LA International moves into the top 100 UK companies ranked by sales
LA International has for the 3rd year running been ranked in the Sunday Times Grant Thornton Top Track 250 rapidly accelerating 69 places up the ladder to 98th place in 2017, confirming its position as one of the UK’s largest mid-market private companies ranked with the biggest sales – testament to LA International’s continued year on year sustained sales growth and impressive performance.
This year LA international leapt into the UK’s top 100 spot as being the largest single site IT Recruitment Company ranked by turnover in the UK and continues to be the number 1 supplier of security cleared resource to Her Majesty’s Government.
The Top Track 250 companies achieved combined sales of £62.4bn, a 16% increase year-on-year, record profits of £5.4bn, up 34%, and they employ a total of 384,200 people, up 10%. On the regional front, 17 named Top Track companies increased combined sales 13% to £4.5bn and operating profits 15% to £454m, and employ nearly 23,500 people with LA International being ranked in the top 10, amongst the biggest mid-market growth companies in the region including Aston Martin, Holland & Barrett and IM Group.
The increased positioning comes as LA International breaks through the £250 million turnover milestone and having realigned its operating divisions to meet increased IT staffing demands, both at home and internationally in Defence, Cyber Security, National Security, Central Government, Health and Higher Education.
“We are proud to have been once again recognised for our outstanding performance in both our marketplace and alongside other top performing companies regionally and nationally. Leaping into the UK’s top 100 is a huge achievement. LA International is performing strongly and our potential for future growth remains as exciting as it has ever been. The wider economic situation in the UK has meant that the recruitment sector has become more challenging, offering up greater growth opportunities for those continually innovating. With our strategy in place backed by our outstanding teams we are in a position to meet those challenges” Commented founder, Chairman & CEO Paul Lukic.
LA International operates in highly skilled niche areas such as Cloud and Cyber Security where demand often outstrips supply and high tech employers seek to secure their permanent and contract talent ahead of Brexit where demands for those skills together with security vetting continue to grow. Currently employing in excess of 125 staff at its Staffordshire based HQ and with over 2,500 consultants working globally, the high-end recruiter is looking to increase their sales staff over the next 12 months by a further 20%, expanding their UK and International operations to meet demand from both existing and emerging markets.
Financial Director Paul Martin comments “as a global and HMG approved IT recruitment organisation, we are uniquely positioned to continue our record of delivering year on year organic growth. As a top 100 UK business, we remain committed to further investment in our infrastructure and our people, to ensure we remain on target to achieve an annual turnover of £500 million in the next 4 years”
David Hillan, partner at Grant Thornton UK LLP, the title sponsor of the league table, praised this year’s companies for their performance. He said: “The UK may be at a pivotal point in its history, but the Top Track 250 clearly demonstrates what can be achieved by exciting dynamic businesses. “These companies think locally and act globally, they innovate to grow and embrace an entrepreneurial spirit that this country needs to secure a positive post-Brexit future. We can all learn a lot from the Top Track 250.”
