TRAFFICMASTER WINS PLACE ON LEAGUE TABLE OF BRITAIN’S FAST-GROWING PRIVATE EQUITY-BACKED STARS.

Trafficmaster is one of 21 companies in the Southeast who have made it onto the fifth annual Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100.

The league table ranks Britain’s 100 private equity-backed companies with the fastest-growing profits (EBITDA) over the last two years of available accounts and states that the 21 companies have made a considerable contribution to the local economy. Together, they employ 22,750 people; having added 3,300 jobs over the last two years, and have generated combined profits of £280m. Kerr Mitchell, head of the Southeast region at Deloitte, title sponsor of the league table, commented: “Many private equity backed businesses in the Southeast have weathered the storm once again and shown that sustained growth is possible. As the economy continues to strengthen and transaction confidence returns, deal volumes and corporate appetite for expansion through acquisitions will increase and I believe that many private equity backed businesses will remain at the centre of M&A activity”. Tony Eales, Trafficmaster CEO said:”We are pleased to be included on the Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100 listing. Since we were taken private last year we have continued to invest in innovating our products and services so that existing and new customers can benefit from our unrivalled capability.” The national picture Despite tough economic conditions, over the past two years of latest available accounts the 100 companies on the league table grew their profits by an average of 48% a year to combined profits of £1.4bn. Together they employed 90,909 staff, having added 16,198 employees to their workforce in the last two years. The league table suggests that deal activity is starting to recover after a challenging time for the private equity industry. The full findings were published in a special 10-page supplement with the business section of The Sunday Times on 6 February and on www.fasttrack.co.uk. Unlike most research into the private equity industry, The Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100 highlights profit performance of companies backed by private equity, rather than just the deals and exits. The league table is compiled by Fast Track, the UK’s leading face-to-face networking events company for top-performing private companies and entrepreneurs, with title sponsorship from Deloitte and main sponsorship from Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets, Skillcapital and UBS Wealth Management. - ENDS -