SAVILLE, the rapidly-expanding audio visual company based at Millfield Lane, Nether Poppleton had to cope with an even bigger surge of work during the recent fuel crisis.

Deliveries and sales may have been curtailed, but its videoconferencing suite had queues of local companies and organisations who could not get to vital meetings in other parts of the UK, including York University, and ICIS Technology of Harrogate.

It is the kind of suite Saville has already provided for the likes of the Lord Chancellor's office and for NATO and illustrates just why the firm, already triple winners in the UK national AV industry awards, is pitching for the Growth Business of the Year category in the Evening Press Business Awards.

Various Saville acquisitions have followed its management buy-out three years ago by directors John Sills, Ed Everard and Ron Allpress from former chairman Michael Saville.

Six further branches have been added to the Saville outposts in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Hull, Farnborough, Tyneside and London, including a London Docklands showroom and outlets in Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff, Welwyn and now Coventry.

Latest deals were Vupoint, now Saville Vupoint in Welwyn Garden City, and Trison of Cardiff, the top AV company in Wales - now Saville Trison - each for about £1 million

Turnover rose from £15 million in 1997 to £25 million this year and is on target for £30 million next year.