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The Sunday Times Top Track 250 is an annual league table published in association with The Sunday Times newspaper in the UK. It ranks Britain’s private mid-market growth companies with the biggest sales. It is published in The Sunday Times each October, with an awards event typically held in November,[1] and alumni dinners during the year. The league table is researched and produced by Fast Track, an Oxford based research and networking events business.[2]

About Fast Track

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Fast Track is a leading research and events company that has built a network of the UK’s top-performing private companies, from the fastest-growing to the biggest, through its rankings in The Sunday Times. Founded in 1997[3] by Hamish Stevenson,[4][5] it now publishes seven annual league tables and brings company founders and directors together at invitation-only networking awards events and alumni dinners.[6]

Entry criteria

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Companies have to meet the criteria below to be able to qualify for the Top Track 250 league table:[7][8]

  • Sales are typically between £700m (the bottom ranked company on Top Track 100) and £120m
  • UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
  • Sales are taken as total turnover, net of VAT
  • Sales in the latest year must have grown by 5% or more for companies with the highest sales, graduated to 10% for those with lower sales; or profit growth must have been 5% or more
  • Companies must also have operating profit margins that exceed 2%
  • Trading weeks in the latest year have to exceed 25
  • Companies may have their ultimate holding company offshore

Exclusions

  • Companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies
  • Companies with the majority of sales generated by their quoted subsidiaries
  • Companies with fewer than 50 staff
  • Not-for-profit companies, co-operative societies, mutual societies, provident associations, and member-owned buying groups

Companies that do not meet all the criteria can still be considered for the Ones to Watch programme,[9] particularly if they forecast good sales growth

Notable alumni companies

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Top Track 250 was launched in 2005 to recognise Britain’s private mid-market growth companies with the biggest sales. Since its launch, more than 1,000 companies have appeared on the league table, including:

  • Dyson, which was first featured in 2005 with sales of £277.1m,[10] and by 2019 was ranked at No.7 on Top Track 100 with sales of £4.4bn, and profits of £1.1bn[11][12][13]
  • The Watches of Switzerland Group, which featured 10 times before its IPO in May 2019, valuing it at £647m[14]
  • B&M Retail featured three times from 2009 to 2011,[15][16][17] with initial sales of £255.9m, before its IPO in June 2014 valuing it at £2.7bn[18][19][20]
  • IHS Markit first featured in 2010 with sales of £305m;[21] floated in 2014 and completed a $13bn merger with IHS in 2016[22][23][24]
  • Ocado first featured in 2006, with sales of £143m[25] and floated in 2010[26][27]

Latest Top Track 250 list

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The 16th annual Sunday Times Top Track 250 league table supplement was published on 27 September 2020 and featured established brands including Dr Martens,[28] and Thatchers Cider[29] as well as number 1 ranked company Turner & Townsend.[30]

Previous rankings

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2013 Top Track 250 list

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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.[31]

2012 Top Track 250 list

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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.[32]

2011 Top Track 250 list

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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.[33]

2010 Top Track 250 list

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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.[34]

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)[34]

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.

2008 Top Track 250 list

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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.

This list is compiled from the Sunday Times Top Track 250, 2008.[35]

Rank Company name Sector Location T/o(Sales)
(£ Million)		 Profit(nett)
(£ Million)
1. Flybe Airline Exeter £536 £38
2. Mace Construction (PM) London £531 £6.8
3. NG Bailey Construction (M&E) Leeds £524
4. Samworth Brothers Food production Leicestershire £518
5. Odeon Cinemas & UCI Cinemas Group Leisure London £517
6. Aston Martin Car Manufacturer Warwickshire £515
7. Dyson Household appliances Wiltshire £514
8. Firth Rixson Engineering & aerospace Sheffield £492
9. Morrison Utility Services Construction Stevenage £492
10. McCarthy & Stone Retirement home Builders Bournemouth £471
11. Formula One Administration Motor Racing London
12. Associated British Ports Port operator London
13. Perrys Motor Sales Car Dealerships Northampton
14. Healthcare at Home Healthcare provider Burton on Trent
15. Murray International Conglomerate Edinburgh
16. Spire Healthcare Healthcare provider London
17. Countryside Properties Property developer Brentwood
18. Northern & Shell Newspapers & Publishing London
19. Giant Group Outsourcing provider London
20. Harrods Department store operator London £440 £45.8
21. Gondola
22. Watson Petroleum
23. Edwards Industrial
24. Bernard Matthews Food production Norwich £422 £21.6
25. Warburtons
26. Kearney
27. William Grant & Sons Whiskey Distiller
28. PA Consulting Group
29. Henderson Group
30. CP Holdings
31. Farmfoods
32. Halcrow Group
33. Vertex
34. Willmott Dixon
35. 2 Sisters Food Group
36. Weetabix Cereal manufacturer Northamptonshire £372 £61.1
37. SHS Group
38. Four Seasons Health Care
39. Arqiva
40. BOCM Pauls
41. Carcraft
42. Bargain Booze
43. Noble Foods
44. Pets at Home
45. Dhamecha Foods
46. Northgate Information Solutions
47. Argent Group
48. Barchester Healthcare
49. Selfridges Department store operator London £348
50. Stewart Milne
51. Polstar
52. Alexander Mann Solutions
53. Telegraph Media Group Newspaper publishing London £341
54. Zavvi (formerly Virgin music shops)
Retail		 London £341
55. Pentagon Motor Group
56. Langley Holdings
57. ERM Consultants
58. Bayford & Co Fuel distributors Leeds £335 £2.1
59. Agnew Group
60. James Hall & Company
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66. Direct Wines (Laithwaites) Mailorder Wine Distributor £317 £2.7
67.
68.
69.
70. Virgin Active Health clubs Milton Keynes £313 £19.2
71. Telent Communications Warwick £311 £22
72. Poundland Retail operators (Discount shops) West Midlands £311
73. ASCO
74. Eastern Western Motor Group
75. PHS
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87. Rix Petroleum Fuel distributor Hull £294
88. Sunseeker International Yacht builder Poole (Dorset) £293 £13.7
89. Anglian Group Building supplies (Windows) Norwich £292 £8.2
90. Ridgeway Group
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97. Emap Communications Media publisher London £283
98. Fenwick Department store Newcastle £280
99. Berry Brothers & Rudd
100. Globespan
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106. CPL Industries Fuel distributor Chesterfield £274
107.
108. Ocado Online food retailer Hatfield £272
109.
110. Seddon Group
111. Williams Group
112.
113.
114.
115.
116. Barrett Steel Group Steel Distributor Bradford £261
117.
118.
119.
120. Ballyvesy Holdings
121. British Seafood
122. NCP Car park operator Croydon £253
123. Center Parcs UK Holiday park operator Nottinghamshire £251
124. Osbourne Building Contractors Chichester £251
125. Freightliner Group
134. David McLean Building contractor Flintshire £245
135. DC Thomson
136. Travelodge Budget Hotel chain Oxfordshire £243
140. TJ Hughes Retailer, Liverpool £240
150. Vue Entertainment
157. Pret a Manger Sandwich & Coffee shops London £222
158.
159.
160. City Refrigeration Holdings
161.
162.
163.
164.
165. Clancy Docwra
166. TC Harrison Car & JCB Dealerships Derbyshire £215
169. Borders (UK) Book retailer London £215 -£9.5
170. Apollo Group
171. Alexander Dennis Coach & Bus builders Falkirk £213
174. Ebuyer Internet retailer East Yorkshire £212
175. BGL Group
176.
177.
178.
179. Manchester United Football Club Football Club Manchester £210
180. GK Group Car Distributor Chesterfield £209
187. McLaren Automotive Race car builder & team Surrey £206
188.
189.
190. Moody International
191. Arsenal Football Club Football team London £200
192.
193. David Lloyd Leisure Health club operator Hatfield £198
194.
195. Bulkhaul Transport specialist Middlesbrough £196
196. Epwim Group
197. Danoptra
198. Travelsphere
199. Thomas Vale
200. Lamex Food Group
207. Snax 24 Forecourt operator Hertfordshire £191
208. Cleveland Cable Company Cable Distributor Middlesbrough £191
209. Swift Group Caravan & Motorhome manufacture East Yorkshire £191
210. Malcolm Group
217. Simons Group Construction Lincolnshire £188
218.
219.
220.
221.
222.
223.
224.
225. Betfair Online Bookmaker London £181
227. Maplin Electronics Electronics retailer Rotherham £179
229. Shearings (Wallace Arnold) Tour operator Lancashire £179
230. Cromwell Group
231. Mabey Group Bridges, Steel & Engineering Reading £177
232.
233.
234. BizzEnergy Electricity supplier Worcestershire £175
236. Gilders Group Car distributor Sheffield £173
237. Davies Turner|
238.
239.
240. Best Connection Group
241. McNicholas Construction
242. CF Booth Recycling & Scrap merchants Rotherham £169
250. Harvey Nichols Department store operator London £166

Other Fast Track publications

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Top Track 250 is one of seven league tables of private companies produced by Fast Track and published in The Sunday Times:

  • Fast Track 100 – ranks the UK’s fastest-growing private companies based on sales (excluding TMT companies, which appear in Tech Track 100 (see below)
  • SME Export Track 100 – ranks the UK's SMEs with the fastest-growing international sales
  • Tech Track 100 – ranks the UK’s fastest-growing private technology companies based on sales (the sister table to Fast Track 100)
  • International Track 200 – ranks the UK’s private mid-market companies with the fastest-growing overseas sales
  • Profit Track 100 – ranks the UK’s private companies with the fastest-growing profits
  • Top Track 250 – ranks the UK’s leading mid-market private companies based on sales and/or profits growth
  • Top Track 100 – ranks the UK’s biggest private companies based on sales

References

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  1. ^ "Fast-growth aces saluted at Sunday Times Grant Thornton Top Track 250 awards". The Sunday Times. 24 November 2019. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Branson helps open new Fast Track office". Oxford Mail. 16 July 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Business: British companies 'inspiring'". The Independent. 8 December 1997. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Fast Track Ltd". Fast Track. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Branson helps open new Fast Track office". Oxford Mail. 16 July 2001. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  6. ^ "The Fast Track". Peoplevox. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Top Track 250 entry criteria". Fast Track. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Advanced Computer Software Group makes The Sunday Times Grant Thornton Top Track 250". AccountingWEB. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Top Track 250 Ones to Watch". Fast Track. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  10. ^ "2005 Top Track 250 league table". Fast Track. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Dyson make top 10 in list of Britain's biggest private companies". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Britain's Top 10 Private Family Businesses 2019 - Institute for Family Business (IFB)". www.ifb.org.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  13. ^ Media, Insider. "Five giants make Top Track". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Watches of Switzerland valued at £647m following IPO debut - Retail Gazette". 30 May 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  15. ^ "2009 Top Track 250 league table". Fast Track. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  16. ^ "2010 Top Track 250 league table". Fast Track. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  17. ^ "2011 Top Track 250 league table". Fast Track. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  18. ^ "B&M IPO delivers £1bn payday for owners". Financial Times. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  19. ^ Butler, Sarah (12 June 2014). "B&M Value Retail's stock market float sees return of Sir Terry Leahy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  20. ^ Mattinson, Alec. "B&M Bargain valued at £2.7bn after pricing IPO". The Grocer. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  21. ^ "2010 Top Track 250". Fast Track. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  22. ^ Agencies (19 June 2014). "Markit prices IPO at $24 a share". ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  23. ^ "IHS to buy data provider Markit, combined company to base in UK". CNBC. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  24. ^ Team, Trefis. "An Overview Of IHS Markit's Business And Outlook". Forbes. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  25. ^ "2006 Top Track 250 league table". Fast Track. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  26. ^ Wood, Zoe; Bowers, Simon; Finch, Julia (6 July 2010). "Ocado is stacking up to be biggest flotation of the year, but no bargain". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Ocado gives green light for £1bn float". www.ft.com. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  28. ^ Telegraph, Northants (8 October 2015). "Northamptonshire firm top five mid-market companies biggest sales". Northants Telegraph. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  29. ^ Telford, William (25 September 2020). "Gregory Distribution, Ecotricity and Thatchers Cider join the elite". Business Live. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  30. ^ "2019 Top Track 250 league table". Fast Track. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  31. ^ "2013 Top Track 250 league table". The Sunday Times. 13 October 2013.
  32. ^ "2012 Top Track 250 league table". The Sunday Times. 17 October 2012.
  33. ^ "2011 Top Track 250 league table". The Sunday Times. 20 October 2011.
  34. ^ a b TWK. "Fast Track". Fast Track. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  35. ^ "Top Track 250 2008 league table". Fast Track.
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