4 NRI firms in Britain's top 250 mid-level cos

A private company owned by a husband-wife team and three other non-resident Indian firms are among Britain's 250 top middle-market companies that are helping to keep the economy vibrant, a survey has indicated.

The West Midlands firm 2 Sisters Food group, owned by Ranjit and Baljinder Boparan, has eight poultry-processing units in Britain and one in the Netherlands employing 2,771 staff, The Sunday Times Top Track 250 noted.

The company supplies own-label chicken products to supermarkets, including Tesco and Marks & Spencer, and also has its own Buxted brand.

In August 2005, it bought John Rannoch, a processor of roast and breaded chicken. The firm says this acquisition will add 60 million pounds to its sales, which stood at 326.8 million pounds in 2004.

While 2 Sisters Food Group has climbed to 16th rank in 2006 from 23 in 2005, another NRI outfit, Dhamecha Foods has slid from 36 to 53 during that period. Celebrating 30 years in the cash-and-carry business, Wembley-based Dhamecha Foods was founded in 1976 to supply retailers in northwest London.

The family-owned business, run by cousins Pradip and Manesh Dhamecha, supplies a range of convenience stores, off-licenses, pubs and pharmacies across Greater London. It has five depots offering 12,000 products, and the company is looking to open a sixth depot. Sales are growing year on year and reached 270.9 million pounds in 2005, the survey said.