The region’s listed companies have performed strongly adding £2.6bn onto their collective market capitalisation in Q4 of 2015.

According to research by Deloitte, the North West Share Index revealed that the total value of north west companies has risen to £32.8bn, an increase of 8.82 per cent on the last quarter.

On average, the region’s businesses have added £37m to their market capitalisations, underlining the strength of North West listings.

In particular, Conviviality, the UK’s largest independent drinks contributor, witnessed 177 per cent growth in the final quarter, thanks largely to its acquisition of wholesaler Matthew Clark.

Warrington-based investor and developer of primary care properties Assura also saw impressive market growth this quarter, recording a 75.22 per cent rise.

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Developer and investor Assura joins FTSE 250 Index

Having added £386m to its market capitalisation from a share placing in November to fund the acquisition of Abbey Healthcare Group, the firm moved onto the FTSE250 for the first time in its history in December.

In addition, a number of companies witnessed growth between 25 and 50 per cent last quarter.

This includes Manchester online clothing retailer Boohoo.com (20.32 per cent), which ended 2015 with a value of £415m.

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Specialist energy advice service Inspired Energy, thanks to its acquisition of STC Energy Carbon Holdings, saw a rise of 27.12 per cent and ended its year with a value of £64m, while Manchester-based K3 Business Technology, a global supplier of integrated business systems grew 35.24 per cent to end the year with a public market value of £116m.

The region has also increased its representation on the UK’s largest market, the FTSE350, with two new additions this quarter.

In total, the region has 13 companies on the list, with a total value of £24bn. This is a growth of 16 per cent on the end of last year, with North West FTSE 250 companies adding £3bn to their market capitalisations.

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Over the last 12 months, Manchester-based NCC Group has seen growth of 92.40 per cent, almost doubling its value from £425m in December 2014 to £819m in December 2015.

This growth is due to an acquisitive approach in 2015, purchasing Accumuli and Fox IT during the year, in addition to a share placement of £126m to raise funds for the Fox acquisition.

As a result, the global information assurance firm, which provides security testing, website performance and software testing services for organisations worldwide, was admitted to the FTSE250 in December.

Of the 13 FTSE250 companies based in the North West, eight witnessed growth over the course of the last year, with Ewole-based MoneySupermarket particularly impressive. The comparison website organically increased its value by £714m in 2015, ending the year with a value of £1.9bn.

Chris Robertson, partner in charge of plc activity at Deloitte in the North West, said: “Globally, while 2015 has seen turmoil in the public markets, North West listed companies have continued to witness extremely strong results, and generate interest from investors both at home and abroad.

“The last quarter of the year has been particularly buoyant, with a number of the region’s businesses bolstered by acquisitions. It is also extremely encouraging to see the region’s representation on the FTSE increase over the last 12 months, with the addition of Auto Trader, Assura and NCC Group.

“However, with the recent uncertainty surrounding oil prices, and the slowdown in China having a dramatic impact on the FTSE100, it will be interesting to see how resilient the North West’s plcs are during the first quarter of 2016.”