The Sunday Times 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 events in the autumn.
The 19th annual Top Track 100 supplement was published on 5 July as a special Covid-19 edition, sponsored by HSBC and Linklaters. It highlighted how the UK’s biggest private companies have supported the country during the crisis, how it has impacted their industries, and how they are adapting.
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.
Top Track 100 entry criteria
The closing date for nominations for the 2021 league table is 28 May 2021, with publication in July 2021.
Sales £750m – £25bn
- 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 £750m and £25bn
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
Congratulations to @Direct_HG, winner of the Fastest-growing company award, presented by Paul Eagland of @bdoaccountant at our #BDOProfitTrack100 virtual event
Congratulations to @VernacareOffice, winner of the Excellence in manufacturing award, presented by @olivershah of @ST_Business at our #ProfitTrack100 virtual event
Congratulations to @euautomation, winner of the International growth award, presented by Tim Hinton of @santanderuk at our #ProfitTrack100 virtual event
Congratulations to @AcornInsurance, winner of the Value creation award, presented by Giles Nicholas of @UBS at our #ProfitTrack100 virtual event
Congratulations to @WirelessCCTV, winner of the Ones to Watch award, presented by Stuart Lisle of @bdoaccountant at our #BDOProfitTrack100 virtual event
“I’m the only female founder-CEO of a listed co in the entire games industry globally – that’s scary – which means I can’t mess it up” – @djbteamsters, founder of Team17, speaking at our #BDOProfitTrack100 awards. She floated it in 2018 at £217m and it has since topped £1bn
“I’m the only female founder-CEO of a listed co in the entire games industry globally – that’s scary – which means I can’t mess it up” – Debbie Bestwick MBE, founder of @Team17, speaking at our #BDOProfitTrack100 awards. She floated it in 2018 at £217m & it has since topped £1bn
“We’ve probably taken on 4,000–5,000 staff since the first lockdown, and a good number have never been to an office” – Matt Moulding, founder, CEO & chair of @thgplc, the global tech platform, in Q&A with @olivershah of @ST_Business at our #BDOProfitTrack100 awards today.
“A huge congratulations to everyone on the list this year” – Paul Eagland, of our title sponsor @bdoaccountant, welcomed 200 guests, incl. founders & directors of Britain’s private companies with the fastest-growing profits, to our 22nd #BDOProfitTrack100 virtual awards today.
We shipped goodie boxes to some 200 founders & directors attending our #BDOProfitTrack100 virtual awards event this afternoon. Big thanks to our sponsors @bdoaccountant, @santanderuk & @UBS, & our alumni @FentimansLtd, @FeverTreeMixers, @laithwaites & @thgplc for their goodies.
Types of company
Total sales
£750m - £25bnProfits
up to £2.5bnStaff
100 - 20,000Top 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 in 2002 with sales of £1.3bn, it was sold to Turkish biscuit maker Yildiz for £2bn in 2014
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
Sponsors
