90| top 100
Nineteen construction companies ranked in annual Top 100 listing
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lmost one in five of companies in the Ulster Business Top 100 comes from the construction sector. Ulster Business, part of the Greer Publications group that also publishes Specify, has just launched its ‘Top 100’ companies that lists the details of the biggest businesses in Northern Ireland. £1bn plus poultry producer Moy Park takes the top spot. The highest construction company in the Top 100 is Gortmullan Holdings, formerly the Quinn Group. The company, ranked in 5th place, posted sales of £667m in the year ending to 2011 though incurred losses of over £300m mainly due to its restructuring. At number 19 is quarry equipment manufacturer Terex with a turnover of £308m and a profit of £36m. Two places behind are Northstone while Graham’s are ranked 26. Symon Ross, editor of Ulster Business said: “The figures on which the Top 100 list is based provide some cause for optimism as they show many of our largest business have succeeded in increasing their sales in difficult economic circumstances. However, in many cases profits haven’t moved in the same direction at the same pace, and ongoing global headwinds mean profit margins are likely to remain squeezed. “That said, in this the 25th anniversary of the Top 100 listing, we should not overlook the successes and innovation demonstrated by our large companies, particularly those who are thriving in export markets.” Jonathan Cushley of Dun & Bradstreet, which carried out the survey on behalf of Ulster Business, said: “The 25th compilation of the Ulster Business Top 100 listing provides a continued positive view of the year on year performance of the province’s top businesses. For the first time turnover for the leading companies has broken through the £20bn mark and whilst profitability has tightened, the value of the companies to their shareholders continues to rise significantly. “It should also be noted that only 10 of the 100 companies posted losses, an improvement on the 18 who reported losses in the 24th edition of the Top 100 last year.”
Nigel Dunlop (left) from Moy Park with James Greer, publisher of Ulster Business magazine.
“The highest construction company in the Top 100 is Gortmullan Holdings, formerly the Quinn Group. The company is ranked in 5th place.”