Plimsoll Publishing Ltd has released a guide to the value of the top 960 companies in the UK leather industry. The publication is designed to help those thinking of buying or selling their company.

Among the top ten companies was Louis Vuitton UK Ltd, which performed exceptionally well to rise 66% in value over the year. According to Plimsoll, value has very little to do with size, and more to do with the organisation of the company and its profitability.

The average value of leather companies in the UK rose 6.6% on average last year to £1.148 million, an improvement on last year when companies' value fell 7.9%.

Don Turkington, managing director of Plimsoll, said many companies declining in value still had gross margins that were above average: "Their fundamental business looks sound, yet costs seem to be higher than expected. Now may be the time to put in an offer."