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Chapel Down, Lanchester Wines and Fever Tree named top SMEs

Published:  10 May, 2017

A number of key players in the drinks industry have been named in a list which celebrates the UK’s fastest growing small and medium sized businesses (SMEs).

Lanchester Wines, Chapel Down, Amathus Wines and Fever Tree are some of the companies which have been named as the London Stock Exchange Group’s 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain.

In the report released today, 1000 cross-sector SMEs were named for their fast growing profiles, which included around 60 food and beverage companies.

To appear on the list, companies needed to show consistent revenue growth over a minimum of three years, significantly outperforming their industry peers.

The seven wine businesses named in the report were Lanchester Wines and its sister company Greencroft Bottling, Amathus Wines, Chapel Down, In Vino Veritas, Marlico and Madison Drinks.

Other businesses which specialise in wine, spirits or operate in the on-trade with a drinks focus include Brewdog, Marlico, The Breakfast Club, The City Pub Company West, Cabana, Wahaca and Comptoir Group.

Privately owned Lanchester Wines and Greencroft Bottling are the only sister companies named within the report and Greencroft Bottling is the only wine bottling facility.

Chapel Down represented the only English winery on the list, while Brewdog and Fever Tree’s inclusion reaffirm their growth in the craft brewing and mixers sectors.

The London Stock Exchange Group’s report is now in its four year.

It is headed up by chief executive Xavier Rolet, who paid tribute to the strength and diversity of the companies listed across the UK’s regions and sectors.

“These companies are the very heart of an ‘anti-fragile’ economy: more robust; more flexible and less prone to boom and bust,” he added, before welcoming the government’s focus on supporting SMEs as part of its industrial strategy.

Greg Clark, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy also commented.

“Championing high growth innovative SMEs is crucial for the continued success of the UK economy and a country that works for everyone. We are committed to ensuring that companies of all sizes can access finance to grow, scale-up and create high quality well-paid jobs across the country,” he said.

Quality suppliers Lanchester Wines, saw a rise in revenue from £30m to £40m over the report period and an increase in revenue from £40m to £50m for its Greencroft Bottling company.

Managing director Tony Cleary said their growth in revenue was largely due to an ability to be “flexible and fast moving in line with the ever changing global wine market”.

Over the past two years, the group has been looking closely at its expansion strategy.

This has included investment in people, property and plant including a £3m upgrade to Greencroft Bottling’s filling lines which can now fill up to 90,000 bottles and boxes of wine an hour, the company said.

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