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
Last week’s 22nd Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 will be republished in the tablet edition on Sunday, ranking Britain’s 100 private firms with the fastest-growing profits. They achieved average profit growth of 33% to 133% a year – largely before #Covid19 struck.
@bdoaccountant
Our #BDOProfitTrack100 is the final league table to be published by Fast Track. Hamish Stevenson, our founder, has decided to close the company at the end of June after hosting its final virtual events, including our 24th annual Fast Track 100 awards in May. Click for more.
More than three quarters (78) of #BDOProfitTrack100 companies sell internationally, with key markets including the US and Europe. Our free 29-page research report provides insights into Britain’s private companies with the fastest-growing profits.
@bdoaccountant
As Covid restrictions ease, UK firms are being offered support for growth, writes Stuart Lisle, senior tax partner at @bdoaccountant, in our 22nd annual #BDOProfitTrack100 supplement. Published yesterday in The Sunday Times, with title sponsorship for an eighth year from BDO.
Businesses are adjusting to the impact of #Covid19 and see potential for expansion, writes Tim Hinton, head of corporate and commercial banking at Santander UK, in our 22nd annual #ProfitTrack100 league table supplement, published yesterday in The Sunday Times.
@santanderukbiz
Capital, contracts and customers will flow to good citizen companies, writes Giles Nicholas, managing director at @UBS Wealth Management, in our Sunday Times #ProfitTrack100 supplement. It was published yesterday with @ST_Business, with main sponsorship for a 19th year from UBS.
Our Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 was published yesterday, ranking Britain’s private firms with the fastest-growing profits, with average operating profit growth of 59% a year – largely before #Covid19 struck – to combined profits of £931m, on sales of £8.7bn.
Click for more:
Congrats to companies ranked 91-100 on our Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 ranking of Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing profits including: @CG_Fry @GlobalMerch @_KidsPlanet @tenthrevgroup
@Uinsure_adviser @BromptonBicycle @SimarcoL
Congrats to those ranked 81-90 on our Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 ranking of Britain’s 100 private firms with the fastest-growing profits: Corinthian Brands @RSKGroup @AtlasFMUK @GHBLtd @FlyACC @and_partnership @GroundControlGC @CanaganPetFood @globus_group @cooperturnerltd
Congrats to those ranked 71-80 on our Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 ranking of Britain’s 100 private firms with the fastest-growing profits: @aspenpumpsgroup @Nexus_uw @PeldonRose @smartergardener @ExcelRedstone TMC Pharma @HPL_Motors @Edge_Worldwide @PHrarebooks Pets Corner
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
