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Yorkshire?s six of the best ? Sunday Times

Six companies from Yorkshire have earned places on the 14th annual Sunday Times PwC Profit Track 100.

The league table ranks Britain’s privately-owned companies with the fastest-growing profits over the last three years of available audited accounts, and is published this weekend.

The six companies (compared with seven last year) have made a strong contribution to the local economy, despite the tough economic conditions. They have combined profits of £32m and employ 4,650 staff, having added 2,400 jobs in the last three years.

The region’s highest-ranked company at No.8 is Barnsley-based Dransfield Properties, which appears on the league table for the first time. The company builds stores for Asda, Morrisons and Tesco, as well as town centre shopping areas in north England. Founded in 1992, the company has raised its profits to £6m in 2011, partly from increased land sales.

Another company that makes its debut on the Profit Track 100 is York-based tour operator Great Rail Journeys. The company organises 50,000 rail-based, group-escorted holidays a year in 40 countries, mainly through the brands Great Rail Journeys and Treyn. As reported in Bdaily earlier this month, ECI Partners acquired a majority stake from Primary Capital, which valued Great Rail Journeys at more than £50m.

Harvard Engineering, Nexus Vehicle Rental and Poundworld have made the list for the second year running. Phoenix Software, of Pocklington, completes the Yorkshire line-up in the 100.

The Profit Track 100 is sponsored by PwC, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking and UBS Wealth Management. It is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events company.

Arif Ahmad, partner and Yorkshire and North East private business leader at PwC, the title sponsor of the league table for the 14th year, commented on the region’s success stories: “Yorkshire’s privately owned businesses are crucial to the economic recovery of the country. The Profit Track 100 demonstrates the success of these businesses across a variety of sectors and serves to highlight the valuable contributions they make.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .