Profit Track 100 Explained
The Sunday Times Profit Track 100 is an annual league table published in association with The Sunday Times newspaper in the UK. It ranks Britain's 100 private companies with the fastest-growing profits over their last three years. It is published in The Sunday Times each April, with an awards event typically held in June,[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
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[2] by Hamish Stevenson,[3] [4] it now publishes seven annual league tables and brings company founders and directors together at invitation-only networking awards events and alumni dinners.[5]
Entry criteria
Companies have to meet the criteria below to be able to qualify for the Profit Track 100 league table:
- UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
- Profits of at least £500,000 in the base year trading (latest year minus 3 years)
- Profits of at least £3m in the latest year
- Profits are defined as operating profits before exceptional items
- Profits must increase in the latest year
- Trading weeks in the base and latest years have to exceed 25
Companies that do not meet the criteria can still be considered for the Ones to Watch programme.[6] This is a selection of companies that have either achieved, or predict, good profit growth.
Exclusions
Excluded companies include pure property and financial trading companies, and those with restricted accounts; companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies
Notable alumni companies
Profit Track 100 was launched in 2000 to recognise Britain's private companies with the fastest growing profits. Since then, 1,500 companies have appeared on the league table, including:
- Dyson first featured in 2000 having grown profits from £4.3m to profits of £24.3m.[7] In 2018, profits exceeded £1bn on global sales of £4.4bn.[8]
- EG Group, the fuel forecourt operator, made its debut in 2008 with profits of £4.9m.[9] It was valued at £1.3bn in 2015[10] and has since expanded across America and Australia, reporting profits of £264.5m in 2018.
- Travel search engine Skyscanner, featured in 2015 with profits of £17.7m[11] and was acquired for £1.4bn by Chinese travel group Ctrip in 2016.[12]
- King.com, the gaming website operator behind the Candy Crush Saga, featured in 2010 with profits of £4.7m.[13] It floated on the NYSE in 2014 valued at $7.1bn,[14] and was acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2015 for $5.9bn.[15]
Latest Profit Track 100 league table
The 21st annual Sunday Times Profit Track 100 league table supplement was due to be published on 5 April 2020. However, given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Fast Track delayed publication in order to liaise with the featured companies.[16] Out of the original 100 companies, 70 explicitly asked to feature, and 30 did not want to be included.[17] In addition to the league table ranking, the supplement highlighted the positive actions that some companies took to support their staff, local communities, the NHS and key workers during the initial stages of the pandemic.[18] [19] The number one ranked company was fitness clothing retailer Gymshark, which grew its operating profits from £1.1m in 2016 to £18.6m in 2019.[20]
Yearly Winners
| Year | Company Name | Category | Profit Growth (3 year average) | Latest Profits (£000s) |
|---|
| 2000 | | Internet Recruitment publisher | 124.14% | 7,250 |
| 2001 | | Actuarial Services Provider | 114.24% | 14,472 |
| 2002 | | TV and Film Producer | 177.50% | 15,359 |
| 2003 | | Music Rights Owner | 194.06% | 18,234 |
| 2004 | | Film Distributor | 196.85% | 61,558 |
| 2005 | | Insurance Underwriter | 159.30% | 13,556 |
| 2006 | | Defence Barrier Maker | 236.04% | 35,598 |
| 2007 | | Bank | 147.00% | 9,117 |
| 2008 | | Construction equipment supplier | 114.24% | 5,402 |
| 2009 | | Visitor Attraction operator | 129.66% | 127,400 |
| 2010 | | Recruitment Consultancy | 166.54% | 9,704 |
| 2011 | | Ice Cream Manufacturer | 210.22% | 43,439 |
| 2012 | | Life Assurance Specialist | 210.53% | 37,701 |
| 2013 | | Life Assurance Specialist | 176.36% | 66,970 |
| 2014 | | Online Retailer | 178.03% | 10,853 |
| 2015 | | Online Retailer | 216.58% | 15,959 |
| 2016 | | Energy Efficiency Consultancy | 179.15% | 20,706 |
| 2017 | Paymentsense | Payment processing services | 203% | 14,000 |
| 2018 | Dreams | Bed manufacturer and retailer | 166.89% | 34,505 |
| 2019 | Loveholidays | Online travel agency | 190.96% | 13,350 |
| 2020 | Gymshark | Fitness clothing retailer | 156.20% | 18,565 | |
Other Fast Track publications
Profit Track 100 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
External links
Notes and References
- News: Stars such as sir Lloyd Dorfman out on Profit track. 16 June 2019. The Sunday Times. 22 April 2020.
- News: Business: British companies 'inspiring'. 8 December 1997. The Independent. 17 April 2020.
- Web site: Fast Track Ltd. Fast Track. 16 April 2020.
- News: Branson helps open new Fast Track office. 16 July 2001. Oxford Mail. 17 April 2020.
- Web site: The Fast Track. 9 August 2017. Peoplevox. 17 April 2020.
- Web site: Profit Track Ones to Watch programme. Fast Track. en-GB. 2020-04-22.
- Web site: Dyson - Fast Track . www.fasttrack.co.uk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160416013844/http://www.fasttrack.co.uk/company_profile/dyson-7/ . 2016-04-16.
- Web site: Dyson to move company HQ to Singapore. TheGuardian.com. 22 January 2019.
- Web site: Euro Garages - Fast Track . www.fasttrack.co.uk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160416013743/http://www.fasttrack.co.uk/company_profile/euro-garages-3/ . 2016-04-16.
- Web site: TDR Capital takes a bite into Euro Garages for £1.3bn. 20 October 2015.
- Web site: Skyscanner - Fast Track . www.fasttrack.co.uk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200813012612/https://www.fasttrack.co.uk/company_profile/skyscanner-3/ . 2020-08-13.
- News: China's Ctrip is buying flight search company Skyscanner for $1.74 billion. Techcrunch . 24 November 2016 . Russell . Jon .
- https://www.fasttrack.co.uk/company_profile/king-com/
- Web site: King.com IPO Does Not Crush It: Shares Open At $20.50, Down Nearly 9%, Close At $19 . Ingrid . Lunden . March 26, 2014 . TechCrunch.
- Web site: How Candy Crush Saga's Riccardo Zacconi became a gaming king. CNBC.
- Web site: Profit Track Covid-19 Edition. Fast Track. en-GB. 2020-04-27.
- Web site: The Sunday Times Profit Track Covid-19 Edition. 26 April 2020. 27 April 2020.
- Web site: Anglia ranked in the 21st annual Sunday Times Profit Track Covid-19 edition. www.cambridgewireless.co.uk. 2020-04-27.
- Web site: Laings secures spot in fastest-growing profits league table for private firms. www.professionaljeweller.com. 27 April 2020. 2020-04-27.
- Web site: 2020 Profit Track Covid-19 Edition. Fast Track. en-GB. 2020-04-27.
