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 in late 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
Revolut sales rocket 180% to hit £163m, though losses widen to £107m as our #SageTechTrack100 No 1 acquired 6.5m customers and added nearly 2,000 staff in 2019. CEO Nik Storonsky said the focus is now on profitability at the $5.5bn fintech https://t.co/EQZdx5Vkyx
.@goustocooking to create 400 jobs with new Warrington distribution site after reporting online sales of its recipe boxes up 115% during #Covid19. Our 20th #SageTechTrack100 is published with @ST_Business on 6 Sept. @sabbygill7 https://t.co/d5IQ3cy8Bq https://t.co/F9oNoHehhT
@FrancoMancaPizz boss David Page – who floated @PizzaExpress – hails success of Eat Out to Help Out. Page grew our 2016 #VirginAtlanticFastTrack100 ‘One to Watch’ @MEATLiquor from a burger van into a chain of 12 restaurants, with sales of £15m in 2019. https://t.co/f2tcbjRqlE https://t.co/AYkAgvPhnj
@OVOEnergy appoints @Ofwat chairman Jonson Cox as non-exec director. A #VirginAtlanticFastTrack100 ‘One to Watch’ in 2013, OVO now has 5m customers with sales of £1bn in 2018. Noms are open for our 2020 Ones to Watch, published with @ST_Business on 6 Dec. https://t.co/1al4LNKqZW https://t.co/5RuOCokUd7
@Deliveroo – a ‘One to Watch’ in 2017 – has its sale of a 16% stake to @amazon approved. Our 16th annual #PwCTopTrack250 is published with @ST_Business on 27 Sept. https://t.co/lTqwzwecVY https://t.co/5IY5mSE1a8
#SageTechTrack100 alumnus @RateSetter acquired by @MetroBank_Help for £12m. Our 20th anniversary league table supplement is published with @ST_Business on 6 Sept. https://t.co/kHto45zw6Z https://t.co/5b3W3r6IJ2
@bdoaccountant supports #ExportAcademy launched by @tradegovuk to help UK #tech companies recover from #Covid19. BDO has sponsored our Tech Track 100 for 12 years and the 20th anniversary #SageTechTrack100 is published with @ST_Business on 6 Sept https://t.co/ZPcUZAkwFW
#SageTechTrack100 alumnus @oxfordnanopore providing 450,000 #COVID19 testing kits – with results in 90 mins – to UK govt next week, with millions more ready for winter. Our 20th anniversary league table is published with @ST_Business on 6 Sept. https://t.co/6B1KKuzNZF https://t.co/6brfuSeUUD
@Arm in talks over sale by @SoftBank to @nvidia in £24bn+ deal. The chip designer featured on our inaugural #VirginAtlanticFastTrack100 in 1997 with sales of £17m. Noms are open for our 24th annual league table, published with @ST_Business on 6 Dec. https://t.co/4p4lePG8lc https://t.co/h7nK9D2XxA
@INEOS, the UK’s biggest private company, launches global consumer healthcare business – @INEOSHygienics – which will sponsor @MercedesAMGF1 @britgrandprix. #HSBCTopTrack100 https://t.co/WlA0Wkdg7B https://t.co/ITHwmh88aB
Types of company
Total sales
£20m - £350mTotal profits
£3m - £40mAverage 3 year profit growth
45% - 160% paStaff
20 - 1,000The 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 & managing director, Watchfinder
Fast Track is a great accolade for any business to include on its letterhead and demonstrate your success Peter Swift, group finance director, 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 & chief executive, Beds and Bars
Alumni success stories
Featured with profits of £15m. Floated in 2000, now worth £1.4bn after merger with Dixons
First featured with profits of £6m. Sold to Bavaguthu Shetty for £1bn in 2014
First featured with profits of £24m, profits of £1bn on sales of £4bn in 2018
Sponsors
