Two companies based in Cambridgeshire have ranked in the top 100 biggest private companies.
The 18th annual Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table ranks Britain’s 100 private companies with the biggest sales.
The two companies headquartered in the East of England have made a significant contribution to the regional economy.
Together they achieved sales of £3.8bn and profits of £736m in their latest financial year, and employ more than 10,700 people.
Cambridge-based Marshall Group is ranked at number, 20 with sales of £2.5bn in 2018.
The company won a contract worth over £100m to supply the Dutch armed forces with 1,400 military containers last December.
Vice-chairman Robert Marshall, 56, is the fourth generation of the family to lead the conglomerate, which was founded in 1909.
Anglian Water, ranked at number 42, serves six million customers in the East of England and Hartlepool from its Huntingdon headquarters.
Managing director Peter Simpson, 52, oversaw sales of £1.3bn in 2018.
The companies in the East of England 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 prior year, with total profits of £24.6bn, up by 15 per cent.
Almost four in five companies (78) 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 £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.”
