The Sunday Times Profit Track 100 league table ranks Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing profits over their latest three years. It is compiled by Fast Track and published as a supplement in The Sunday Times each April, with a national awards event in October and alumni dinners throughout the year.
The 21st annual Profit Track 100 supplement was due out on 5 April. Given the pandemic, we delayed publication in order to liaise with the featured companies.
With their support we published a special Profit Track Covid-19 edition on 26 April, sponsored by Santander and UBS. Out of the original 100 companies that qualified, 70 explicitly asked to be featured, and 30 did not want to be included.
We hope this special edition recognises the impressive past performance of all these companies, their contribution to the economy and role in paying the taxes that help fund vital public services, such as the NHS, as well as their responses to the pandemic.
The closing date for nominations for the 2021 league table is 7 February 2021, with publication on 11 April 2021.
Profit Track 100 entry criteria
The closing date for nominations for the 2021 league table is 7 February 2021, with publication in late April 2021.
- UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
- Profits of at least £500,000 in the base year (2016 or 2017)
- Profits of at least £3m in the latest year (2019 or 2020)
- Profits are defined as operating profits before exceptional items
- Profits must increase in the latest year, from 2018 to 2019, or 2019 to 2020
- Trading weeks in the base and latest years have to exceed 25
- Excluded companies include pure property and financial trading companies, and those with restricted accounts; companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies
- Companies that do not meet the criteria can still be considered for the Ones to Watch programme. This is a selection of companies that have either achieved, or predict, good profit growth
- We reserve the right to change the qualification criteria set out above and to make exceptions. This is not a competition; the compiler’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into
Revealed next Sunday: the UK’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing sales in our 24th annual @ST_Business #VirginAtlanticFastTrack100 – a #Covid19 special edition @VirginAtlantic @bdoaccountant @dhlexpressuk @nplus1singer @Virgin https://t.co/0cvrVKD9ym
Our #VirginAtlanticFastTrack100 alumnus @endclothing reportedly targeting £700m valuation with stake sale. The menswear retailer ships 7,000 products a day worldwide, with ebitda of £33m on sales of £170m in the year to March. https://t.co/nJfrBqfJne https://t.co/qgAbddKpXM
.@Gocompare agrees £594m sale to media group @futureplc. Founded in 2006 by Welsh entrepreneur Hayley Parsons (pictured), the price comparison site featured on our #SageTechTrack100 in 2011 https://t.co/U3Z8cInAuo https://t.co/PZhuAAi5zO
Our #VirginAtlanticFastTrack100 alumnus Ennismore, which owns @Gleneagleshotel and @thehoxton hotel chain, to launch €1bn joint venture with @Accor comprising 73 hotels, with plans to build more than 100 worldwide @SharonPasricha https://t.co/eO5n7AMaL8 https://t.co/UpGkB1YULf
Our #VirginAtlanticFastTrack100 alumnus @ao led by @johnrobertsAO reports pre-tax profits of £18.3m for six months to 30 Sept – compared to a £5.7m loss last year – with H1 sales up 53% to £717m as online shopping surges. https://t.co/ehOQlBW4GD https://t.co/PS2SlfsCEf
Eyewear designer @Inspecs acquires German eyewear firm Eschenbach for £85m. Our 2019 #BDOProfitTrack100 Ones to Watch award winner produces 8m frames annually, including brand products for the likes of @Superdry and @CaterpillarInc https://t.co/pIYvtAeywP https://t.co/eJknXcHe0Y
Watch highlights from our #HSBCTopTrack100 virtual networking event for senior directors, held yesterday, and read our news report. Hostage negotiator Suzanne Williams gave a keynote and took questions from guests. @HSBCUKBusiness @LinklatersLLP
“Virtual working has given us new possibilities” – Sarah Wiggins, senior corporate partner @LinklatersLLP, our main sponsor, welcomes 54 directors running Britain’s biggest private companies to our #TopTrack100 virtual networking event.
“Corporate Britain is starting to breathe again” – Jonathan Graham, head of large corporates @HSBCUKBusiness, our title sponsor, welcomes 54 senior directors running Britain’s biggest private companies to our #HSBCTopTrack100 virtual networking event. https://t.co/auE3mx2BR4
Hostage negotiator Suzanne Williams outlines how to succeed in pressure business negotiations at today’s #HSBCTopTrack100 virtual networking event for more than 65 senior directors running UK's biggest private cos – made possible by our sponsors @HSBCUKBusiness and @LinklatersLLP
Types of company
Total sales
£20m - £350mTotal profits
£3m - £40mAverage 3 year profit growth
45% - 160% paStaff
20 - 1,000This is the best virtual event I have attended Mark Franckel, co-founder & CEO, Arlington Industries Group
Excellent virtual event. Well done in difficult circumstances Sharon Cooper, CFO, Xceptor
The Profit Track 100 companies put the 'Great' into Great Britain, contributing a serious input into the UK economy Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder & director, Specsavers
Profit Track 100 recognises great talent, true entrepreneurial spirit and excellent private companies that drive our economy Dame Rosemary Squire OBE, co-founder, Ambassador Theatre Group
Great congregation of inspiring and life changing companies upon which the UK will increasingly depend Colin Tenwick, non-executive chairman, Addison Lee
This is the best networking event in the UK Stuart Hennell, co-founder & MD, Watchfinder
Fast Track is a great accolade for any business to include on its letterhead and demonstrate your success Peter Swift, group FD, Peninsula
A great showcase for the unsung but oh-so-important private businesses who generate so much for the UK economy Sir James Wates CBE, chairman, Wates
Best networking event you ever go to! But you have to earn your place Keith Knowles OBE, founder & CEO, Beds and Bars
Alumni success stories
First featured with profits of £11m. Floated in September 2020 valued at £5.4bn
First featured with profits of £8m. Sold a 21% stake to General Atlantic in 2020 valuing it at $1.45bn
First featured with profits of £24m, profits of £1bn on sales of £4bn in 2018
Sponsors
