Retailers and recruiters dominate Top Track 100
RETAILERS Home Bargains, Shop Direct and Matalan account for one third of the nine North West companies featured in the annual list of Britain’s biggest private businesses.
As well as the retailers, two recruiters, Fircroft and Salford-based Morson, make the list, while shipping, finance and convenience store group Bibby Line, fuel card manager Radius Payment Solutions, fast-growing petrol station operator Euro Garages and European Metal Recycling (EMR) complete the list.
Ranked 13th, family-owned scrap metal giant EMR, headquartered in Warrington, is the highest placed regional company with annual sales of £2.8bn, followed by online retailer Shop Direct (25th) with £1.7bn sales.
Morson, which after being taken private from AIM by the founding Mason family, and Darwen-based Euro Garages, which has been on a buying spree of late, are the two new entrants on the 14th annual Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100.
The nine companies regional companies achieved sales of more than £12.4bn and profits of £734m in their latest accounts. Collectively they employ 45,000 people.
The companies feature on the table alongside a number of high-profile national brands, including Clarks, Dyson, JCB and Virgin Atlantic.
The Top Track 100 is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events company.
