The hosting firm continued its upward curve, reporting EBITDA for 2012 of £7.9 million – an increase of 57% on the 2011 figure. Profit before tax saw a similar trend, increasing 59% to £5.3 million.
The company, founded in 1999 by Lawrence Jones and wife Gail, saw turnover increase by 24% on 2011 as revenue surged toward the £20m mark.
Figures for the year were bolstered by the company stepping up its activity in the design and build of its own data centres. The firm now owns and operates 28,000 sq ft of data centre space in the North West of England across four locations.
UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said: “The model of UKFast is to reinvest. As big as profits get, our next data centre projects are even bigger to keep up with the extraordinary demand.
“By owning every aspect of our own data centres, from the land on which they sit to the bricks and mortar with which they are built, down to our capability to design and sign off complex electrical environments, sets us apart and makes us a rather unique business. It’s these elements that help us to control costs and deliver the highest standards in our sector.”
In August the colocation and cloud company’s Net Promoter Score – an independent measure of customer satisfaction levels – hit 62, the highest score in its industry and one of the highest in the country.
Jones said: “We are cutting out middle men who can’t guarantee the same levels of service and delivery that we can.
“We’ve taken control of the supply chain and we are delivering more on all fronts.”
UKFast won 800 new customers in 2012 with partner referrals increasing dramatically.
Jones continued: “People talk about disruption but we are an enabler. Our job is to help people interact online, to develop business. People should expect more of that offline as well as online.
“We’re passionate about innovation and buying British wherever we can. It gives us the competitive edge. It’s a focus and strategy that is working well for us. I’m very proud of what we are achieving; we’re creating a strong platform to take the business to new heights.”
In January 2013, UKFast purchased its new HQ close to Manchester Science Park for £3.2 million.