APS Group has clinched the top spot in Prolific North’s prestigious Top 50 Integrated Agencies ranking for 2025. It’s a remarkable achievement for the Cheadle-headquartered business that has since evolved from its print management roots in the 60’s to a leading, end-to-end marketing communications powerhouse.
The latest rankings have been independently compiled by research partners Mustard using a selection of criteria, including financials such as turnover and pre-tax-profits, as well as other publicly available information.
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So what’s behind the successes of APS? As part of our deep dive into the data and agencies featured on the list this year, we sat down with James Lawton-Hill, marketing and agency director APS Group, to find out about how the agency is expanding its services, investing in talent, and why AI is a major opportunity for future growth…
Established in 1961 as a print management business, APS Group has undergone a significant transformation over the past few decades. The marketing communications agency now boasts a 1,000-strong team with 600 based in the North, and the region remains “the bedrock of the business”.
In a further commitment to the region, the agency has invested heavily in the North too by snapping up a 100,000 sq foot unit in Preston Brook over in Cheshire.
Lawton-Hill, who joined APS in 2020 and expanded his role in 2022 to oversee the creative agency arm, emphasised that print management is still a core pillar of the business, which has since evolved into multi-channel communications.
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“Believe it or not, the print management side is still strong,” he explains. “It’s a market that’s consolidating and that conversation has moved on from physical print into multi-channel communications and digital.”
Beyond print, APS Group’s diverse offering includes a specialist retail and brand experience division, working with major clients like Ford across Europe. Its creative arm, comprising approximately 220 creatives, offers a full spectrum of services from strategy to execution, including videography and podcasting.
With creative hubs dotted across the UK, including in Cheadle, Edinburgh, London, and a packaiging division in Leeds, plus on-site teams with a 70-strong team based in Amsterdam, APS Group prides itself on close client collaboration and tailored support. The on-site teams are where staff are embedded in the offices of clients like Pets at Home and BMW.
Driven by client demand, APS has also ventured into luxury packaging design and brand merchandising, earning accolades for its work with brands like Isle of Harris Distillery. “Off the back of that, we’ve started to make a bit of a name for ourselves in that market and its opening doors in other areas,” he adds.
The key to APS Group’s successes
Thanks to a client-driven focus and willingness to tackle challenging briefs, it’s become the key to APS Group’s success so far.
“The ethos of our strategic planning team is to make more possible,” he explains. “The idea behind that, and what we’ve always done, is sometimes take on challenging briefs or help clients out. We’ll always take on those harder briefs to make that work – and do a good job!”
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Investing in the next generation and existing talent is another priority, evidenced by APS Group’s sponsorship of the Two+Two event for students.
“That’s really important because they’re the next generation. We have to invest in them and continue supporting that across the business,” he says. To retain staff in a competitive Manchester agency landscape, APS offers a breadth of work, investment in talent, diverse clients, and opportunities for growth. “The breadth and opportunities are huge, with the ability to work across a number of different brands and service lines.”
Offering staff choice and flexibility has been “key” too. “I’m probably one of the examples. I came in as the marketing director, and now I’m heading up the agency, looking after sustainability and various service lines, so there are plenty of opportunities in the group.”
And it’s the same for retaining clients too: “We’ve had some of our clients for a long time but you’ve got to work hard and really impress clients. In this day and age, when it’s a very competitive market due to the number of agencies in the UK out there right now, there’s lots of choice so you’ve got to continuously be adding value to the clients and driving innovation as well.”
AI and automation – what’s next for APS?
We managed to get 20 minutes into our chat without mentioning AI – a rarity in agency land at the moment – but soon enough it was on the agenda as APS looks to the future and focuses on continuing its growth through innovation, particularly in new service lines and technology.
“We have a task force internally that’s constantly reviewing the latest technologies, looking at how that will benefit us as an agency, but most importantly, our clients. We’ll present those findings to clients as we see fit,” he explains.
“AI hasn’t just happened overnight. There has been lots of technology that’s improved automation and the ways that we’ve worked over the years. It’s not something new that we suddenly have started looking at. Don’t get me wrong, the market and the pace AI is moving at is very fast, and we have to keep a close eye on it to spot the right opportunities from agency efficiencies to benefits to clients.”
While recognising the rapid pace of AI development, he emphasises the importance of identifying the right tools for each client.
APS Group has developed its own in-house marketing ecosystem tool, set to relaunch soon. Although he does not view AI as a threat, he sees AI as an opportunity for efficiency and growth. And people are “just as important”.
“To scale and grow, we can maybe do that in a way that is a bit more efficient in terms of a business of our size, so we are definitely looking at how we do that.
“Our model is around the investment of an in-house team. We still need those people to be able to manage those tools, campaigns, processes, and make sure the quality is still there so they’re absolutely, and vitally, important.”
Looking ahead, he expresses his pride in his team and excitement for new service lines, investments in technology, and continued growth. ‘More of the same!’ he laughs.
“What I feel most proud of is my team. Moving forward, there’s plenty of opportunities. We’re in a really good place, we are excited about some of the new service lines, the technology that we’re investing in, and our people that we will need to help drive things.”
