Top 100: The king of development racks up more than 100 per cent increase in profit

Little about Robert Hitchins fails to impress, and then sometimes it hits a six clean out of the ground - and it done that with its most recent annual report - recording an impressive leap in turnover

* This Reports and Deals section of Raikes, and its star attraction the perpetual Top 100-plus Businesses in Gloucestershire list, tracks the fortunes of the county’s biggest firms by turnover and will also host an annual ranking of all the companies. And it could be sponsored by your business! Contact andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk for more information. In the meantime we would like to thank the generous support of our partners - who we will be revealing over the coming weeks - our founding members' and our paid-up subscribers. A massive ‘thank you’ to all our other subscribers too. The support of all of you is invaluable!

A photo opportunity at the site of what is, courtesy of Robert Hitchins, now the site of the new Dobbies Garden Centre at Ashchurch, off Junction 9 of the M5

Don't get us wrong, there is no negativity in Robert Hitchins annual financial report at all, but we couldn't help but marvel at how clear and calm it views financial figures that would have most business ow…