Partner Article

Specialist Limited takes e-commerce growth crown

Specialist Limited, the company behind the snow and ice car accessories brand Yaktrax, has been ranked as the UK’s fastest growing e-commerce business in the 2012 Berg E-commerce Power 20.

With an average growth rate of 313 per cent over the three-year period, Specialist Limited, based in Carshalton, South London, recorded a turnover of £466,000 in 2011.

The annual list has been compiled by e-commerce specialists at independent law firm Berg, based on research by Experian, the global information services company, to identify the UK’s 20 fastest growing e-commerce businesses. The research calculates average turnover growth over the past three years and ranks those with continuous growth during the period.

Second place went to emergency kit and safety supplies retailer Evaq8, which achieved an average growth rate of 105 per cent. The London-based company recorded aturnover of £300,000 in 2011. Other notable entries include specialist toyretailer Firestar Toys and sporting goods retailer Kitbag.

Stephen Foster, corporate and commercial partner at Berg, said: “It is no secret that the retail sector is making the evolutionary transition from ‘bricks to clicks’. The internet has sparked a dramatic shift in consumer behaviour, changing the way that we buy products and services.

“The Berg E-commerce Power 20 demonstrates the growing maturity of online shopping as businesses from a vast range of sectors, from health foods to toys, take advantage of the e-commerce boom. The internet provides the perfect platform for a retailer with even the most niche product to access its full potential market and make a successful business.”

Recent research from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) found that UK online sales accounted for 12 per cent of total retail trade in 2011. The organisation expects online sales in the UK to increase by 14 per cent in 2012, reaching £57.39bn.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Berg .