Growth and diversification for south west companies

read time: 2 min
13.10.15

This article was first published in the Western Morning News Fast Growth 75 supplement, to read the full article please click here.

Ashfords LLP is delighted to continue supporting the Fast Growth 75. The listing showcases some of the outstanding companies based in the South West.

The growth of these companies, both across the UK and internationally, underlines the growing strength of the South West economy.

The companies featured on the Fast Growth 75 list will undoubtedly have benefitted from improving economic conditions with traditional lending streams gradually returning and increasing confidence in, and availability of, alternative sources of funding.

Crowd funding in particular is helping to support start-ups and its popularity reflected by the recent announcement by Crowdcube that funds raised on its platform recently pushed through the £100m mark.

Emerging businesses across the South West are also benefitting from improving infrastructure and inward investment across the region.

This is particularly evident in Exeter, where the opening of the Exeter Science Park helping to support both early stage, high growth businesses (particularly in the science and tech sectors) as well as larger companies including the Met Office.

The Fast Growth list highlights continued expansion for South West companies across a number of traditional business sectors including healthcare, transport and manufacturing.

We have experienced this growth first hand with an increase in activities among existing and new clients in these sectors including several high profile mandates.

In addition, we are seeing growth in a range of emerging technology based sectors including media and communications. Improvements in infrastructure and resources are undoubtedly supporting the emergence and growth of start-ups in these new and innovative sectors.

We are proud to support a number of companies across these growth sectors including several of those on the Fast Growth 75 list.

As the positive economic climate in the South West continues to drive growth, companies will need to work hard to stay ahead of the competition whether through mergers, alternative business structures, expansions or selective specialisms.

In addition, the new dynamic landscape makes taking calculated risks and clever decision making necessary to the continued growth and success of local companies.

Like the companies on the Fast Growth 75 list, Ashfords is experiencing significant growth. We have expanded the range of services we offer to ensure we are best placed to support our clients in achieving their commercial goals in a fast moving and ever changing economy.

Our regulatory consultancy service which was launched earlier this year has been a standout success as clients from a wide range of sectors benefit from combined consultancy and legal advice on safety, food, environment and trading.

This has complemented organic growth during the past year, which has seen the firm's headcount grow to over 500.

Congratulations to the Top 75 companies. We look forward to supporting them and seeing them continue to grow and flourish over the coming years.

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