Business

Three companies from north named in Sunday Times 'international sales' list

Decora Blinds in Lisburn is a first-time entrant and one of three business in Northern Ireland named in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table
Decora Blinds in Lisburn is a first-time entrant and one of three business in Northern Ireland named in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table Decora Blinds in Lisburn is a first-time entrant and one of three business in Northern Ireland named in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table

THREE companies headquartered in Northern Ireland have been named in the ninth annual Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table, which ranks the UK’s mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales.

The trio - mac-group in Newry, CDE Global in Cookstown and Decora Blinds in Lisburn - have grown their international sales by an average of 45 per cent a year over the last two years to a total of £147 million, and together now employ 970 people.

Decora, a new entrant at 140, was set up in 1979 to sell awnings to the local trade, and now makes 30,000 wholesale and bespoke blinds a week, with exports rising to £5 million in 2016.

Two other companies feature for a second time. Industrial machinery manufacturer CDE Global (at number 130 on the list), which sells to 70 countries, hit exports of £47.4m in 2017 while construction contractor mac-group (number 65) saw demand from overseas clients such as Oracle and IBM boost international sales to £94.7m last year.

The local companies appear with businesses including sports car maker Aston Martin, fashion retailer White Stuff, appliance manufacturer Gtech, and coffee house chain Caffè Nero. Past stars range from drinks maker Fever-Tree to high-street optician Specsavers.

The league table shows the resilience of the UK’s mid-market exporters. Despite the uncertainty created by the ongoing Brexit negotiations, their international sales have grown by an average of 62 per cent a year over the last two years to a total of £10.1bn, the highest growth rate since 2013.

Amanda Murphy, head of commercial banking at HSBC UK, said: “All the businesses the list showcases have truly inspiring stories to tell about creativity, resilience and ambition to succeed.

“The three companies in Northern Ireland are the kinds of enterprises we are thrilled to support and who provide the backbone of our economy, today and tomorrow.”