Fastest rising fire protection companies.

Like it or not they are moving in. A group of 61 UK fire protection companies named as the fastest risers in the industry are analysed in a new study. Delivering a minimum sales growth of 14 per cent last year, and averaging 29.6 per cent growth, these rapidly expanding companies are changing

David Pattison, Senior Analyst at Plimsoll, says: "The purists will read this list and be surprised at some of the names, The UK fire protection industry is changing. Many of the up and coming companies are providing different products and value added services. They are doing things a lot differently to the old days."

Not all of the fast rising companies are small. One company has sales of over 94 million [pounds sterling] and 21 companies now have sales above 5 million [pounds sterling].

But the fastest risers are almost certainly succeeding at the expense of the competition. Also named are the 57 companies at the bottom of the growth list. These companies have seen their sales decline significantly, one company by -42 per cent.

Some of the major companies in the industry are amongst the 'fastest falling'--24 of the 'fastest falling' have sales above 5 million [pounds sterling].

David Pattison believes that growth is very important to a company: "Just because your sales are declining or static does not mean that you are in any immediate danger. Twenty-two per cent of the industry did not grow last year. However, in the long term it will start to cause problems. Put simply, if you have a company that is not growing, then you have to took at reducing costs in order to stay competitive. Not all companies manage this."

The Plimsoll Portfolio Analysis--Fire Protection is available at: www.plimsoll.co.uk or tel: 01642 626400. Readers of FIRE will receive a five per cent discount.