TWO Bradford firms are among the latest top 100 league table of Britain’s biggest private companies.

JCT600 and Yorkshire Water are ranked 43 and 61 respectively in the annual Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table published this weekend.

The league table ranks Britain’s private companies with the biggest sales - and the two Bradford firms have together achieved sales of £2.3 billion and profits of £615 million in their latest financial year.

Together they employ more than 6,000 people.

Bradford-based JCT600 is also the top-ranked company in Yorkshire, with sales of £1.3bn to the year end December 2018, up 2 per cent.

The car dealer operates 52 showrooms across northern England, selling 20 marques including the recently added Mitsubishi as well as Audi, VW, and Mercedes-Benz, and prestige brands including Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin.

The firm has risen in the rankings from 2018, moving up two place from 45 to 43.

John Tordoff, chief executive of JCT600, said: “Despite a challenging year for the automotive sector, we have continued to outperform the market and increase our sales by concentrating on what we do best – providing excellent customer service and great value.

"As a privately owned business, we are able to adapt quickly to changing conditions and carry on investing for future growth.”

Utilities firm Yorkshire Water, which is also based in Bradford, recorded sales of £1 billion to the year end March 2018, making it the second biggest private firm in the region.

The water services provider saw profits of £584m over the same period, but dropped one place in the rankings from its 2018 position.

The two Bradford firms appear alongside well-known British names, including bet365, Clarks, Iceland, JCB, John Lewis Partnership, Nando’s and Specsavers.

This year, the 100 companies reached a record £220bn in total sales, up 14 per cent on the 2018 league table, with total profits of £24.6bn, up by 15 per cent.

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, HSBC UK, said: “Once again, Britain’s most ambitious private enterprises have shown their mettle by shrugging off uncertainty, growing their combined sales 14% to a record £220bn.

“It’s reassuring that UK businesses are navigating change so confidently.

“The companies in the Top Track 100 are an inspiration to all, and we at HSBC UK are thrilled to see them thrive.”

The full league table is published as a supplement with the business section of The Sunday Times on July 7.