Sunday Times Top Track 250

The Sunday Times Top Track 250 is a list published by British newspaper The Sunday Times each year ranking Britain's top 250 Mid-market private companies by their turnover over the previous year, from published accounts.

Sunday Times 2010 Top Track 250

The Sunday Times Top Track 250 league table list was published on 17 October 2010 with the title sponsor HSBC. The Sixth Annual Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 250 awards dinner was held at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in London on the night of 14 October and was attended by owners and directors of country's leading mid-market private companies. The sixth annual Top Track 250 league table supplement was published in The Sunday Times on 17 October 2010 with HSBC as the title sponsor.^[1]

A typical Top Track 250 company

• has sales ranging between £140m and £550m; representing the next tier down from our sister Top Track 100 biggest private companies
• is owned and run by established families and entrepreneurs, and around 30% by private equity firms
• has between 100 and 13,000 staff ^[2]

2013 Survey results summary

Virgin Active, the health club operator, was ranked 1st in the Sunday Times Top Track 250 with sales of £641.5 million, a rise of 14 places compared to 2012.

Other significant rises in The Top Track 250 league table include Wonga.com (Sales £309.3 million), with a rise of 140; Countryside Properties (Sales £272.9 million) – rise of 85; Opus Energy (Sales £369.5 million) – a rise of 73; The Range (Sales £381.9 million) – a rise of 63.^[3]

2012 Survey results summary

Shepherd Group, one of the UK’s leading family-owned private businesses, was named in 1st position of The Top Track 2012 with sales of £607.7 million.

New entrants to The Top Track 2012 include A.T. Kearney – management consultancy – with sales of £604.1 million; Camelot UK Lotteries – lottery operator – with sales of £574.5 million; Aurora Fashions – fashion retailer – with sales of £568.8 million; City Electrical Factors – electrical parts wholesaler – with sales of £527.2 million.^[4]

2011 Survey results summary

Partnership, the life assurance specialist was ranked number 1 in Top Track 250 for the first time in 2011 with sales of £587.9 million, followed by: Noble Foods – egg products manufacturer – with sales of £558.8 million; Farmfoods – frozen food retailer – with sales of £558 million; Edrington – whisky and rum distiller – with sales of £553.4 million; and Gondola – restaurant operator – at position 5, with sales of £545 million.^[5]

Top 10 for 2010, Survey results summary

TJ Morris 590.3 (Sales £m), Watson Petroleum 584.7 (Sales £m), Aurora Fashions 550.0 (Sales £m), Vestey Group 541.2 (Sales £m), Dunbia 540.4 (Sales £m), Noble Foods 533.5 (Sales £m), NDS Group 521.7 (Sales £m), Harrods 519.8 (Sales £m), Agricola Group 510.8 (Sales £m), Warburtons 510.5 (Sales £m) ^[6]

Southall Travel is the only travel agency included in the influential league table. The agency recorded astounding sales of £203.1 million for the year ending March 2010 and was ranked at 148th place. Other companies from the travel industry listed include Gatwick airport in 16th with sales of £475 million, the Alternative Hotel Group at 18th with sales of £465 million, Travelodge at 71st with sales of £297 million, Park Resorts at 215th with sales of £154 million and Holiday Extras at 236th with sales of £145 million.^[7]

2008 Survey results summary

The 250 companies in the list follow on from the Top Track 100 list published in June. The companies account for 5% of GDP and 1.5% of the UK workforce. The Combined turnover is £69 billion ( up £11 billion on 2007)saw an average profit increase of 67% pa with the maximum increase being 114% pa. Profits across the list vary greatly with many firms in the Profit Track 100 list, totalling over £4 billion. Employees increased from 400,000 to 477,000 in these companies over last years list. The list includes some well known household names, some of whom were taken private (De listed companies). Some are wholly Family owned others are owned by Venture capital trusts, or bank investors. Some previous entrants have now floated.

Entry criteria

The following is the entry for criteria into the 2009 awards:

• UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries, (ultimate holding co can be offshore).
• Turnover from Audited accounts filed after June 2006.
• Data from accounts filled at Companies house.

Exclusions -

• Companies majority owned by or joint ventures between quoted companies.
• Companies where majority of sales (Turnover) generated by quoted subsidiaries.
• Partnerships - Lawyers, Consultants, Accountants etc.
• Not for profit companies, Co-operatives, mutual societies, housing associations and member owned groups.
• Companies with fewer than 50 staff. (Small companies).

Other similar published lists

Fast Track 100 is one of six business lists produced by "Fast Track" and published in the Sunday Times:

• Sunday Times Tech Track 100 - Fastest growth for 'tech' companies
• Sunday Times Fast Track 100 - Fastest sales growth
• Sunday Times Buyout Track 100 - Fastest growth in private equity-backed companies
• Sunday Times Profit Track 100 - Fastest profits
• Sunday Times Top Track 100 - Biggest companies
• Sunday Times Top Track 250 - Biggest mid-market companies (published October)

2008 Top Track 250 League Table

This list is compiled from the Sunday Times Top Track 250, 2008.^[8]

References

External links

• Fast Track web site
• Top Track 250 article