The Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table ranks Britain’s 100 private companies with the biggest sales. It is compiled by Fast Track and published in The Sunday Times each July.
The 19th annual Top Track 100 was published on 5 July and highlighted how the UK’s biggest private companies have supported the country during the crisis, how it has impacted their industries, and how they are adapting.
The 19th annual Top Track 100 supplement was published on 5 July as a special COVID-19 edition and featured a number of automotive retailers and NFDA members.
- Arnold Clark, 7th
“Founded in Glasgow by the late Sir Arnold Clark, the UK’s first billionaire car dealer, this firm closed all its 200 dealerships in response to the pandemic and offered cars to help NHS workers get to work. Owned by the Clark family and led by chief executive Eddie Hawthorne, 53, it sells about 300,000 vehicles a year. An acquisition and buoyant used-car sales drove revenue to £4.5bn in 2019, but the wider market has been significantly dented by the lockdown”.
- Marshall Group, 23rd
“As the pandemic unfolded, the fleet of C-130 Hercules transport aircraft serviced and maintained by Marshall’s aerospace subsidiary was in demand, as governments executed urgent repatriation missions and flew supplies to remote regions. Marshall also helped develop the Exovent negative pressure ventilator, and employed its 3D printers to produce protective gear”.
Marshall Motor Group is a venture of Marshall Group
- JCT600, 52ND
“After temporarily closing all of its showrooms across the north of England and the East Midlands, JCT600 moved sales online and prioritised NHS staff for essential car repairs. The Bradford business is led by chief executive John Tordoff, 56, who took over from his father Jack in 2002. It is now one of the UK’s largest groups, selling 20 marques including Rolls-Royce and Ferrari. It reopened its 48 dealerships on June 1, with a 21% uplift in sales that week compared with the same week last year”.
- Listers, 54th
“Service centres stayed open for key workers as Listers temporarily closed all of its car dealerships in March. The Warwickshire firm operates more than 50 outlets across East Anglia, the Midlands and the north of England, and, in January, opened its first dedicated Porsche dealership in Hull”.
- Greenhous, 57th
“This Shropshire motor group consists of two divisions, each led by one of the joint chief executives who together own the company. Derek Passant, 60, runs Greenhous Franchise, which operates 16 car, van and lorry operations across the Midlands and southwest selling more than 65,000 vehicles a year, while Kerry Finnon, 55, heads Smart Fleet Solutions, which runs five vehicle refurbishment centres across the UK”.
- Stoneacre, 75th
“Stoneacre’s dealerships temporarily closed because of the pandemic, but its key vehicle workshops stayed open to help NHS and emergency workers. Chairman Richard Teatum, 63, founded the firm in 1994 when he bought a bankrupt used-car dealership in Scunthorpe. It now has 50-plus locations in England and Wales selling more than 20 marques, such as Honda, Nissan and Suzuki. Managing director Shaun Foweather, 57, is driving growth through acquisitions, and the 2018 purchase of four Volvo dealerships in the northeast helped sales leap to £982m last year.
- John Clark, 92nd
“This Aberdeen car dealership donated 20,000 sets of disposable seat covers and gloves to frontline NHS staff after it temporarily closed its 39 sites across Scotland. It also distributed meals and other necessities, and kept a vehicle servicing network open for emergency workers. Founded by chairman John Clark, 72, it sells more than 30,000 cars, motorbikes and vans each year. Volvo was added to the portfolio in 2018, joining marques such as BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and VW. John’s son Christopher, 44, is managing director”.
- Park’s Motor Group, 96th
“Park’s closed its dealerships and has offered servicing only to key workers and emergency vehicles during the lockdown. It operates 73 outlets across Scotland, selling 24 marques, including Jaguar, Suzuki and Volvo. In 2018, it expanded into England with a McLaren showroom in Leeds, where it has also unveiled a Lamborghini showroom. Founded as a coach operator by Douglas Park, 70, who is also the interim chairman of Rangers football club, it operates major bus routes on behalf of Scottish Citylink”
To access the full list, view https://www.fasttrack.co.uk/league-tables/top-track-100/league-table/
