Region's businesses among Britain's top firms

Greenhous Group, AF Blakemore, 2 Sisters Food Group and JCB have been named in the 18th annual Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table.

The table recognises the private companies which have reported the biggest sales in their latest financial year.

Shrewsbury-based car and van dealer Greenhous was ranked 54th on the list with sales of £1.1 billion and profits of £8 million in the year ending December 2018.

Willenhall-based food service business AF Blakemore was ranked 44th with reported sales of £1.2 billion and profits of £18 million in the year ending April 2018..

2 Sisters Food Group, whose parent Boparan Holdings has its headquarters in Birmingham and chicken processing factories in West Bromwich and Wolverhampton, was ranked 12th with sales of £3.3 billion and profits of £115 million in the year ending July 2018.

A total of 13 companies headquartered in the Midlands made the list after being recognised for making a significant contribution to the regional economy.

Together they achieved sales of £23.4 billion and profits of £1.6 billion in their latest financial year, and collectively employ more than 83,000 people.

The region’s top-ranked company is JCB, ranked 11th and based in Staffordshire, which later this summer is moving cab construction to a new £50 million plant near its Rocester headquarters.

The company grew its sales 28 per cent to a record £3.4 billion in 2017.

Other companies from the Midlands featured include bet365, the online bookmaker and majority shareholder in Stoke City FC whose turnover grew 25 per cent to £2.9 billion in 2018 as customers in more than 100 countries gambled on 160,000 live sporting events.

The company has made its first foray into the recently liberated US sports betting market.

The companies in the Midlands appear alongside well-known British names, including Clarks, Iceland, John Lewis Partnership, Nando’s and Specsavers.

This year, the 100 companies reached a record £220 billion in total sales, up 14 per cent on the prior year, with total profits of £24.6 billion, up by 15 per cent. Almost four in five companies increased sales in their latest financial year.

The league table programme is sponsored by HSBC, Linklaters and PwC, and compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events firm.

Amanda Murphy, head of commercial banking at HSBC UK, said: “Once again, Britain’s most ambitious private enterprises have shown their mettle by shrugging off uncertainty, growing their combined sales 14 per cent to a record £220 billion.

"It's reassuring that UK businesses are navigating change so confidently and the companies in the Top Track 100 are an inspiration to all.

"The 13 companies in the Midlands are the kinds of firms that provide the backbone of our economy, and we at HSBC UK are thrilled to see them thrive.”