Latest news with #Almac
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Northern Ireland's billion-pound firm club: From Almac to Hendersons
Pharmaceutical firm Almac this week joined an elite group of Northern Ireland businesses with an annual turnover of more than £ who are the other local firms with annual turnover of more than £1bn? And how have they come to become some of the most lucrative businesses in Northern Ireland?Starting with Almac, here's a run down of those companies comprising Northern Ireland's billion club. Almac: £1.027bn turnover in 2024 The firm, based in Craigavon, County Armagh, is one of Northern Ireland's few genuinely multinational firms with significant operations in the US as well as facilities in Singapore, the Republic of Ireland and Almac Group was founded by Sir Allen McClay in 2002, who then structured it, before his death in 2010, so it is owned by a charitable structure means the firm has to constantly reinvest its profits and is also protected from takeover - keeping it close to its Northern Ireland main business is providing services like manufacturing and distribution to the world's major pharmaceutical also has a drug discovery division - for example, earlier this month it reached an agreement to licence a cancer treatment to a Taiwanese firm for further development and commercialisation. John Graham Construction: £1.002bn turnover in 2024 The Graham group is Northern Ireland's biggest building firm with current projects including the Loft Lines apartment development in Belfast's Titanic growth over the past 20 years has been based on expansion in Great Britain, particularly the Scottish data suggests it is now among the UK's 30 biggest construction is headquartered in Dromore, County Down, where John Graham set up in 1878, although company archives suggest the business has existed in some form since the late Graham has been the company chairman since 2007, having been managing director in the 10 years before that. LCC Group: £1.246bn turnover in 2024 LCC's best known brand is the Go chain of filling stations, which is part of a portfolio of energy stands for Lissan Coal Company, which reflects the company's origin as an importer and retailer of continues to be a significant part of the business with operations in Spain, Belgium and sells home heating oil under a variety of brands and has its own terminal at Foyle port where it imports and stores liquid has been supplying electricity since 2012 and gas since 2014 under the Go brand, mostly to industrial and commercial users rather than business, which is owned and operated by Michael Loughran, is based in Cookstown, County Tyrone. John Henderson Holdings: £1.338bn turnover in 2023 Henderson Holdings controls the Spar and Vivo franchises in Northern Ireland. It has held the Spar franchise since owns and operates 111 Spar and Eurospar stores in Northern Ireland and acts as the supplier to hundreds more independently owned Spars and also has a food service business, which supplies about 4,500 customers including schools, hospitals and business was founded in the 1890s by John Henderson, a merchant who sold cheese, butter and eggs. He expanded into wholesaling, initially from St George's Market in he retired in 1943, his son-in-law, William Agnew, took a controlling share in the business. It continues to be operated by the Agnew family. Barnetts: £1.568bn turnover in 2024 The Barnett group has its origins as a 19th Century grain merchant and its brands are best known in the agricultural supplies animal feeds under the Thompsons and R&H Hall brands but has a much wider business across agricultural commodity trading and manufacturing.A decade ago the company diversified by buying a stake in Logson, a packaging manufacturer, later buying full control of that this year it bought a majority stake in Symphony Group, the UK's largest privately-owned manufacturer of fitted addition of the Symphony Group is likely to see the group turnover exceed £2bn. Billion-pound Northern Ireland businesses or not? Two other businesses qualify for the £1bn club but they are not Northern Ireland businesses in the same way as the five Park, the chicken producer, had a turnover of more than £2bn in 2023 and is a NI-registered it has been owned by US-based Pilgrim's Pride Corporation since Power NI had a turnover of just more than £1bn in 2024 but it is part of the Dublin-based Energia is in turn owned by I Squared Capital, a Miami-based investment business.
Irish Post
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Co. Armagh pharmaceutical company Almac Group announces annual sales of more than £1bn
A PHARMACEUTICAL firm based in Co. Armagh has announced that annual sales have exceeded £1bn for the first time. Almac Group, which has its global headquarters in Craigavon, reported revenues of £1.027bn for the year to September 2024, marking a 7 per cent (£69.5m) increase on the previous year. Pre-tax profits also rose by 27 per cent to £119m, up from £93.8m the previous year "Today's results mark another successful year of growth for Almac," said chairman and chief executive Alan Armstrong. Almac Group was founded in 2002 by Co. Tyrone native Allen McClay. He had previously founded the Galen pharmaceutical company in Craigavon in 1968 — which subsequently became Northern Ireland's first £1bn company — before leaving the firm in 2001. After McClay established Almac with the purchase of several Galen businesses, the group acquired pharmaceutical manufacturing operations from Galen in 2003 before purchasing the firm in 2004. Today, Almac is at the forefront of developing, manufacturing, testing and distributing essential medicines to patients around the world. 'Innovate and expand' During this financial year, the group was involved in the development of hundreds of life-saving drugs spanning more than 20 therapeutic areas including oncology, cardiology, immunology, gene therapy and neurology. The company's latest figures cover the third year of the group's £400m global expansion plans, which were announced in November 2021. As part of the plans, the group opened a new state-of-the-art, £65m commercial manufacturing facility at Craigavon in March of this year. The 100,000sq ft facility enhances existing capabilities in commercial manufacture of oral dose treatments for a variety of therapeutic areas. As well as its global headquarters in Craigavon, Almac Group — which employs more than 7,700 people at 18 facilities across the globe — also has its European headquarters in Dundalk. The company's US and Asia Pacific headquarters are in Pennsylvania and Singapore respectively, while it has dozens of sites across Europe, Asia, North and South America as well as Africa and Australia. "As a privately-owned and independent company, we re-invest all our profits back into the business, enabling us to innovate and expand to meet the growing needs of our global clients, working in partnership to advance human health," added Mr Armstrong. "I am proud of the continued progress we are making, which is thanks to the dedication of our valued global workforce." See More: Almac Group, Armagh, Tyrone
Belfast Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
NI pharma firm passes £1bn sales milestone for first time
The milestone means it's joined the elite of successful homegrown firms with over £1bn sales including Pilgrim's Europe – which has now hit the £2bn mark – and Henderson Group. Figures released today (Wed) for Almac's financial year ending September 30 2024 reveal £1.027bn of revenues, a £69.5m (7%) increase from 2023. Pre-tax profits rose by 27% to £119m, up from £93.8m in the previous year, and average employee numbers grew by 3% to over 7,700 over the same period. Almac Group, which carries out pharmaceutical development and manufacturing around the globe, said the figures were its highest ever revenue, profit and employee numbers. Almac said it reinvests all its profits back into the business, and had now completed the fourth year of a £400m+ global capital investment programme, first announced in November 2021. The programme has included a centre of excellence for diagnostic development and commercial manufacturing, a 100,000 sq ft pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, and an expansion of cryogenic and ultra-low temperature service capabilities for clinical supply across Durham, North Carolina and Singapore. And it said a major expansion continues to clinical production and distribution capabilities in Souderton, Pennsylvania. Almac said its work placed it 'at the forefront of developing, manufacturing, testing and distributing essential medicines to patients around the world'. Over the financial year, the group had been involved in developing hundreds of life-saving drugs across more than 30 areas like oncology, cardiology, immunology, gene therapy and neurology. Alan Armstrong, Almac Group chairman and CEO said: 'Today's results mark another successful year of growth for Almac. "As a privately-owned and independent company, we re-invest all our profits back into the business, enabling us to innovate and expand to meet the growing needs of our global clients, working in partnership to advance human health. 'I am proud of the continued progress we are making, which is thanks to the dedication of our valued global workforce.' Mr Armstrong received the Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2025 Belfast Telegraph Business Awards earlier this month. The judging panel said: 'His principles are second to none and he has grown Almac to such a significant global company – but stayed true to the legacy left by founder Sir Allen McClay.' On receiving the award, Mr Armstrong said: 'At Almac, our mission is advancing human health. It's fulfilling to be part of developing products and compounds that will ultimately help humanity.' Sir Allen founded Almac Group in 2002, 34 years after he had established his firm pharmaceutical company, Galen. Trump agrees to delay 50% tariffs on EU imports until July 9 He built Galen up to become Northern Ireland's first £1bn business, and led a successful float of the company on the stock market. Sir Allen resigned from Galen at that point, setting up Almac in his late sixties. Pilgrim's Europe, formerly Moy Park, became the first homegrown company in Northern Ireland to achieve £2bn in sales in 2023. Henderson Group, which owns the Spar and Eurospar convenience retail franchises here, recorded sales of £1.3bn in 2023. And over the year to July 2024, W&R Barnett, which trades in goods such as as molasses, animal feed and corrugated board, reported turnover of £1.6bn.
Belfast Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland pharma giant cracks billion pound sales mark
The Craigavon-based business saw turnover rising to £1.03bn, while pre-tax profits soared to £119m – up 27% on the previous year. The company landed at the number seven spot in last year's Ulster Business Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies, with KPMG. The company now employs some 7,700 people across the globe. Almac says it marks the fourth year of the firm's £400m investment programme in the business, which reinvests its profits back into the company. 'This programme has included the development of a Centre of Excellence for Diagnostic development and commercial manufacturing, a 100,000 sq ft pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, and an expansion of cryogenic and ultra-low temperature service capabilities for clinical supply across Durham, North Carolina and Singapore,' the firm said. 'A major expansion continues to clinical production and distribution capabilities in Souderton, Pennsylvania.' Alan Armstrong, Almac group chairman and chief executive, said: '[These] results mark another successful year of growth for Almac. 'As a privately-owned and independent company, we re-invest all our profits back into the business, enabling us to innovate and expand to meet the growing needs of our global clients, working in partnership to advance human health. 'I am proud of the continued progress we are making, which is thanks to the dedication of our valued global workforce.'
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Almac: Annual sales hit £1bn at Craigavon pharma firm
Annual sales at Almac, the Craigavon-based pharmaceutical firm, topped £1bn for the first time in revenues for the year ending 30 September were £1.027bn, a £69.5m (7%) increase from profits rose by 27% to £119m, which is up from £93.8m in the previous main line of business is providing services, such as contract manufacturing, to major global pharmaceutical firms. It also develops its own drugs, for example earlier this month it reached an agreement to licence a cancer treatment to a Taiwanese firm for further development and company continued to grow its workforce over the last year and now employs about 7,700 people across its global Armstrong, Almac's group chairman and chief executive, said: "Today's results mark another successful year of growth for Almac."As a privately-owned and independent company, we re-invest all our profits back into the business, enabling us to innovate and expand to meet the growing needs of our global clients, working in partnership to advance human health."Those investments have included growing the company's production and distribution facilities in the US and has now joined a small number of Northern Ireland-based firms that boast an annual turnover of £1bn or include Graham construction and W&R Barnett, a commodities and manufacturing group.
