Blackfriar: Why Brand Yorkshire is such a valuable asset

Five Yorkshire companies were voted as consumer Superbrands including supermarket chains Asda and Morrisons, furniture retailer DFS, Halifax Bank and the eponymous Yorkshire Tea.

In the business section, another five Yorkshire companies were selected - natural chemicals company Croda, mobile phone technology firm Filtronic, paving specialist Marshalls, internet service provider Plusnet and soon to be floated Doncaster-based Polypipe.

Leeds University Business School was one of a small number of educational establishments to make the grade, starring alongside heavyweights such as the London School of Economics.

To be honest, Asda, Morrisons and Halifax’s inclusion on the list is more a reflection of their size than their accomplishments. Every major supermarket and bank made it into the top list, which included over 500 brands whittled down from several thousand by a survey of 3,000 people.

However Doncaster-based DFS was one of few specialist retailers to make the grade and its appearance is testimony to the current management’s decision to appeal to more upmarket customers as well as its value-led consumers.

Yorkshire Tea is the only brand to represent the county and its inclusion reflects a clever marketing campaign backed by the might of Taylor’s of Harrogate. Its catchline: “Blended in Yorkshire to suit Yorkshire people and Yorkshire water” sums the brand up perfectly.

The five Yorkshire business, as opposed to consumer, winners reflect the hard work that each firm has put into surviving the recession and coming out the other side.

Leeds-based Filtronic is gearing up for the launch of 4G across Europe and the US as increasing numbers of customers use their smartphones to gain access to the internet.

The group says the roll-out of 4G is still in its early stages, with only 19 per cent of American handsets equipped to receive 4G signals. In Europe, the penetration is much lower, at between three and five per cent, giving Filtronic massive growth to go for.

Polypipe, one of Europe’s biggest manufacturers of plastic pipe systems, is planning a flotation in the next few months that will value the company at over £400m.

Doncaster-based Polypipe’s return to the stock market after a 15-year absence will champion British manufacturing at a time when many companies have pulled out of the UK.

Speaking about Marshalls’ inclusion on the list, Chris Harrop, the group’s marketing director, said: “As one of the most prominent businesses founded and headquartered in West Yorkshire, we are incredibly proud to be recognised as a business Superbrand for our fifth year in a row.”

Snaith-based Croda International, which provides ingredients for international beauty firms such as L’Oreal and Estee Lauder, has battled currency fluctuations and this week reported a five per cent increase in annual pre-tax profits to £250m.

Sheffield-based phone and broadband provider Plusnet has been based in Yorkshire throughout its 16 year history and recently opened a second site in Leeds.

While these Yorkshire firms have been voted UK Superbrands, none made it into the top 20, which was topped by British Airways for the first time.

BA bumped last year’s leader Rolex to second place after two years at the top and Apple dropped from second place last year to 14th place.

The flag carrier beat more than 1,500 companies to the top of the annual ranking of brand strength in the UK, partly because of residual goodwill from its association with the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, according to Superbrands council chairman Stephen Cheliotis.

“British Airways has always performed well in the survey but over the last two years its reputation has climbed to new heights, partly through the cementing of its successful ‘To Fly, To Serve’ positioning and the residual goodwill from its effective 2012

Olympic and Paralympic Games association,” said Mr Cheliotis.

When we asked BA why it thought it had topped the chart the firm said that undoubtedly its commitment to Leeds Bradford airport had secured it some important extra votes.