Which NW firms are in top 100 with biggest sales?
Twelve companies based in the North West have been named in the Britain’s top 100 private firms with the biggest sales.
Published this weekend, Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 lists the companies which made a significant contribution to the regional economy.
Together they achieved sales of £16.9bn and profits of £1bn in their last financial year, and collectively employ more than 87,000 people.
The highest-ranked company in the region is Blackburn-based forecourt retailer Euro Garages at No 6, which added £3bn in sales last year to £3.8bn, mainly as a result of its merger with European Forecourt Retail last year to form a group with 1,450 locations across Europe. In June this year, the group agreed to acquire another 1,176 service stations in Italy.
The 12 northwest companies include three new entrants: Knutsford-based de Poel (No 78), the recruitment outsourcing specialist that was acquired by its management team in September; Wythenshawe-based parts distributor Brammer (No 87), which delisted from the London Stock Exchange last year; and Four Seasons Health Care (No 92), headquartered in Wilmslow, which is implementing a turn-around plan to reduce debt.
The companies in the North West appear with businesses from around the UK, including high-profile national brands such as Dyson, JCB, Specsavers and Virgin Atlantic.
Despite the economic and political uncertainty facing the UK following the decision to leave the EU, almost three quarters of the table (72 companies) increased sales in their last financial year.
The league table is sponsored by HSBC and Linklaters, and is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events company.
Dan Howlett, head of corporate banking at HSBC UK, said: “It’s encouraging to see so many businesses not only thriving in these uncertain times, but achieving a higher growth rate than in 2016.
“These companies embody the very best of UK entrepreneurialism with their determination to grow, succeed and seek out new opportunities.
“And it’s not just young companies eagerly chasing opportunities, we’re seeing long established companies exercising similar rigour and refusing to become complacent. I look forward to both helping and watching these businesses continue to go from strength to strength.”
