The Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table ranks Britain’s 100 private companies with the biggest sales. It is compiled by Fast Track and published in The Sunday Times each July, with a series of associated dinners in the autumn.

The closing date for nominations for the 2020 league table is 29 May 2020, with publication on 5 July 2020.

View Criteria Nominate

Top Track 100 entry criteria

The closing date for nominations for the 2020 league table is 29 May 2020, with publication on 5 July 2020.

Sales £700m – £20bn

  • UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
  • Sales are taken as total turnover, net of VAT
  • Companies are not required to be in profit
  • Trading weeks in the latest year have to exceed 25
  • Companies must have at least 100 staff (average full-time equivalents for the year)
  • Bookmakers, betting and gaming companies should provide net revenue
  • Companies may have their ultimate holding company offshore
  • Sales are typically between £700m and £20bn

Exclusions

  • Companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies
  • Pure trading companies and companies with fewer than 100 staff (average full-time equivalents for the year)
  • Not-for-profit companies, including co-operative societies, mutual societies, provident associations, and member-owned buying groups
  • 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

 

Types of company

Total sales

£700m - £27bn

Profits

up to £2.5bn

Staff

100 - 20,000
League Table
Nominate
Top Track 100 is a real kitemark of business excellence. Being part of it makes us all proud Sir Michael Bibby, managing director, Bibby Line Group
A first class example of how to support vibrant, growing businesses Tim Stone CBE, non-executive director, Arup
Opportunity to meet the best private companies in the UK Stefano Pessina, executive chairman, Alliance Boots
We’re very proud of the fact that we’re number 1 Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder & chairman, INEOS
Excellent mix of very interesting people, motivating and inspiring every time Patrick Lewis, group finance director, John Lewis

Alumni success stories

First featured with sales of £1.1bn. Floated in 2014 valued at £1bn, and is now worth £3bn
First featured with sales of £713m. Floated in 2014 at valuation of £3.4bn
First featured with sales of £3.1bn. Floated in October 2015 at valuation of £6.2bn & was sold to US rival Vantiv in 2017 in £9.3bn deal