Host of Yorkshire businesses rank on elite Top Track 250

NORMANTON-based Poundworld has topped the table of 26 Yorkshire businesses featuring on an elite list which ranks Britain’s top private companies with the biggest sales.

The host of companies headquartered in Yorkshire, which feature in the annual Sunday Times Grant Thornton Top Track 250 league table, have made a strong contribution to the regional economy.

The companies increased combined sales 14% to £5.8bn and operating profits 36% to £416m, and they employ more than 43,000 people.
 
The biggest mid-market growth company in the region is Poundworld, the value retailer, which also has the biggest profits. Sales grew 22% to £422m while profits more than doubled to £15m, from £6m the year before. The company employs almost 5,600 people.
 
There are 13 entrants in Yorkshire that were not on the league table last year, including Go Outdoors, the Sheffield-based outdoor equipment retailer; Leeds-based baker Country Style Foods; and bookmaker Sky Betting and Gaming, also based in Leeds, whose sales grew 35% to £247m in 2015.
 
The companies in Yorkshire appear with businesses from around the UK, including Arsenal, Barbour, Dr Martens, Nando’s, Skyscanner and Wagamama.
 
The league table and awards programme is sponsored by Grant Thornton, and compiled for the 12th year by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events company.
 
Andy Wood, partner at Grant Thornton, the title sponsor of the league table, praised the companies for their performance: “In the wake of the EU referendum it is more important than ever that businesses, and the public and the third sectors work together to help the UK to build on its strengths and ensure that the economy continues to grow. I am heartened to see how these businesses are embracing a collaborative approach to drive prosperity throughout the UK and wider society.”