4 The Sunday Times February 10, 2019

INTERNATIONAL TRACK 200

29 Sahara Presentation Systems 98.74%Audiovisual equipment supplierFounded in 1924, this Kent-based firm began life selling typewriters. Now led by brothers Kevin, 64, and Nigel Batley, 61, it supplies audiovisual products from brands such as Google and Panasonic. It also designs and makes the Clevertouch range of interactive touchscreens, which are distributed worldwide for use in education. In 2017, it acquired Sedao, a digital signage company, and saw international sales rise to £25.7m.

30 Anglia Maltings 98.58%Malt producerFounded almost 150 years ago, this Norfolk group supplies malted ingredients to customers around the world, from whisky distilleries and food producers to craft brewers and big beer brands such as Budweiser. It has five UK production sites, as well as Polish and German operations, and produces more than 425,000 tons of malt a year. Under chief executive David Thompson, 64, overseas sales reached £71.8m in 2017.

31 Brogan Group 97.69% Scaffolding contractorSkyscrapers such as Dubai’s 2,700ft Burj Khalifa and London’s Walkie Talkie have been built with scaffolding, hoists and mast climbing equipment provided by this Hertfordshire-based firm. Founded in 1988 by managing director James Brogan, 61, the company’s international sales reached £10.3m in 2017, thanks to projects across the UAE — its main overseas market — and Ireland.

32 JDX 94.35% Financial services consultancySerial entrepreneur Jonathan Davies, 53, sold his first financial services consultancy, DCG, in 2008 and started this London-based business in 2012. JDX provides regulatory and advisory consultancy services to the financial and insurance sector. In 2017, it added offices in Dublin, Hong Kong and Singapore, and now employs more than 600 people across nine hubs worldwide. International sales hit £7.9m last year.

33 West Design 94.31%Arts and crafts supplierFounded in 1991 as a stationery shop by husband-and-wife team Marion and Michael Bray, 73 and 72, this Folkestone-

based business now offers a range of 20,000 products, including stationery, toys, and arts and crafts. It manufactures its own brands in Plymouth and is the sole European distributor of Faber-Castell craft kits for children. It is run by twins Joanna and Owen Bray, both 36, children of the founders. Exports to 50 countries hit £3.1m in 2018, with America its largest market.

34 Revolution Beauty 91.85%Beauty products retailerJoint chief executives Adam Minto, 48, and Tom Allsworth, 53, launched their first Makeup Revolution product in 2014. The Kent firm sells its cosmetics at affordable prices — lipstick starts at £1 — and has built its brand through social media marketing. International sales hit £41.8m in 2017, the same year US private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners took a minority stake. Revolution says it launches a new product every week, all of which are certified cruelty-free.

35 Leisure Pass Group 91.51% Tourism smartcard providerThis company’s smartcards let tourists access attractions from encounters with dolphins in Hawaii to historical tours of Rome. It also builds software for tourist boards to manage their own smartcard systems. In 2016, private equity firm Exponent bought the business for an undisclosed sum. The following year, it merged its US portfolio company Smart Destinations and acquired the New York Pass. This boosted overseas sales to an annualised £207.9m in 2017, under chief executive Ted Stimpson, 52.

36 Delta Group 90.47% Marketing services providerSome of the world’s biggest brands, including Adidas and Disney, use Delta’s print and digital technology to create eye-catching displays and marketing campaigns. Founded in 1991 by Mike Phillips, 56, and Jason Auluk, 54, the group now has more than 100 customers in 90 countries. Overseas sales hit £12.2m in 2017. Last year, its Irish subsidiary moved into a 30,000 sq ft facility in Dublin to accelerate growth.

37 Genius Sports Group 89.14% Betting data services providerMore than 500 sports organisations, including the NCAA and NBA, in 100 countries use this group to collect and

commercialise live sports data. It also identifies betting fraud for bodies such as the Premier League and PGA Tour, and supplies in-game betting software to bookmakers and lotteries. Under chief executive Mark Locke, 39, international sales hit £46.9m in 2017. In 2018, private equity firm Apax bought a majority stake to fund overseas growth and capitalise on the liberalisation of sports betting in countries such as America and Brazil.

38 Claranet 88.68% IT services providerThis company provides cyber-security, communications and IT services to more than 6,500 businesses, such as Banco de Portugal and Canal+. Founded in 1996 by Charles Nasser, 49, it has expanded through organic growth and acquisitions including last year’s purchases of Italian cloud specialist Xpeppers, Dutch IT firm Quinfox and security specialist NotSoSecure Global Services, which has operations in the UK, America and India. London-based Claranet has 24 offices and 43 data centres worldwide, and international sales hit £207.9m in 2018.

39 Flint International 88.03% IT infrastructure consultancyThis Watford firm has designed and built wireless and data networks in more than 20 countries, including internet infrastructure for a new satellite station in Russia and upgrading a Europe-wide mobile data network. Flint has 10 offices overseas and joint ventures in Germany, Saudi Arabia and the Benelux region. Under managing director Neil Burbidge, 56, international sales grew to £15.8m in 2017, and it is exploring opportunities in France, Spain, Portugal and north Africa.

40 Touch Associates 86.43% Event communications agencyEmploying hi-tech digital content to encourage audience interaction, this Surrey business runs corporate events for global giants such as Ford and Merck. It was launched by co-founder Patrick Collins, 53, in 2012, and by 2017 had increased international sales to £31m. This expansion prompted a move to new headquarters in Leatherhead that are three times the size of its previous space.

41 Qualtex 85.89% Spare parts distributorThis Manchester firm supplies spare parts for domestic appliances,

aircraft on standby at Stansted, ready to launch within an hour. Operating services for European carriers, such as Aer Lingus, and the Fifa World Cup trophy tour helped overseas sales hit £29.6m last year. In 2017, Alastair Willson, 32, took over as managing director from his father Gene Willson, 68, now chairman, who founded the business in 1988.

44 EFG Housewares 83.94% Household goods wholesalerHousehold goods sold and exported by this London-based wholesaler include kitchenware, DIY tools and accessories, and toiletries. It also has its own brand of shower gel and sparkling juice, which are popular in west Africa. Founded in 1978 and run by the second generation of the Shipton family — cousins Mark, 45, and Daren, 50 — EFG sells to 90 countries. Exports hit £17.9m in 2017.

45 Oliver James Associates 83.26% Recruitment consultancySome of the world’s largest financial and professional services firms, such as Deloitte, use this Manchester-based recruitment agency. Founded in 2002 by three friends — James Rogers, 44, Oliver Castle, 42, and Nick Godson, 42 — it now operates from 12 locations around the world. New office openings in Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Italy boosted international sales to £42.8m in 2017.

46 Integrity Print 83.00% PrinterIntegrity Print was formed in 2008, when managing director Mark Cornford, 53, led a £12.8m buyout from printing company Communisis. The Somerset-based group runs a security printing business in Birmingham, and produces packaging and labelling for retailers and pharmaceutical firms. International projects include exam certificates for Botswana and prescription pads for Ghana, helping exports to £2.6m in 2017.

47 Origin 82.71%Bifold doors manufacturerLuxury aluminium sliding doors and windows are manufactured in High Wycombe and Florida by this family business, founded in 2002 by cousins Neil Ginger, 45, and Victoria Brocklesby, 38. The company made its international debut in 2011 when it set up a showroom in Dubai. It launched in America three years later, helping international sales reach £2.6m in 2017.

Genius Sports Group (No 37) collects live data for more than 500 sporting bodies, including America’s National Basketball Association. Its international sales hit £46.9m in 2017

including vacuum cleaners, cookers and washing machines. Its products are either sold directly to customers or through other retailers, such as Walmart in America. The business was founded in 1961, and is now led by husband-and-wife team Philip and Caroline Hulme, both 53. In 2017, international sales reached £12.3m.

42 Lincoln & York 85.18% Coffee manufacturerFounded in 1994 by managing director James Sweeting, 49, and Simon Herring, 54, and named after their home cities,

Lincoln & York supplies private-label coffee blends across Europe. Customers include coffee-shop chains, independent outlets and specialist retailers. In 2017, it opened its first overseas sales office, in Poland. Exports hit £11.8m last year.

43 Titan Airways 84.00% AirlinePassengers on Titan’s fleet of 12 charter Airbus and Boeing aircraft have included Premier League football teams, rock groups and government agencies. It also provides planes to other airlines at short notice and has at least two

THE 10 FASTEST-GROWING MID-MARKET ECOMMERCE EXPORTERS‡The increasing importance of ecommerce has seen the number of retailers that qualify for the International Track 200 increase since its launch in 2010, with 34 ecommerce firms featured this year.

Company Rank Activity Year end % annual intl sales growth Latest intl sales £m Total sales £m

1Online sportswear retailer Jul 18 228.06% *81.0 *103.2

Sells to 178 countries through its 13 online stores, with exports representing 78% of total sales

2Online beauty retailer May 18 206.58% *35.3 *69.7

Its website sells more than 220 beauty brands and half its £69.7m sales are generated abroad

5Hair removal technology Dec 17 167.26% 30.9 32.9

Sells its hi-tech hair-removal devices in 25 languages through 15 international websites

15Sports goods retailer May 18 130.61% *4.5 *26.0

Sells 70% of its cycling and triathlon gear online and 30% via its one physical shop, in Kingston

33Arts and crafts supplier Jan 18 94.31% 3.1 28.6

Websites in five languages sell 20,000 products to businesses including Amazon and Cultura

34Beauty products retailer Dec 17 91.85% 41.8 71.8

Sold 61m products online and through retailers in 2018, with 40m exported to 143 countries

35Tourism smartcard provider Dec 17 91.51% †207.9 †225.8

Sells sightseeing passes to 37 cities online, giving more than 3m tourists access to 1,000+ attractions

41Spare parts distributor Dec 17 85.89% 12.3 36.7

Supplies more than 10m parts for domestic appliances to 40 countries worldwide

48Tools and equipment retailer Sep 18 81.53% *10.6 *48.8

Lists more than 90,000 tools and accessories online, sold to customers across Europe

60Beauty products retailer Dec 17 75.42% 43.7 100.7

Launched an American website in 2014, and now has seven online stores shipping to 67 markets

* Supplied by the company † Annualised figure ‡ Companies with at least 10% of exports generated from ecommerce

How do you deliver goods to customers on the other side of the world in a smarter, faster and more sustainable way? This is the core challenge facing International Track 200 companies, which are showcasing new and imaginative methods of selling and shipping products across borders.

It’s a question we ask ourselves every day at DHL Express. Innovation has always been at the heart of logistics, but the digitalisation of the supply chain and advance of

Digital delivers a new era of innovation for exporters technology — from artificial intelligence (AI) to 3D printing — has raised the stakes considerably.

Consumers now expect their eagerly awaited online orders to be delivered quicker than ever, without any disruption to their daily lives, from thousands of miles away and at small cost to the environment.

Yet what may seem like wishful thinking is being delivered daily by the 34 ecommerce goods exporters on this year’s table that sell a sizeable volume of products online to consumers and business clients.

Among them is Cult Beauty (No 2). A keen sense of the evolving social media landscape has helped the cosmetics company cultivate a loyal global fan base among style-conscious consumers with a social conscience. The strategy is working — Cult Beauty had overseas sales of £35.3m last year, representing just over half its total revenue.

“In the days of mail order

it was perfectly acceptable to ask a customer to wait 6-8 weeks for their package,” says co-founder and co-chief executive Alexia Inge. “The digital era has not only shrunk the world, but also expanded customer expectations, especially around delivery times.

“We’ve always focused our operations on getting our orders out of the door on the day of purchase, and worked with partners such as DHL that we can rely on to deliver on time and in one piece — which for delicate pressed powder palettes and perfume glassware, through multiple ports across the world, is easier said than done. Fast, efficient delivery is ecommerce 101.”

DHL’s latest Logistics Trend Radar found it’s not just business-to-consumer (B2C) ecommerce that is flourishing. Online business-to-business (B2B) sales might not be making headlines but they are certainly making money. In fact, we expect

the B2B online retail market to reach double the size of the B2C online market by as early as next year.

Among the companies leading this drive and tapping into new online channels is Niftylift (No 51). Founded in a garden shed in 1985, the Milton Keynes company designs and builds cherry pickers and other mobile hydraulic platforms, which it sells and ships across the world.

International sales passed£83m in 2017, growing 80% per annum for the past two years, under the guidance of managing director John Keely.

Explaining why he thought blending online and traditional B2B methods of selling is a profitable blueprint for British manufacturers selling abroad, he said: “Through digital marketing, we have a virtual presence in markets around the world, building brand awareness and providing instant support to a dealer network that now

must do everything we can to ensure Britain’s innovators and entrepreneurs have the support they need. Our innovation labs are working on exciting developments to meet tomorrow’s logistics challenges in a sustainable way: DHL plans to be a zero-emissions company by 2050.

Leveraging the online marketplace is clearly a catalyst for rapid business growth and, combined with a complete understanding of your customer and the establishment of trust, will lead to lasting success.

By collaborating with businesses such as Cult Beauty and Niftylift, we will continue to combine logistics innovation with entrepreneurial drive, helping this year’s International Track 200 companies — and their successors — conquer the world.

Ian Wilson is chief executive of DHL Express UK & Ireland

Advances in technology are helping UK exporters exceed expectations

spans more than 70 countries.

“However, this has not removed the need for traditional sales methods, which are still essential to the growth and health of our customer base. We bring these two approaches together through the use of innovations such as internet-based customer-relationship management software, allowing the management of sales teams and marketing resources across international boundaries.”

While the differences between Cult Beauty and Niftylift are clear, both are setting an example for other British businesses with globalaspirations.

They are joined by otherson the International Track 200 that are creating new dimensions to customer service and responding creatively and intelligently to the possibilities of a global economy.

Technology is evolving atan accelerating pace and we

IANWILSONDHL Express

Alexia Inge’s Cult Beauty (No 2) made £35.3m in overseas sales last year — just over half its total revenue

ALEXANDRA GUELFF PHOTOGRAPHY