisions in Belfast, Londonderry and Sligo. Each facility accepts and processes all grades of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals. A landfill site at Aughrim Quarry was acquired by Clearway in 2006. The site has a capacity to receive up to 250,000 tonnes per annum — which Clearway said provides “long-term solutions to the waste disposal of Northern Ireland”.

emis Healthcare Packaging provides engineered packaging forthe protection of medical devices, sensitive drugs and sophisticateddiagnostic systems. It specialises in co-extruded, laminated and flexible films, foil barrier laminations, pouches and bags, among other products. Bemis Healthcare Packaging is an active member of the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC). Recent investments in include setting up its new business services Centre in Londonderry (in addition to its already-established healthcare business) to support its European operations with the creation of up to 95 new positions in finance and IT over the next five years. Bemis Healthcare Packaging is part of the 150-year-old Bemis, which is a US company. Bemis Healthcare Packaging was formerly known as Perfecseal.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Dale Farm House 15 Dargan Rd, Belfast BT3 9LS Tel: 028 9037 2200 www.dalefarm.co.uk

62 Boucher Rd Belfast BT12 6LR Tel: 028 9517 0268 www.charleshurstgroup.co.uk

203 Airport Rd West Belfast BT3 9ED Tel: 028 9093 9400 www.heartsine.com

12-14 Cornmarket Belfast BT1 4DD Tel: 028 9064 4606 www.argento.com

Pre-tax profit: £7.6m Employment: 527 Pay bill: £25.3m

MJM Marine Director: Naoimh McConville Pre-tax profit: £7.4m Employment: 215 Pay bill: £7.4m

Rosemount House 21-23 Sydenham Road Belfast Tel: 028 9045 5531 www.laganscg.com

Carnbane Business Park Newry BT35 6QH Tel: 028 3025 8450 www.mjm-group.com

24 Roughfort Road Mallusk, BT36 4RB Tel. 028 90 849999 www.brettmartin.com

2 Distillery Road Bushmills BT57 8XH Tel: 028 2073 3218 www.bushmills.com

Dale Farm Co-op Chief executive: Nick Wheelan Pre-tax profit: £ 7.9m Employment: 1,058 Pay bill: £33.5m

ale Farm is Northern Ireland’s biggest dairy co-op, and owns Dale Farm Milk, Dale Farm Ice Cream, Dromona, Spelga, Fivemiletown, Mullins Ice Cream, Rowan Glen and Loseley. At the time of going to press, Dale Farm remains a suitor of cross-border dairy processor LacPatrick, which takes milk from around 700 dairy farmers in border counties of Northern Ireland. A spokeswoman for Dale Farm said it was also “set to report strong financial results for 2017 for the third year running”. “With headquarters in Belfast, Dale Farm has 10 sites across the UK and a long-standing heritage in the dairy industry,” she added. If a LacPatrick deal goes ahead, t would be Dale Farm’s first significant cross-border move since it bought an ice cream distribution business in the Republic 11 years ago.

Lagan Construction Group Chief executive: Kevin Anthony Lagan

agan Construction Group, now in administration, has been known for its work in civil engineering and building for roads, airports, water, energy, marine and building. It specialises in piling and foundation for civil engineering and building. It offers infrastructure investment advice and management including operation and maintenance. In February the company was placed into administration along with Lagan Construction Group Holdings, Lagan Building Contractors Limited and Lagan Water. There remain another 26 unaffected companies in the group. The group said the administration was caused by factors including delays in the commencement of new projects and protracted contractual disputes on some existing major projects, a reference to its work on the new Ulster University campus in Belfast city centre.

Charles Hurst Group Chief executive: Colin McNab Pre-tax profit: £7.7m Employment: 870 Pay bill: £25.9m

ounded more than a century ago in 1911, Charles Hurst is Northern Ireland’s largest car retailer and calls itself “one of the region’s most successful businesses”. The award-winning company employs more than 900 staff across 11 geographic locations, almost 20 car franchises, three motorcycle outlets, a dedicated van centre and four specialist tyre retail operations. It also operates a dedicated accident repair centre, fast-fit operation and a smart Repair centre. The company is headquartered at Belfast’s Boucher Road on Europe’s largest automotive retail site. It’s part of the UK car retail and aftercare giant Lookers plc. Charles Hurst opened its third successful business in Dublin in 2017 when it launched a new premium showroom.

JM Marine Ltd is the world leader in marine fit out services with 35 years’ experience. The company combines design services, specialist joinery and quality manufacturing with project management capabilities to deliver innovative interior fit-outs to cruise, ferry and superyacht companies. It also provides fitout services to high-end land-based clients. MJM Marine Ltd has built its reputation on quality workmanship, on-time or ahead-of-time delivery, cost management and a partnership approach. In 2017, the company secured a number of ‘firsts’ in terms of new business and markets. It secured its first Chinese project, furnishing a five-deck liner for Star Cruises in Shenzhen. It’s also refitting ship the Azamara Pursuit at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, a potential gamechanger in the ind

Heartsine Technologies Chief executive:Declan O’Mahoney Pre-tax profit: £7.7m Employment: 126 Pay bill: £4.9m

eartsine was founded in 1998 by John Anderson with a group of investors to further the development of portable cardiac defibrillators. In the 1960s, Professor Anderson was approached to start the biomedical engineering group at the Royal Victoria Hospital and headed the effort to produce the world’s first mobile defibrillator to bring the expertise of the hospital to the patient to improve outcomes. The result changed the way emergency care is delivered globally. HeartSine was acquired by US firm Physio-Control in 2015. Physio-Control is now part of Stryker Corporation. In its latest strategic report, the company said it continues its “innovation, design and provision of automated external defibrillators for... treatment of sudden cardiac arrest”.

Brett Martin Holdings Chief executive: Laurence Martin Pre-tax profit: £7.3m Employment: 935 Pay bill: £30.3m

ewtownabbey-based Brett Martin is Northern Ireland’s largest thermoplastics manufacturer with sales of £124.4 in 2016. Established in 1958 the company has grown in significance to become one of the largest manufacturers of polycarbonate in Europe. Privately owned and managed, it has operations at seven separate UK sites with export activities extending to over 70 global markets. Brett Martin’s primary manufacturing competencies include plastics extrusion, injection moulding and rotational moulding. Output consists of flat, corrugated and structured plastic sheet in polycarbonate, GRP, PVC, foam PVC, PET and acrylic, pipe extrusions, profile extrusions, and, moulded parts and fittings. Principal market sectors include construction, fabrication, print and display.

Denvir Hldgs (Argento) Chief executive: Pete Boyle Pre-tax profit: £7.6m Employment: 579 Pay bill: £6.5m

he Argento chain has around 50 shops across the UK, and last year opened a store in Manchester’s Trafford Centre. Pete Boyle, from Strabane in Co Tyrone, started the jewellery business from market stalls on Belfast’s Royal Avenue and Rossnowlagh Beach in Co Donegal. The company sells brands of jewellery including PILGRIM, August Woods and Nomination. In more recent company accounts for the year to June 2017, pre-tax profits were up slightly from £7.7m to £7.8m. A report for subsidiary Argento Contemporary Jewellery added that there had been “a consistent increase in individual store turnover year on year”. Denvir Holdings’ report comments that sales are up despite a “highly competitive” and discount-driven retail environment.

Old Bushmills Distillery Master distiller: Colum Egan Pre-tax profit: £7.1m Employment: 106 Pay bill: £5.5m

ushmills Irish whiskey, one of Northern Ireland’s most revered products, has been part of Mexican drinks giant Jose Cuervo since its sale by Diageo in 2015. Jose Cuervo and Old Bushmills Distillery are part of the Becle group. In a strategic report accompanying its accounts for 2016, the directors comment that Bushmills remains “one of the leaders in the Irish whiskey category and demonstrated a good level of performance in its major markets”. Performance during 2016 was affected by a change in distribution of the spirit, which is now sold through a master distributor under the Becle operating model. Turnover was down from £75.6m in 2015 to £27.8m, though the previous accounting period had covered 18 months. Pre-tax profits were also down from £20m.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Tennent’s NI Director: Tom McCusker Pre-tax profit: £7m Employment: 113 Pay bill: £3.8m

Liberty IT Chief executive: William Hamilton Pre-tax profit: £7m Employment: 498 Pay bill: £24.4m

Ballyvesey Holdings Chief executive: Harold Montgomery Pre-tax profit: £6.9m Employment: 2,540 Pay bill: £83m

15 Dargan Road Belfast BT3 9LZ Tel: 028 9595 2100 www.candcgroupplc

Adelaide Exchange 24-26 Adelaide Street Belfast BT2 8GD www.liberty-it.co.uk

607 Antrim Rd Newtownabbey BT36 4RF Tel: 0289084 9321 www.ballyveseyholdings.com

Manor Waterhouse Farm, Lisnaskea Co Fermanagh, BT92 0BN Tel: 028 6772 1345 www.readyeggproducts.com

ennent’s NI is a manufacturer, owner and distributor of drinks brands, combining strong distribution, wholesale marketing capabilities, bolstered by a decided sales force. The company announced an investmentof £1.2m to create 25 new jobs three years ago. Its brand portfolio includes Magners Cider, as well as beer, wine and soft drink brands. Beer offerings include Tennent’s, Becks Vier, Stella Artois, Staropramen, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Heverlee, Clonmel 1650 and Corona Extra. The company is part of C&C Group plc in the Republic of Ireland. Earlier this year C&C made a strategically important inroad into the GB market when it acquired wholesalers Matthew Clark and Bibendum following the administration of parent Conviviality. C&C Group last year welcomed ened Northern Ireland-born industry veteran Jim Clerkin as non-executive director.

iberty IT is a technology leader, delivering innovative, enterprise-scale solutions to support the needs of parent company, Liberty Mutual Insurance. The company says that it delivers “cloud technologies, agile engineering and disciplined practice to deliver high-value projects to improve ease of access and service quality to our customers, whilst maintaining a strong security and reliability focus”. The business operates from two sites in Dublin and Belfast. Liberty IT explains: “Our business takes us across the globe supporting other parts of the group to craft and deliver world-class IT solutions. “This year alone, teams of NI-based staff have been working on tech projects in Hong Kong, Columbia, Brazil and Thailand, as well as continuing to support Liberty Mutual across the US.”

allyvesey Holdings is a diverse group of over 26 companies indifferent parts of the freight transport business and vehicle sales. It now includes subsidiaries, which rangefrom a recruitment agency in Poland, metalrecycling business Ballyvesey Recycling and a trailer manufacturer, Montracon. Other well-known brand names include Montgomery Transport and car retailers J E Coulter. The group is owned by family shareholders and now has its headquarters in Doncaster in the north of England. The trading network extends across Great Britain and Northern Ireland and into Europe. It also operates Montgomery Refrigeration, Sky Platforms, Scotia Plant, Eurofleet rental and Heathrow Truck Centre.

Lough Erne Inv Chief executive: Charles Crawford Pre-tax profit: £6.8m Employment: 113 Pay bill: £2.7m

eady Egg Products is a family owned business based in Co Fermanagh. The company produces and processes a range of high quality pasteurised liquid egg products, scrambled egg products and hard boiled eggs in sizes to suit all requirements within the food service and manufacturing sectors throughout the UK and Ireland. In 2014 a new liquid egg processing facility was opened by the company Chesterfield, England. 2018 will see continued innovation and expansion to the sites. The company was presented a Deloitte Best Managed Company award in 2018.

Multi-Packaging Solutions Chief executive: Chris Dears Pre-tax profit: £6.7m Employment: 165 Pay bill: £ 5.2m

Ulster Carpets Chief executive: Nick Coburn Pre-tax profit: £6.7m Employment: 640 Pay bill: £24.3m

Whitemountain Chief executive: Pat Ward Pre-tax profit: £6.4m Employment: 205 Pay bill: £8.7m

1 Enterprise Way Hightown Industrial Estate Newtownabbey Tel: 028 90 804033 www.multipkg.com.com

Castleisland Factory Craigavon BT62 1EE Tel: 028 3833 4433 www.ulstercarpets.com

19 Clarendon Road, Belfast BT1 3BG Tel: 028 9026 1000 www.whitemountain.co.uk

36 Moor Road, Coalisland Dungannon BT71 4QB Tel: 028 8774 7600 www.geda.co.uk

PS — now WestRock-MPS — came into being in June 2017 when Multi Packaging Solutions (MPS) joined with WestRock. As a global supplier of speciality packaging to the pharmaceutical/healthcare, branded food and drink and media sectors, WestRock-MPS’ history goes back more than 150 years in Northern Ireland. It began in the centre of Belfast as WW Cleland in 1865. The company says that WestRock-MPS Belfast is “the modestly-scaled local centre of the organisation of over 45,000 staff operating in 30 countries across 4 continents”. “We offer global capabilities while maintaining a local emphasis founded on strong business ethics and trusted partnerships.” The company says it also benefits from a strategy of investing in the wellbeing and development of personnel.

he Ulster Carpets Group says it has completed another year of strong trading with sales increasing 6.8% to £68.4m. This was achieved by growth in all key export markets and the successful integration of the two acquired companies, Roger Oates Design in mid 2016 and then in March 2017, Griffiths Textile Machines. The company said that by gaining a net 10% of net pre-tax profit on sales, the group (consisting of six companies) generated strong positive cash flows. “This provided the Ulster Group with the opportunity to continue on its twin strategy of an intensive investment programme across the group with resultant organic growth and concurrently seeking further suitable acquisitions to further enhance an already strong balance sheet.”

hitemountain, formerly part of Lagan Group, is now part of UK plc Breedon Group. It was acquired by the plc following the £455m sale of the majority of Lagan Group. Whitemountain is a major contracting and materials business operating throughout the UK and Ireland, specialising in civil engineering, highway maintenance, airfield construction, aggregate production, bitumen importation and distribution, waste management and green energy. Its customer base includes leading airport operators, principal contractors in the highways, civil engineering and construction sectors, and public sector roads authorities. It undertakes works as a product supplier, a main contractor, a sub–contractor or a joint venture partner.

Geda LLP Managing partner: Eugene McKenna Pre-tax profit: £6.2m Employment: NS Pay bill: NS

eda Construction is a major building, civil engineering and property development company based in Co Tyrone. Since the 1970s Geda Construction has been providing a comprehensive building and civil engineering services to private and public sector clients across the UK and Ireland. The company specialises in the educational, residential, community and industrial markets as well as water infrastructure, reservoirs and wastewater treatment works. Earlier this year it was awarded Residential Development of the Year Award at the Greater Lincolnshire Construction and Property Awards, 2018.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Cooneen by Design Chief executive: Kevin McMahon Pre-tax profit: £6.2m Employment: 152 Pay bill: £5.6m

Walter Watson Ltd Chairman: Walter Watson Pre-tax profit: £6.2m Employment: 247 Pay bill: £7.6m

Kingspan Envir. Chief executive: Gene Murtagh Pre-tax profit: £ 6.1m Employment: 726 Pay bill: £27.7m

23 Cooneen Road Fivemiletown BT75 0NE Tel: 028 8952 1401 www.cooneengroup.com

124 Ballylough Rd Castlewellan BT31 9JQ Tel: 028 4377 8711 www.walter-watson.co.uk

180 Gilford Road Craigavon BT63 5LF Tel: 028 3836 4400 www.kingspan.com

Rosemount Business Park Ballycoolin Dublin 11 Tel: +353 (0)1 885 9999 www.laganasphaltgroup.com

ooneen by Design (formerlyCooneen Textiles) and its subsidiaries are based in Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone, and its registered office is in Broughshane, Co Antrim. It is a successful manufacturer of children’s character clothing and has attracteda number of established high street brands as customers. The Cooneen Group also includes Hawk Holdings in the USA, a supplier of specialist clothing. A recent addition was Images at Work,a distributor of specialist clothing. The group’s prinicipal activity is described as the design, supply, manufacture and distribution of specific clothing to a global marketplace. Two years ago the company celebrated 50 years in business. The group is one of the business interests of industrialist, John B McGuckian.

ince it was set up in 1967, Walter Watson Limited has grown to become an industry leader in five market sectors – structural steel fabrication, cut and bent reinforcement, steel stockholding, overhead crane systems and the manufacturing of Agricultural machinery. It continues to be overseen by chairman and founder Walter Watson with managing director David Barr leading the management teams across the business. The main production facilities are based in Castlewellan, Co Down. There is also a distribution depot in Kilmarnock. Regional offices are also located in Co. Kildare, Ireland and the Scottish regions. The company operates in sectors including retail, education, manufacturing and leisure facilities. It has supplied structural steel for a 46,000m2 building in Monaghan, the largest of its type on the island of Ireland.

ingspan Environmental, part of hte Kingspan Group, creates sustainable, renewable and environmentally friendly solutions for sourcing, storing and protecting energy and water, powering homes and businesses across the world. The company works with property developers, building owners, designers, contractors and installers. The Cavan-based parent company saw profit increase by 11% year-on-year to €377.5m in 2017. The strong performance was driven by acquisitions, which contributed 9% and 8% to sale and profit growth respectively, according to the group’s preliminary results for 2017.

Lagan Asphalt Chief executive: Pat Ward Pre-tax profit: £6m Employment: 99 Pay bill: £6.2m

agan Asphalt is another former part of the Lagan Group which has been acquired by the UK plc Breedon Group. Lagan Asphalt Group Ltd has evolved from a successful quarrying company formed during the 1960s to become a diversifiedfGroup of independent and privately-owned construction, manufacturing and civil engineering companies. Investment in manufacturing plants, diversification, R&D, innovation and selective acquisitions has allowed its quality product range grow continually over the last generation. Lagan products include bitumen, asphalt, aggregates, special surfacing products, sand and screeds.

Warner Chilcott UK Site head: Jim McElroy Pre-tax profit: £5.9m Employment: 144 Pay bill: £8.2m

Forestside Acquisit. Director: Mark Fenchelle Pre-tax profit: £5.9m Employment: n/a Pay bill: n/a

Old Belfast Rd, Milbrook Larne BT40 2SH Tel: 028 2826 7222 www.allergan.com

Donegall Place Investments Director: Pat McCormack Pre-tax profit: £5.8m Employment: 8 Pay bill: £2.6m

Victoria House Gloucester Street Belfast BT1 4LS

Aisling House, 50 Stranmillis Embankment Belfast BT9 5FL

Radiant Works 23 Sunwich St, Belfast BT6 8HR Tel: 028 9045 0821 www.stothersm-e.co.uk/

he Larne base of Teva, a centre for pharmaceutical research and development, started out as Warner Chilcott. The latter was acquired by Actavis in 2013. Actavis was then bought two years by Teva, the biggest generics pharmaceutical company in the world. In Larne, the company manufacturers one product for the US marketplace, and also has a major research and development presence.

orestside Acquisitions is a property investment company relating to south Belfast shopping centre Forestside. Formerly it and Londonderry’s Foyleside had been held in a single company before being split into two separate firms. Both had been backed by Irish venture capital fund Kildare Partners, with two of its directors, Ryan Horstman and Emer Finnan, appointed to both companies. However, they have since resigned from Forestside Acquisitions, Two new directors, Mark Fenchelle and Louis Paletta, have now been appoined.

onegall Place Investments is a property investment business which formerly counted property developer and KFC tycoon Michael Herbert and his wife Lesley as directors. The business was best known for its ownership of Lisburn’s Bow Street Mall and Bangor’s Bloomfield Shopping Centre. However, Bloomfield was sold two years ago to London investment firm Ellandi and Tristan Capital Partners, which also snapped up Enniskillen’s Erneside Shopping Centre.

Stothers M&E Chief executive: David Conlon Pre-tax profit: £5.7 Employment: 89 Pay bill: £3.8m

tothers (M&E) Ltd was founded in 1957 by Denis Stothers and was located on the Albertbridge Road in Belfast. Stothers has evolved from a small-scale maintenance provider to a national market leader in the provision of mechanical and electrical building Services and contract maintenance. This organic growth was achieved through progressive and carefully planned internal development and succession planning, with particular focus given to development and up skilling of all staff. Stothers (M&E) now boasts annual turnover in excess of £35m, serviced by 100 directly employed staff and a supply chain in excess of 1,000 approved suppliers and subcontractors. There are offices in Glasgow and Manchester. It has carried out several high-profile projects for UTV and Wiggle/Chain Reaction.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

William Keys Ltd Chief executive: Derek Keys Pre-tax proﬁt: £5.56m Employment: 18 Pay bill: £376,000

Springvale EPS Managing director: Anthony France Pre-tax proﬁt: £5.51m Employment: 115 Pay bill: £4.74m

24 Boucher Road Belfast BT12 6HR Tel: 028 90 682703 www.chainreactioncycles.com

Capital House 3 Upper Queen St Belfast Tel: 028 90 682021 www.diageo.com

72 Omagh Road Dromore Co Tyrone Tel: 028 82 897111 www.wkeys.co.uk

75 Springvale Road Ballyclare Co Antrim Tel: 028 93 341159 www.springvale.com

Chain Reaction Cycles Chief executive: Will Kernan Pre-tax proﬁt: £5.7m Employment: 470 Pay bill: £15.7m

hain Reaction Cycles was taken over in 2016 in a multi-million pound deal with rival Wiggle. The growth of Chain Reaction Cycles from a small bike shop in Ballynure to one of the world’s biggest online retailers was a major Northern Ireland success story. It also catapulted the Watson family, who founded the company, onto the Sunday Times Rich List. The Watsons then left the board of directors of the company they founded. There was also disappointment following the deal when nearly 300 jobs were relocated from locations to Doagh, Carrickfergus and Ballyclare to Wiggle’s headquarters in Wolverhampton.

Diageo Chief executive: Jorge Lopes Pre-tax proﬁt: £5.56m Employment: 272 Pay bill: £13.73m

iageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J B, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. In 2014, the company acquired Tequila Don Julio from Casa Cuervo in Mexico in return for giving up heritage Co Antrim whiskey Bushmills. Diageo NI is part of a global company, and its products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The management team continues to invest to build on the brands and routes to consumer, to deliver long term profitable growth. It’s listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.

illiam Keys & Sons is a plant and machinery dealership based in Dromore, Co.Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It’s a family run business, specialising in the import and export of industrial plant and construction equipment. In 1980, William Keys set up the company as a used tractor importer in the local market. Since then it has expanded rapidly and begun selling plant and construction equipment to Europe. It now operates on a global scale. The Keys family also operate Gardrum Holdings, the company name behind machinery auction giant Euro Auctions.

pringvale EPS is an insulating materials company with operations in Ballyclare. It had been part of Irish plc Kingspan before a management buy-out. The company is based in Newcastle upon Tyne but its accounts are domiciled in Northern Ireland. In a strategic report accompanying its results, the company said it had experienced a year of rapid sales growth, with sales up 26% on the year before. However, large increases in the cost of raw materials had affected profitability.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Airport Road West Belfast Tel: 028 9045 5588 www.calor.co.uk

41 Inn Road, Dollingstown BT66 7JN Tel: 028 38 327711 www.huhtamaki.com

CDE Global Chief executive: Brendan McGurgan Pre-tax profit: £5.29m Employment: 173 Pay bill: £6.5m

Golf Holdings Chief executive: Patrick Hunt Pre-tax profit: £5.2m Employment: 2,118 Pay bill: £28.19m

Ballyreagh Industrial Estate Cookstown Co Tyrone Tel: 028 8676 7900 www.cdeglobal.com

3 Duncrue Place Belfast BT3 9BU Tel: 028 90 746274 www.winemark.com

DE Global Ltd in Co Tyrone sells its waste and materials processing equipment to more than 70 countries. Its products are used in sectors including sand and aggregates, construction waste recycling, mining, specialist industrial sands and environmental Customers around the world such as Mexican building materials supplier Cemex have helped export growth. It was also named as one of Ireland’s Best Managed companies in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards programme this year. Last year the company announced plans for a new office development at its headquarters in Cookstown. It also increased product assembly space at its Cookstown location by 32% in January to allow for the production of 60 additional machines every year.

olf Holdings is the holding company for a group of businesses in the hospitality sector. It’s best-known for Wine Inns, which owns pubs and restaurants such as southBelfast’s Chelsea Wine Bar, and off-licencechain Winemark. The group also includes wholesalw drinks company James E McCabe. Philip Russell Ltd - a wholesale and retail distributor of wines, spirits, drinks and pet food products — is another subsidiary. Golf Holdings is behind the Russell’s Food and Drink chain of convenience stores. Wine Inns recently sold off its Elk pub complex in east Belfast. In 2015 it sold off its Crescent Townhouse in Belfast’s Botanic Avenue and sold its Holywood wine bar Wine & Co in 2013. The Chelsea on Lisburn Road was refurbished that same year at a cost of around £1m.

Calor Gas NI Chief executive: Gino Vansteenhuyse Pre-tax profit: £5.13m Employment: 78 Pay bill: £3.58m

alor Gas is a supplier and distributor of liquefied petroleum gas across Ireland. It fills and markets gas cylinders, and markets and sells bulk gas. The company is part of SHV Energy. This year, the company launched Northern Ireland’s first certified renewable LPG for homes and businesses. The product is certified as offering up to 90% lower emissions than fossil fuels. While traditional LPG is made as a by-product of coal and oil extraction, the new Calor BioLPG or BioPropane is made from renewable feedstocks, recycled waste materials and sustainably sourced renewable vegetable oils, which would have otherwise been discarded.

Huhtamaki General manager: Richard Smith Pre-tax profit: £5.06m Employment: 219 Pay bill: £7.65m

uhtamaki Lurgan calls itself “a perfect example of the new circular economy”. The operation is the largest user of recycled paper in Northern Ireland converting old newspapers and printing off-cuts into egg cartons, egg trays and cup carriers for the food service sector. The Lurgan operation, which employs 225 people, has been making moulded fibre products for over 70 years, and recently commissioned a £6m new line which increased output by 25%. The company is also working to develop other products from re-cycled paper to meet demand for alternatives to plastic packaging. One example is the use of grass in egg cartons which was recently launched in Waitrose. The company is part of Huhtamaki Group based in Finland which operates 74 production sites around the world Delta Packaging in Belfast.

Hastings Hotel Group Chief executive: Howard Hastings Pre-tax profit: £4.91m Employment: 1,138 Pay bill: £12.22m

Re-Gen Waste Managing director: Joseph Doherty Pre-tax profit: £4.89m Employment: 194 Pay bill: £3.77m

Gordons Chemist Chief executive: Robert Gordon Pre-tax profit: £4.8m Employment: 662 Pay bill: £11.86m

Stormont Hotel Belfast BT4 3LP Tel: 028 90 458444 www.hastingshotels.com

7 Shepherds Drive Carnbane Industrial Estate Newry Tel: 028 3026 5432 www.regenwaste.com

74 Scarva Road Banbridge BT32 3QD Tel: 028 40 669000 www.gordonsdirect.com

6 Bank Square Maghera BT46 5AZ Tel: 028 7964 3610 www.waterprojectsonline.com

astings Hotels Group is one of Northern Ireland’s most famous companies and owns and operates key hotels around the province. The business, which was founded by the late Sir Billy Hastings, owns Newcastle’s Slieve Donard Hotel, The Stormont, Culloden and Europa hotels in Belfast, Co Antrim’s Ballygally Hotel and the Everglades in Londonderry. Those properties will soon be joined by Belfast’s £53m Grand Central Hotel on Bedford Street. The Grand Central is inspired by the original Grand Central Hotel on the city’s Royal Avenue. A restaurant and bar on the first floor is nod to Belfast’s maritime history and will be named the Seahorse Bar & Bistro. On the ground floor with entrance off Bedford Street there will be The GC, Grand Café. See page 60

ewry-headquartered Re-Gen Waste Ltd, is a specialist environmental services company providing collection, processing and single stream material resale services for public and private organisations across the UK and Ireland. The company started trading in 2004 and since then has grown significantly to become one of Europe’s leading waste management companies. Re-Gen employs 202 staff across a wide range of disciplines and their operations include waste to energy(WtE), mixed dry recycling (MDR) processing, municipal solid waste (MSW) processing, transport and engineering. The company operates its purpose-built installation 24 hours a day and has processed nearly two million tonnes of waste to date.

ordons Chemists began as a single pharmacy more than 30 years ago in Donaghadee, Co Down. Today, the family-run group runs more than 60 pharmacies on the high street and in shopping centres across Northern Ireland and Scotland. Last year, its financial performance earned it a place at number 13 in the annual Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 league table, ranking the UK firms with the fastest-growing profits over three years. Pre-tax profits this year have increased from £4.7m to £4.8m. The company also has an online store, Gordons Direct. It has an ethos of championinghomegrown brands including cosmetics firm B Perfect, stocked in its 35 Northern Ireland shops.

BSG Civil Engineering Chief executive: Seamus Gillan Pre-tax profit: £4.61m Employment: 50 Pay bill: £1.95m

SG Civil Engineering Ltd in Maghera has developed from a civil engineering contractor to a construction company with a large turnover. NI Water is its main contract. The company has also acquired and developed property. As well as its work for NI Water, it has also undertaken multi million pound contracts for clients such as the Belfast Harbour Commission and Donegal County Council. In 1987 Seamus Gillan Civil Engineering diversified into sheet pile driving, which led to the formation of BSG Piling Ltd. Around 14 years ago, Seamus Gillan Civil Engineering and BSG Piling Ltd amalgamated to form BSG Civil Engineering Limited.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP 100 COMPANIES IN PROFILE

Dukestown Lane Craigavon BT66 8TB Tel: 028 3834 1619 www.avondale-foods.co.uk

29 Edenordinary Road Banbridge Co Down Tel: 028 9269 8173 www.breezemount.com

11 Mountjoy Road Coalisland Co Tyrone BT71 5DQ www.westernbuild.com

19 Clarendon Road Belfast Tel: 028 9026 1080 www.laganhomes.com

100

1 Lanyon Quay Belfast BT1 3LG www.cjupton.co.uk

99 Kingsway Dunmurry BT17 9NU Tel: 028 90 551276 www.northstone-ni.co.uk

Derryloran Industrial Estate Cookstown Tel: 028 8676 4600 www.byba.co.uk

Knockmore Hill Lisburn BT28 2SZ Tel: 028 9264 2000 www.coca-colahellenicireland

Avondale Foods Chief executive: Harry Geddis Pre-tax profit: £4.6m Employment: 402 Pay bill: £9.5m

vondale Foods develops and manufactures wet salads — such as coleslaw and potato salads — side salads, salad meals, vegetable accompaniments, porridges, soups, and dressings. The company supplies its products under the Country Kitchen brand and supermarket own-label throughout the UK and Ireland. It also supplies wholesale and foodservice. It has been in business for 54 years. Customers include multiple supermarkets Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer.

CJ Upton Director: James Upton Pre-tax profit: £4.4m Employment: 111 Pay bill: £4.8m

ptonsteel is a manufacturer of products including steel sheet, blanks, coil and slit coil. It describes itself as a “service orientated company (with) a reputation for consistently offering the shortest lead-times in the industry. “Our next day service for both standard and cut-to-length sheets remains unrivalled. A combination of steel from the world’s leading producers and a flexible, customer-focused approach to processing and distribution results in a service that customers can rely on.”

Breezemount UK Director: Philip Shields Pre-tax profit: £4.5m Employment: 879 Pay bill: £13.7m

reeezemount UK operates as a delivery agent for retail stores and trades from locations around the UK. According to a strategic report filed with its recent results, the business has enjoyed substantial development over recent years. It said it intends to develop future business through close relationships with customers. It also says it supports the film industry “through financing the promotion and distribution of high quality films, and has made substantial investment with its partners over recent years”. It said the film activities were a “medium term investment” which it expected would generate losses in the short-term. Risks facing the company were related to “recovery from the current economic downturn”.

Northstone Chief executive: Eamonn Sweeney Pre-tax profit: £4.3m Employment: 1146 Pay bill: £45.9m

orthstone (NI) Limited, a subsidiary of CRH plc, is one of Northern Ireland’s foremost construction groups. It is a provider of top quality goods and services to the construction industry through its three trading divisions of Farrans Construction, Cubis Systems and Northstone Materials. Farrans Construction, contractor on Victoria Square, Odyssey Arena and Westlink, is a premier construction company operating throughout the UK and Ireland. Providing innovative and integrated solutions through conventional contracting, design and build and PPP, it excels in the education, healthcare, utility and infrastructure sectors of the industry. It continues to enhance its reputation as a provider of superior quality homes to the local community.

Western Building Systems Chief executive: Martin McCloskey Pre-tax profit: £4.5m Employment: 45 Pay bill: £1.8m

ounded by managing director Martin McCloskey, Western Building Systems is a specialist construction company in operation for more than 35 years. The Tyrone-based company delivers a diverse range of modular, hybrid and traditional projects throughout the UK and Ireland within the education, health, industrial, commercial and residential sectors. As a ‘SingleSource’ systems provider, Western is unique within the construction industry due to its ‘start to finish’ in-house manufacturing capabilities. Key areas of expertise include design and build, commercial construction, timber and steel frame buildings, offsite modular buildings, house building, windows and furniture.

BA Kitchen Cmpnts Directors: Kieran and Brian McCracken Pre-tax profit: £4.2m Employment: 242 Pay bill: £7m

A Kitchen Components Ltd wasestablished in 1990, with headquarters at Cookstown, Co Tyrone. In August last year, it received investment from private equity fund H2 Equity Partners. It is run by brothers John and Brian McCracken. From three modern production facilities at Cookstown, Doncaster and more recently Rotherham in Kent, BA manufactures kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture doors and a range of matching components and accessories. They have now further developed the range by manufacturing kitchen cabinets since August 2016. BA has grown steadily to become a major UK manufacturer and exporter to the UK, European and global furniture components industry. They now supply over 50,000 doors a week to companies worldwide. It exports to 27 countries.

Lagan Homes Chairman: Kevin Lagan Pre-tax profit: £4.4m Employment: 23 Pay bill: £57m Lagan House

agan Homes has entered a new era after founder and chairman Kevin Lagan sold the remainder of his Lagan Group interests, to concentrate on Lagan Homes. Announcing the sale of Lagan Group to Breedon, a spokesman for Kevin Lagan said: “Kevin and his family intend to pursue a managed growth strategy with the Lagan Homes and FastHouse businesses, which are being retained.” Lagan Homes is described as “one of the largest housebuilders in Northern Ireland, with a longstanding reputation for delivering quality homes”. The company is now planning to develop its markets in Ireland and in Great Britain, where it has a strong regional presence. Kevin Lagan is also the majority shareholder in LF FastHouse. It is supplying around 470 luxury holiday lodges to Ireland’s first-ever CenterParcs resort in Co Longford.

Coca-Cola HBC Managing director: Matthieu Seguin Pre-tax profit: £4.2m Employment: 449 Pay bill: £23.4m

oca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland is a member of the 28-country Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, a franchisee of the Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola HBC has been operating in Northern Ireland since 1939. From its manufacturing plant at Knockmore Hill in Lisburn and office facility in Dublin, it produces, distributes, marketsand sells a wide range of soft drinks to anall-Ireland market. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes Deep RiverRock water, Fruice fruit juice, Powerade and carbonated soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Fanta. Prices of some of its products have increased following the introduction of the sugar tax this year. The company has lobbied Ministers in the Republic over its concerns for the future of cross-border trading following Brexit.

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

INNOVATION

Creating the future Top 100 Companies

s we read this year’s Top 100 publication it is clear that innovation is at the heart of the companies that remain on the list, and those making it into the Top 100 for the first time. So who will be the new entrants to our Top 100 of the future and where will these new companies come from and what are the challenges they will need to overcome? For any business in the 21st Century to flourish, it must maximise innovation, creativity, and, critically, competitiveness. This is our focus at Catalyst Inc, where everything we do is based on the simple belief that innovation has the power to transform NI into one of Europe’s most entrepreneurial knowledge economies by 2030. By providing the home, support and networks to nurture innovators and entrepreneurs to aim higher and succeed faster, we are on a mission to make our vision is for NI a reality - a community of innovators so powerful they can change the world. To measure progress, we annually publish the independently produced Knowledge Economy (KE) Report. The only one of its kind in the UK, the 2017 Knowledge Economy (KE) Report, published in January, contained good news showing that, for the fourth year, NI continues to have the second fastest growing KE in the UK, with export sales, new business creation and venture capital investment reaching new highs. On the flip side, the findings show that this growth in activity has not yet fully translated into growth of economic outputs. Growth in profits, salaries and productivity are slowing and radical action must happen if we are to survive as a modern economy. This is even more important as we head into two of the biggest external forces changing the environment in which we are working – BREXIT and Automation. Our January KE Report showed that companies in the Knowledge Economy represent one third of total NI exports and these companies are the least dependent on the EU for sales with 70% of their exports outside of the EU. When it comes to Automation, the findings, from the research we commissioned by Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, estimate that up to 50% of jobs in NI could be impacted by automation in the next 10 years. This is a scary figure, however history has shown that with every major technological leap forward more jobs are created than lost. For example, from 2001 to 2015, 800,000 jobs have been lost in the UK to automation. However, over 4 times that number (3,500,000) have been created as a result of automation. Locally, we have witnessed the transformation of the Titanic Quarter from the heart of shipbuilding, to now being home to hundreds of innovative companies, creating thousands of

Joanne Stuart of Catalyst Inc takes a look at what the future holds

Prince Harry and wife-to-be Meghan Markle meet with B-Secur chie executive Alan Foreman at their recent visit to Catalyst Inc knowledge based jobs, which in turn, through the multiplier effect, support thousands more in the wider economy. Investing to grow our KE is fundamental to the sustainable success of NI. New ideas and knowledge unlock amazing opportunities, both for new companies and the scaling of our existing indigenous companies. Helping companies to embrace the opportunities of advances in technology alongside supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, and a focus on skills development, both of the workforce and our young people, will grow the KE and result in improved economic wellbeing and increased quality of life. At Catalyst Inc, we invest the surplus generated from our property operations to provide the underwriting necessary for Connect, our community-led innovation ecosystem that supports over 800 entrepreneurs and innovators each year to create and scale innovation companies in Northern Ireland. And this is where we look to for some of the future Top 100 companies – entrepreneurs with ideas that are being supported to build their teams, validate their product design, start their go-to-market journey and scale their growth. This is an exciting time of year for us as we get ready for the first round of pitches for our annual “Invent” competition and are able to see the breadth and depth of the ideas and innovation that is being generated. For over 10 years Invent has identified, supported, rewarded and celebrated the most successful local innovations and with over 130 applications, this year will be no exception.

For previous winners and participants, Invent has been a springboard to successfully growing their companies and exporting innovative products and services across the globe. By the time the Top 100 companies is published, we will have whittled the applications down to 24 and they will be competing for a spot in the final 12 on May 23 at Waterfront Belfast. Reviewing the applications received we are excited about the increased spread of innovations across all six categories and I would recommend coming along to the event on 23rd May to see for yourself! NI has a heritage of invention and innovation, 100 years ago we were leading the world in industries such as Shipbuilding and Linen,

and today we are growing our global impact through companies such as First Derivatives, Randox, Norbrook, Wrightbus and Leckey Design to name but a few. With world class research from Universities, the growing skills development in our further education colleges, along with growing levels of entrepreneurial talent, we have good foundations in place from which to grow. It has become clear that there is a growing movement, a spirit of ‘community over company’ and a belief that by harnessing the talent and ambition in Northern Ireland we will achieve our vision and that our role is to catalyse and accelerate this positive change in our culture. Over recent years we have seen the ecosystem develop with new players such as the Innovation Factory, Ormeau Baths in the City Centre and Entrepreneurial Spark managed by Ulster Bank. All of this is creating a collaborative network that is inspiring, supporting and growing more innovation and entrepreneurship enabling NI to become a beacon of innovation throughout the world. It was this talent that attracted Prince Harry and Ms Markle to Catalyst Inc’s Belfast campus in March. At this showcase event, the royal couple had an opportunity to meet with entrepreneurs at different stages of their journey, from forming original ideas, through to development of products and onto building successful, growing companies. The coverage generated from the event projected our entrepreneurs onto the global stage. There is always more to be done, but we are moving in the right direction and we can be positive about the exciting companies that we will be celebrating as future entrants to the Top 100!

Fiona Bennington (Hug), Gavin Kennedy (BoI UK), Invent 2017 Winner Helen McCarthy, Andrew Cunningham and Niamh Tohill (EVY) and Kerry McGarvey (Programme Manager for Invent)

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

 ANALYSIS 

Building trade has played a big part

he publication of the 2018 Top 100 Companies reflects a construction industry continuing to move beyond its 2012 low point. The construction companies in this list and beyond have, down the years, collectively developed buildings that have truly transformed the Northern Ireland landscape. In fact, we should all be proud that the construction industry has played a leading role in Northern Ireland’s transformation, which is now regarded as one of the top places to live and work in the UK. This is evidenced, in no small way, by the increasing numbers of FDIs choosing Northern Ireland as their base. This and many, many other positives could simply not have been achieved without the work of our industry in bringing new buildings to life, painstakingly restoring some of Northern Ireland’s landmark heritage sites and bringing much of our vital infrastructure well and truly into the 21st century. And that’s not to mention the vitally important infrastructure projects over the last number of years which have provided significant social, economic and environmental benefits to Northern Ireland. The need to adapt, grow, diversify and inspire young people is common to all industries and, in fact, all businesses, whatever the size. That confidence must come from within the industry as well as outside. Like all industries in Northern Ireland however, ours is not without its challenges and we are undoubtedly facing a time of great uncertainty and delay. Across the construction industry, there is a strong and united view that Northern Ireland’s political impasse has gone on for far too long. As the Federation has already said on the public record, there is a significant and increasingly harmful lack of governance within Northern Ireland. This uncertainty was reflected in our

By John Armstrong, Managing Director, CEF

recent State of Trade survey with BDO Northern Ireland. The survey, covering workloads for the second half of 2017 and the prospects for 2018 and beyond raised a number of key points:• During the second half of 2017 just under half of all firms surveyed worked at full or almost full capacity • This was however down on the first six months of 2017 when two-thirds of companies worked at full or almost full capacity • Costs were up across the board • Looking at work expectations locally over the next 12 months, around twothirds of firms expect output to level out or decline • Positively, only a small number of firms see the next 12 months as being about survival – a third are focused on stability, a quarter on growth and a third on increasing profitability • Firms are, though, much more positive about the next 12 months outside of Northern Ireland in terms of work expectations • Taking these factors into account, the sector’s outlook is flat in terms of employment growth • The industry is clear that the failure to restore the Northern Ireland Executive is a clear impediment to its sustainability and growth. This has had, and will continue to have, a major impact on tenders coming to market • Additionally, while industry has welcomed the extra clarity on Brexit provided by December’s UK-EU deal, there is significant uncertainty as to what companies should be preparing for in terms of the final outcome The survey results reflect the anecdotal feedback we have been hearing from the

industry for months. While workloads have remained, broadly, positive and the vast majority of the industry is beyond purely focusing on its own survival, the year-long political deadlock at Stormont has clearly begun to feed through. With little political direction beyond the Executive’s Flagship schemes, it is impossible for future infrastructure planning across Government Clients to properly take place. The survey results are critical in light of the Budget Outlook document prepared by the Department of Finance before Christmas. It very clearly details the challenges presented because of the huge investment going into the Northern Ireland Executive’s Flagship projects over the next three years even though the overall Capital budget is going up. Unquestionably, the Executive’s Flagship schemes stand on their very clear economic merits. However, a balance must be struck in budgetary planning between how much resource is spent on these and other areas so as to avoid a massive cliff edge for the vast majority of firms not engaged on those Flagship projects. We have long said that the Secretary of State must now bring clarity, particularly given the construc-

tion industry’s critical role in delivering jobs, economic development and growth. Decisions need to be prioritised and a clear and accountable way of government taking these decisions needs to be established. Our preference is, of course, the establishment of a Northern Ireland Executive. However, failing that, we need to move to a position where the functions of government can be exercised in a way that any other part of these islands would expect as a matter of course. That said, we also believe it is imperative that we move ahead as an industry despite the political process – we cannot, and should not, allow the difficulties therein to be a barrier to our continued success. Now should be a time to show clear ambition and tenacity. And moving forward is also about ensuring the industry is fit for the future. We must focus on the role of construction in building smart cities where technology, place and people converge. There is no doubt that the emergence of new technologies and a world in which everything is connected to everything else, will have a profound impact and our industry in Northern Ireland, which is also a world-class technology hub, is in prime position. To drive opportunity, power entrepreneurs and empower our youth - our industry provides the spark for innovation, creativity and ingenuity. We need to do all we can to invest in attracting the best talent and skills and ensuring that construction companies remain prominent in the Top 100 for many years to come.

John Armstrong is managing director of the Construction Employers Federation (CE

WE MUST ENSURE THATTHE BUILDING TRADE IS READY FOR THE FUTURE AND CAN PLAY A ROLE IN BUILDING SMART CITIES

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

1-25 Name

Main Activity

No. Employees

Change on previous years

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Tesco Bombardier Shorts Moy Park Asda Four Seasons Noonan Services Teleperformance John Henderson J.Sainsbury BT (NI) Marks & Spencer Ulster Bank Convergys Allstate (NI) Boots Almac [7 cos.] Lloyds Banking Citigroup Norbrook Labs Caterpillar (NI) Wrights Group Firstsource

Retailing Aerospace Poultry proc. Retailing Nursing homes Support services Call centres Retail Retail Telecoms Retail Bank Call centre Info processor Retail chemists Pharmaceuticals Financial service Financial service Pharmaceuticals Engineering Bus assembly Call centre

9,634 4,778 4,593 3,911 3,839 3,600 2,827 2,773 2,577 2,529 2,467 2,302 2,269 2,160 2,157 2,149 1,863 1,847 1,766 1,666 1,655 1,606

-568 -104 117 -357 -365 247 -93 237 55 31 -83 55 1,834 -107 -25 36 118 262 113 0 76 -280

23 24 25

Concentrix Golf Holdings Danske Bank

Call centre Drinks distributor Bank

1,547 1,508 1,489

-16 -17 -16

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

26-50 Name

26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Dunbia G4S [3 cos.] PwC Seagate Tech. Santander N.I.E.Networks Next Robinson Services Terex [2 cos.] Dunnes Stores Graham Holdings Primark Mount Charles Bank of Ireland Charles Hurst Musgrave Gp (2cs) Northstone Karro Food B&M Iceland Foods Heatons (NI) Randox First Trust McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Linden Foods

Main Activity

Meat processor Support services Financial services IT equipment Financial service Electricity supply Retail Support services Engineering eq. Retail Construction Retail Catering services Bank Vehicle sales Retail Construction Meat processor Retail Retail Retail Pharmaceuticals Bank Fast food Food processor

No. Employees

1,367 1,361 1,326 1,321 1,277 1,253 1,251 1,231 1,207 1,123 1,097 1,064 1,006 996 960 933 908 894 888 880 875 839 820 807 775

Change on previous years

197 298 196 -87 84 373 87 105 152 -164 34 137 -41 -11 149 74 -41 69 77 38 35 24 -51 100 -35

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

 HOTELS 

Here to stay! Northern Ireland’s hotel sector – a billion pound success story

n the two decades since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, tourism in Northern Ireland has flourished. Visitor numbers have doubled with spend rising along a similar trajectory. It's a really good news story for Northern Ireland and it's been achieved by a sector that has often been ignored, sporadically supported and rarely recognised as an economic driver. Sitting on the cusp of a remarkable billion-pound turnover the sector employs 61,000 people with significant growth projected in the coming years. Tourism now accounts for more than 5% of Northern Ireland’s GDP and in many areas it is the main source of employment. One of the major changes brought about by the Good Friday Agreement was the creation of Tourism Ireland, one of six cross border organisations created by the pact. Since 1998, Ireland has been promoted as a single island destination. Many people do not realise that this includes promotion in the UK market. The roles of the two existing domestic tourist boards, then Bord Failte and Northern Ireland Tourist board, now Failte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland, were changed to reflect the role of the new agency. Their remit was realigned to product development and domestic promotion. At times this has been a contentious issue with tensions around an all island role, Northern Ireland market share and visitor numbers. However, visitor numbers have grown, spend has increased and awareness of Northern Ireland has grown. Reflecting the tenacity, dedication and loyalty for which they are noted, hoteliers in Northern Ireland have taken these changes in their stride. Trading through thick and thin over the last two decades and having operated through 30 years of civil unrest, hotels now find themselves in a good place. Extensive building at

The interior of a lounge at the new Grand Central Hotel

Janice Gault, CEO, NI Hotels Federation the turn of the century followed by a global recession affected the industry significantly. Since 2016, expansion has dominated the news with new openings, expansions and refurbishments bringing room numbers to over 8,500 at the end

HOTELIERS IN THE PROVINCE SHOULD BE CONGRATULATED FOR THEIR TENACITY

of April 2018. To put things in context in terms of rooms and capacity: in 1998, there were 4,903 rooms and 137 hotels. Many of these where small, independent properties with a wide geographic spread. Today there is a greater propensity to develop hotels in urban locations. This has resulted in a concentration of hotels in Belfast and Derry-Londonderry where 65% of Northern Ireland hotel stock is now situated. Branded hotels were not common in 1998. The Hilton had just opened followed by Jury’s Inn, Belfast. In the following years they were joined by many others including Holiday Inn, Crowne

Plaza and Radisson. Budget brands arrived in the early noughties with the opening of multiple Premier Inns, Park Inn and Ibis. The advent of the budget hotel saw a seismic shift in market, offering customers a good value, no frills

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

product without many of the features of the traditional hotel. Twenty years ago, three-star properties dominated, and the average hotel size was 35 rooms. Today there are 140 hotels with 8,577 rooms making the average hotel 61 rooms. Many of the smaller independent two-star hotels have closed with three-star properties upgrading to four-star status. Indeed, the Northern Ireland hotel market is now dominated by the four-star sector which accounts for over 40% of hotel stock. Like many sectors, digital developments and online technology have impacted on hotels. The advent of online booking and the role of the online travel agent have altered the way customers look at and book hotels. Using your phone to book a hotel stay in 1998 would have been a task, now it is simply three clicks away. Review sites like TripAdvisor and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter give the customer great power and are often problematic for businesses. In general, hotels have embraced technology relying on it as a marketing and promotional tool. Mobile technology has effectively facilitated the promotion of Ireland as an all island destination. Many of the challenges of twenty years ago are still prevalent. Skills and attracting the right people remains the biggest hurdle for the industry. As hotel numbers grow the demand for staff increases. Each hotel bedroom represents one job and with hotel numbers set to grow by 25% by the end of 2018, the need for people has never been greater. The image of the industry remains poor with the perception of low-paid jobs still prevailing. In reality, this has changed with many highly skilled and well-paid roles available. Even at entry level there is considerable support for employees with opportunities to progress along a meaningful career path. The sector offers flexibility both in terms of roles and hours. Yet we still struggle to get this message across and need to do more work to alter this situation. VAT has been a burning issue with hoteliers for more than 20 years. The case is well documented and the UK continues to have one of the highest VAT rates on tourism services in the EU. This position is exacerbated by the fact hotels in the south of Ireland receive a reduced VAT rate of 9% on accommodation and food. As an island destination, air access is key and the issue of air passenger duty levels are also a barrier to development. The reduction of this tax to zero in the south has resulted in remarkable growth in air traffic with Dublin becoming a hub for over twenty long haul destinations. These tax differentials place Northern Ireland at a considerable disadvantage when we are promoted as a single island destination. On balance, we are in a better place than 20 years ago. Yes, it would be great to have more support and see the sector recognised as a real economic driver. Since 1998, the sector has invested over ÂŁ1bn in hotel product and by the end of this year it will have doubled the number of jobs it provides. Stability and improved security have helped us become a desirable destination. Hotels are here to stay and to grow in number in the next An artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impression of the exterior of the new Grand Central Hotel on Belfastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bedford Street. The Hastings Hotels project is being built on the site 20 years. of former office block Windsor House. The hotel will open this year and is one of many new venues in the city

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

 ANALYSIS  There’s more to the manufacturing sector than the casualties that so often hit the headlines, says one of its key figures

espite unwarranted fears of its demise, the importance of our manufacturing economy is highlighted in the Top 100 report. Sales are up, exports are up, R&D investment is up and despite high profile casualties, jobs are growing meaning that 1 in 4 families in Northern Ireland directly and indirectly rely on a manufacturing wage. Indeed, many of the businesses who are not manufacturers on the Top 100 list are successful as they service our manufacturing firms through banking, the supply chain and utilities. When manufacturing grows, the entire economy grows with it. Things look pretty healthy so now should be the perfect time to invest for the future. However, beneath the record numbers hides a story of uncertainty and risk which makes this success insecure.

Brexit looms large

Whilst we’ve benefitted from favourable FX rates for the past 18 months, our firms know you can’t build a business on the vagaries of the currency exchange, particularly as most have profit margins much less than 10%. Worryingly, when surveyed, more than a third of MNI members, some 38%, said they were are planning on shifting production outside of the UK by developing their new facilities, making a purchase or creating new partnerships inside the EU. Only 16% of firms were making plans to expand production or investing in sales development in the UK and outside of the EU. More of our businesses trade cross border than with the rest of the UK, but almost 60% of our external trade, by value, is with Britain and over 70% of our imports

cross the Irish Sea. A Brexit Border across Ireland or

By Stephen Kelly Chief Executive Manufacturing NI

between these islands would harm the economy and relationships, so it should not be accepted that a solution should be a choice of either. It is essential to focus on ways which ensure there will be no delays, hindrances, costs or over-burdening complexity which will threaten the future of businesses and jobs. A third way is possible. A way in which we can enjoy free access to both the EU and the UK markets. An agreement which positions Northern Ireland as the bridge rather than the border between the UK and the EU post-Brexit. This would finally transform for our economy by positioning Northern Ireland as one of the most attractive regions in the world in which to invest and create thousands of jobs. The DUP have secured the critically important commitment from the Prime Minister that trade between NI and GB will be “unfettered” and in the draft legal text of the UK Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, the ‘backstop’ offers continued

membership of the EU’s Customs Union and access to much of its Single Market for Northern Ireland only. We have been offered the chance to not only have our cake and eat it but make it too! Being the bridge between the UK and the EU need not undermine sincerely held views on identity and would not require any additional barriers to trade. Instead, it would present an extraordinary opportunity to create more wealth and work. It’s good to have the security of being treated the same as others, but is it not bet-

ter to be different if it offers the chance to really prosper? That is a hugely attractive outcome, but are we willing to grasp the opportunity? Whilst Brexit dominates much of the economic and trade commentary, it’ll largely over before 2018 ends (won’t it?!). In the meantime, and after that point, business continues and needs support and action. The UK Government has started with its draft Industrial Strategy, but in the absence of a NI Executive, we don’t have anyone making informed decisions to benefit the local economy, skills, rates, energy and a raft of other policy areas. We need an energy market which works for consumers and not just energy firms; we need access to our Apprenticeship Levy money and we need a plan which builds a competitive, skilled, innovative and growing sector with a target of 20% of local GDP. So, we would encourage the Department for the Economy to publish a new Manufacturing Strategy. The costs of Brexit will be borne by our manufacturing community through managing migration, origin certification, customs costs and delays and potentially tariffs and non-tariff barriers. Our estimate is that this could total £400m per year, the equivalent of 20% of profits from the sector, unless we get a deal which works for us. With added costs and complexity coming hurtling at us, our manufacturers need to be compensated and our business environment made more cost competitive.

THE COSTS OF BREXITWILL FALL ON OUR MANUFACTURING SECTOR SO THEY MUST BE MINIMISED WHEREVER POSSIBLE

TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2018

 TRIBUTE  The children of Sir Billy Hastings look back on the life of their father, a Top 100 presence for decades

t the end of last year we bade farewell to our Dad, and Northern Ireland parted company with an entrepreneur whose career spanned many decades. Billy Hastings and his brother inherited four public houses in 1940. When he completed his education, he not only ran these, but also started his own bottling business. He took on the agency to import Carlsberg into the province. He worked with other publicans to set up their own brewery to escape the monopolistic stranglehold Guinness exerted on their trade, and then sold it on to Bass Charrington. He was innovative in bringing lounge bars to Belfast, more comfortable establishments where women would feel welcome for the first time. As licensing laws started to favour clubs over pubs, he moved into hotels. He bought his first as a joint venture in the mid 1960s, then three more, before purchasing the six Ulster Transport Hotels from Grand Metropolitan in 1971. His entrepreneurial skills saw out both the oil crisis and the worsening political climate, as he traded his hotels as nightclubs with bedrooms in the 1970s, to keep the doors open. Of the six hotels he purchased, only Slieve Donard Resort & Spa survives today. Like so many others during the dark days of the troubles, he showed courage and resilience. He was once the subject of an attempted kidnapping, and resisted the threats issued against his business and his family. In later years, his purchase of the Europa Hotel, the development of Merrion Hotel in Dublin (in which Hastings Hotels hold a 50% stake), and most recently the purchase of Windsor House to convert into the Grand Central Hotel were the deals for which he was most recognised. He enjoyed the company of other entrepreneurs. With one he co-invested in a hotel venture in the Isle of Man, and Teeside. With others he invested in oil and gas exploration in Fermanagh, in the days before modern fracking techniques had been developed. He

Sir Billy Hastings in front of the Europa Hotel was part of a consortium which unsuccessfully challenged UTV for the independent TV franchise for Northern Ireland. He was one of the founding board members of Queens University’s angel investment arm QUBIS, and was proud that he and his colleagues had chosen to invest in both Kainos and Atlas Communications, amongst others. He drew great energy from interacting with other businessmen. He was elected as a Belfast City Councillor for Pottinger Ward until the council’s powers were swept away in 1972. He chaired the Institute of Directors, and the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Boards of Northern Ireland Railways, and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. He cherished his associations with Rotary, with Instonians, and with the many charities he supported. One small tribute to him will come when the 300 bedroom Grand Central Hotel opens in June. Its grandest suite, with its commanding views over the City from which he derived so much business satisfaction, will be named after him….The Sir William Hastings Suite.

Sir Billy with wife Lady Joy and children Howard, Allyson (downstairs), Julie and Aileen (above)

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