Companies across the region shine in 2020's Top Track 250

Business from across the region have appeared in this year’s Sunday Times Top Track 250 league table, which ranks Britain’s leading mid-market private companies with the biggest sales.

Compiled by Oxford-based Fast Track it is published in The Sunday Times each September.

The league table ranks Britain’s private mid-market growth companies with the biggest sales. The listed businesses had to achieve sales between £110 million and £700 million and record a growth in sales of five per cent or more in the financial year.

Seventeen businesses across our region are named in the listing, with Thame-headquartered Travelodge, which employs more than 7,000 people, sitting at number three in the listing, with a turnover of more than £727 million and an operating profit of more than £173 million at the end of December 2019.

Another Oxfordshire company, security software services company Sophos, based in Abingdon, came in at number 10, with a turnover of more than £649 million and operating profits of £48 million.

Last year Sophos was bought by leading US private equity investment Thoma Bravo LLC, A leading USA private equity investment firm. Sophos employs 3,500 people across the world, 600 of which are in the UK. Sophos protects more than 400,000 organizations of all sizes in more than 150 countries from cyberthreats. The offer price implied an enterprise value of $3,948 million.

Digital infrastructure company Telent, based in Warwick, is at number 16 in the Fast Track listing. The company was previously positioned in the league table at number 30 in 2016 and number 18 in 2019.

Jo Gretton, CEO at Telent, said: “In light of the current global situation which has significantly impacted our home, working and social lives, technology has continued to play a vital role in keeping us connected. his also means that technology maintenance has also remained more important than ever before, and Telent’s solutions and services remain crucial in keeping the UK’s national infrastructure serviced and running. Therefore, we are extremely proud to see our hard work and achievements recognised with such a high ranking in the Sunday Times Top Track 250.”

Other Oxfordshire companies in the list include Banbury-based DCS Group (its fifth appearance in the listing), waste management company Grundon, and Thame-based agricultural machinery supplier Farol.

From Warwickshire alongside Telent, logistics company Davies Turner and Warwick-based yacht dealer Princess Motor Yacht Sales are also listed.

Catering company CH&Co Group, based in Reading, business software developer IRIS engineering contractor Michael J Lonsdale of Slough, are the winners from Berkshire with building and civil engineering contractors Buckingham Group Contracting, TSL Construction Services and High Wycombe-based diagnostic services provider InHealth (40 places higher than last year for the diagnostics company), making up the Buckinghamshire representation.

Two companies from Gloucestershire make the list. Stroud-based green energy supplier Ecotricity and Gloucester-based timber merchant International Plywood.

Solihull fitness clothing retailer Gymshark, the Solihull-headquartered fitness community and apparel brand, which entered a strategic partnership with leading global growth equity firm General Atlantic in August, in its first-ever fundraise, valuing the business at more than £1 billion, also makes the listing, as do Swindon and Oxford-based Beard Construction and Bromsgrove-based car dealership Arbury from Worcestershire.