Investec’s Mid-Market 100 highlights the ‘forgotten army’ of medium-sized businesses that are leading the nation’s recovery, writes Josephine Moulds

John & Arthur Beare sells violins that cost from £10,000 to £10 million. Customers range from those who learnt to play in their youth and decide they now want a better violin, to patrons of the world’s finest musicians.

It has proved to be a successful business. Established in 1892, J & A Beare is growing revenues by 30 per cent a year and remained unscathed by the recession. Simon Morris says that the financial crisis may actually have boosted trade.

“The odd thing was, in 2008 quite a few people who had been thinking about buying an instrument, it prompted them to go ahead and put their money in a safer asset. Suddenly, you couldn’t even leave [money] in the bank with any confidence, the stock market was incredibly shaky, and currencies were going up and down. So for us, it certainly didn’t damage the business. I would probably say if anything it helped.”

Josephine Moulds, The Times