The Thames Valley 250 is an annual ranking celebrating the top privately-owned businesses in the region listed by annual sales turnover.
Qualifying companies must be independent and headquartered in the Thames Valley region.
The 2024 edition of the Thames Valley 250 is researched and compiled by The Business Magazine and sponsored by law firm Gateley Legal, accountancy and tax firm Blue Peak Consulting, office design specialists Morgan Lovell and insurance and benefits brokers Verlingue.
Cumulatively the 250 companies have an annual turnover of £35b this is a healthy 18 per cent growth from the previous edition. The companies on the 2024 ranking create an impressive 144,000 jobs.
All members are invited to enter the nominations for this year’s awards which will recognise outstanding achievements in eight categories. A private networking dinner will be held in October 2024 to celebrate these achievements.
If you would like more information about this or any other rankings programme please contact [email protected]
| 2024 | Company | Town | Description | Turnover (£m) | Employees | Year End |
| 1 | Westcoast | Theale | IT products distributor | 3,627.10 | 1,139 | 31/12/2022 |
| 2 | Ocean Partners | Maidenhead | Metal trading | 3,091.80 | 127 | 31/12/2022 |
| 3 | Urenco | Slough | Nuclear fuels | 1,520.00 | 1,746 | 31/12/2022 |
| 4 | CALA Group | Wooburn Green | Housebuilder | 1,325.00 | 1,297 | 31/12/2022 |
| 5 | AA Limited | Basingstoke | Roadside assistant provider | 1,044.00 | 7,290 | 31/01/2023 |
| 6 | Newbury Mobility | Newbury | Stairlift & mobility specialists | 1,000.90 | 1,764 | 31/12/2022 |
| 7 | WSH/Baxterstorey | Reading | Food services | 975 | 16,975 | 28/12/2022 |
| 8 | Hook 2 Sisters | Bampton | Poultry farming | 940.5 | 1,030 | 31/07/2022 |
| 9 | Unipart Group | Oxford | Logistics provider | 917.3 | 7,240 | 31/12/2022 |
| 10 | Whistl | Marlow | Postal services | 770.1 | 2,526 | 31/12/2022 |
| 11 | Rebound Technology Group | Newbury | Electronic component distributor | 732.7 | 379 | 31/12/2022 |
| 12 | Fletcher BAY Group t/a Argent Group | Henley-on-Thames | Food & food related businesses | 608.6 | 1151 | 31/12/2022 |
| 13 | AirTanker | Carterton | Tanker aircraft manufacturer | 498.5 | n/a | 31/12/2022 |
| 14 | Furniture Village | Slough | Furniture retailer | 474.9 | 1,243 | 07/03/2022 |
| 15 | Evergreen Garden Care | Camberley | Garden care | 429.8 | 1,114 | 30/09/2022 |
| 16 | Direct Wines/Laithwaites | Reading | Wine producer & retailer | 396 | 1032 | 01/07/2022 |
| 17 | Geos Group | Henley-on-Thames | Marine fuel sales | 384.9 | 40 | 31/12/2022 |
| 18 | DCS Group | Banbury | Manu/sale of health & beauty products | 373.8 | 422 | 30/06/2022 |
| 19 | Orange Genie Group | Aylesbury | Recruitment support services | 366.5 | 8,078 | 30/09/2022 |
| 20 | BAP Pharma | Marlow | Pharmaceuticals supplier | 342.2 | 61 | 31/12/2022 |
Awarded in recognition of the outstanding achievements of a CEO/managing director and the wider team in growing the business, driving innovation, establishing the culture of the company and developing the brand.
Awarded in recognition of the outstanding achievements of a CEO/managing director and the wider team in growing the business, driving innovation, establishing the culture of the company and developing the brand.
Awarded to the company that has gone above and beyond to attract, retain or support their staff, community and beyond over the past 12 months. Judges will be looking for innovative solutions, strong business culture and commitment to people and community.
This award recognises businesses that demonstrate exceptional innovation, sustainable growth, and market impact within their industry. Eligible enterprises must show a clear vision, creativity in overcoming challenges, and a commitment to ethical practices. Financial performance and scalability of the business model are also key evaluation criteria.
This award will be given to a company that can demonstrate true leadership. With a management team that can be viewed as motivational, decisive or innovative in the pursuit of excellence and has helped drive the business forward through challenging times.
Awarded to a privately-owned business that has grown considerably year-on-year with a compelling story to tell; be that growth by strategic acquisition, market-leading innovation, product diversification or exploring new markets.
This award recognises the achievements of businesses from the Ranking who are leading the way on sustainability and have implemented environmental initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint.
Awarded to a company that can demonstrate it is well set up to continue thriving over the next financial year, thereby having a hugely positive impact on the Thames Valley community.
Awarded in recognition of the outstanding achievements of a CEO/managing director and the wider team in growing the business, driving innovation, establishing the culture of the company and developing the brand.
“We have massively expanded the business in 2024, opening a new £20 million factory in Saudi Arabia, extending our smart technology products and supplying equipment for electric vehicle charging. On the housing side, we are expanding building activity and working to get all our properties up to at least a C energy rating.” Richard Dick, CEO, Lucy Group
Judges’ comments: “It is very obvious to understand why the company consistently delivers fantastic results. It is the ability to continually innovate and evolve the business over such a long period, led by their CEO, that makes them stand out.”
Awarded in recognition of the outstanding achievements of a CEO/managing director and the wider team in growing the business, driving innovation, establishing the culture of the company and developing the brand.
“My business ethos is to put people and the planet before profit. Our business growth strategy has to be about the growth of our people as well – that’s what keeps us in balance. Around 70% of our business is with independent retailers, which is a speciality food market that did well during the Covid-19 pandemic and has held onto its growth since then. We are also working more with the larger retailers as the business expands.” Paul Hargreaves, CEO, Cotswold Fayre
Judges’ comments: “The leader has shown a passion for his staff of over 100 people, his customers and clients, both large and small and a commitment to the environment, demonstrating ambitious yet achievable commercial targets for the business, as his revenues continue to grow.”
Awarded to the company that has gone above and beyond to attract, retain or support their staff, community and beyond over the past 12 months. Judges will be looking for innovative solutions, strong business culture and commitment to people and community.
“Highlights this year have been our strong apprenticeship programme and winning our third Princess Royal Training Award. Also, 15 of the 20 people who took part in our aspiring leaders programme have been promoted or started new roles. We currently have 40 of our 515 employees studying some form of apprenticeship. Our reverse mentoring with the senior leadership is another highlight. We have expanded our wellbeing programme, which includes offering health assessments for every employee, regardless of age. Our diversity efforts are going well, with about 20 people supporting our STEM ambassadors programme to encourage more women into the motorsport sector.” Kirsty Knight, People and Culture Director, Xtrac
Judges’ comments: “With a strong focus on nurturing future leaders, the company offers diverse programmes. Their commitment to employee wellbeing is clearly demonstrated. The company's leadership in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion is also evident.”
This award recognises businesses that demonstrate exceptional innovation, sustainable growth, and market impact within their industry. Eligible enterprises must show a clear vision, creativity in overcoming challenges, and a commitment to ethical practices. Financial performance and scalability of the business model are also key evaluation criteria.
“Our industry is very exciting at the moment. When I started, almost everything went to landfill and the recycling element was low. Now, we are catching up with Europe in developing the technology for recycling. The demolition side of our business is growing because of this. Every day is a new challenge that I relish. I’m extremely proud of our staff retention as this industry is quite transient. We’ve had people with us for over 25 years, and have sons and now grandsons joining as apprentices. Keeping a family feel gets harder as we grow, but is something I am committed to.” Rob Collard, Managing Director, Collard Group
Judges’ comments: “An entity that has evolved into a diverse conglomerate of over 400 staff, with multiple service offerings whilst overcoming countless challenges along the way and a leader who treats the business like a family, ensuring incredible staff retention levels.”
This award will be given to a company that can demonstrate true leadership. With a management team that can be viewed as motivational, decisive or innovative in the pursuit of excellence and has helped drive the business forward through challenging times.
“As a leadership team, two of our priorities are looking after our people and our customers. It’s about making sure our people are happy and providing the best service we can. People have the authority to make decisions and we guarantee that nothing will be said if they make a wrong decision – we learn going forward. On the back of our ID cards we have a saying: Licensed to act. After a year of post-Covid consolidation, we grew revenue by about 25% in 2024, which was very pleasing.” Tomas Gronager, CEO, CleanEvent Services
Judges’ comments: “It was clear that everyone in the company takes huge pride in their business but more importantly their people. The team celebrates diversity and believes in a culture of collaboration, growth, empowerment, and mobility where everyone has the opportunity to shine.”
Awarded to a privately-owned business that has grown considerably year-on-year with a compelling story to tell; be that growth by strategic acquisition, market-leading innovation, product diversification or exploring new markets.
“Business growth focuses on our people. For me, it’s all about having the right structure in place, getting the right people on the bus, all facing in the same direction and sharing the rewards. We incentivise through profit sharing. Our growth has accelerated in the last year, when we increased revenue by about 20% and we are on track for similar growth this year.” Rob Amar, Managing Director, Amar Group
Judges’ comments: “Growing steadily and significantly, doubling its overall turnover in the past five years. Outstanding staff retention and a recently upskilled leadership team, investing in their people and bringing expertise in-house – while generously sharing operating profits with employees.”
This award recognises the achievements of businesses from the Ranking who are leading the way on sustainability and have implemented environmental initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint.
“As the movement towards sustainability grows, being sustainable becomes easier, particularly in the food and drink sector. For example, we have seen a resurgence of hyperlocal producers. We were the first hotel to gain B Corp accreditation. Sustainability is becoming a bigger part of the purchasing process in the corporate market, which is good for us. We are lucky to be custodians of a lot of land, buildings and people – we’re educating ourselves to make better decisions about all of them.” Danny Pecorelli, Managing Director, Exclusive Collection
Judges’ comments: “Outstanding environmental initiatives and commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. Their approach to sustainable resource management involves locally grown food, hyperlocal sourcing, and B-Corp-certified supply chains.”
Awarded to a company that can demonstrate it is well set up to continue thriving over the next financial year, thereby having a hugely positive impact on the Thames Valley community.
“It’s been a very positive year for us with lots of really great milestones. We have faced some teething issues, mainly from doing a little bit too much, but overall it is positive and it’s good to see our team grow. The business focuses on organic growth and maintaining customer relationships, which is more important to us than chasing turnover. Our policy of giving money back to clients if work comes in under budget is something I’ve not heard of before in the construction industry. The reaction is surprise, but it breeds repeat business and trust.” Will Barrett, Managing Director, Francis Construction
Judges’ comments: “Our conversation with the winner of this award, left us wanting to jump in a time capsule and race forward in time to see whether all the plans for the company had come to fruition.”
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