Top 150 companies in Bristol, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire revealed for 2023

Tobacco giant Imperial Brands has been named the top business in the Bristol, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire region in 2023. The Bristol-headquartered FTSE-100 company behind cigarette brands including West and Davidoff turned over a whopping £32.7bn last year, according to Companies House data analysed by Vistra.

Despite taking a £400m-plus hit to its profits in 2022 after pulling out of Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, the company still reported operating profits of £2.6bn. Group operating profit was also up 1.8%, with growth in the company’s tobacco and next-generation products offsetting a distribution decline.

The list of the region’s top 150 companies was published on Thursday (January 26) by BusinessLive and in sister title the Western Daily Press Annual Business Guide. With the biggest turnover, Imperial Brands ranked first on the list, retaining the top spot for 2023.

In second place - up from position 26 last year - was Cirencester-based investment management firm St James’s Place, with a turnover of £11.6bn. The company had £142.3bn of funds under management for the month ending June 30, 2022.

Swindon-based Intel Corporation, which sells and distributes Intel products, retained its third-place position for 2023 with a turnover of £5bn, while tech giant Dyson, which employs thousands of people at its base in Malmesbury in Wiltshire, dropped from second place last year to fourth this year. The company has an annual turnover of £4.5bn, according to Vistra.

Energy supplier Ovo - founded by billionaire businessman Stephen Fitzpatrick in 2009 and headquartered in Bristol - also dropped in the rankings from fourth to fifth place.

The rankings follow a difficult year for the business community across the region, with political and economic turmoil causing much uncertainty for firms. However, many South West business leaders are confident 2023 will be more successful than 2022 despite challenging economic forecasts, recent research has found.

A total of 91% of firms in the region are planning to make investments over the next 12 months, while 42% expect a higher turnover, according to a survey by Lloyds Bank published earlier this month. Overall, more than two-thirds of firms questioned believe they will achieve greater success in 2023 than they did last year.

Richard Bache, editor of the Western Daily Press, said: "Although 2023 will be tough for many businesses and individuals, I’d caution against talking ourselves into a recession.

"Despite the challenges ahead, within this guide there are scores of businesses around the West that are doing inspirational things and are thriving. Money is still being spent across the economy and though things may not be easy, there are plenty of opportunities for companies to capitalise on this.”

The full version of the Western Daily Press Business Guide is available to read online.

Top 150 businesses in the West Country in 2023

RANK	2022 RANK	COMPANY NAME	REGISTERED OFFICE CITY OR TOWN
1	1	IMPERIAL BRANDS PLC	Bristol
2.	26	ST. JAMES'S PLACE UK PLC	Cirencester
3	3	INTEL CORPORATION (UK) LIMITED	Swindon
4	2	DYSON TECHNOLOGY LIMITED	Malmesbury
5	4	OVO GROUP LTD	Bristol
6	19	RWE GENERATION UK PLC	Swindon
7	6	AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED	Bristol
8	9	SENSATA TECHNOLOGIES HOLDING PLC	Swindon
9	10	SCREWFIX DIRECT LIMITED	Yeovil
10	15	PUMA ENERGY (UK) LIMITED	Bristol
11	11	NATIONAL GRID ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION PLC	Bristol
12	16	IVC ACQUISITION PIKCO LTD	Bristol
13	new	IVC ACQUISITION MIDCO LTD	Bristol
14	27	WESTCON GROUP EUROPEAN OPERATIONS LIMITED	Cirencester
15	12	ROYALTY PHARMA PLC	Bristol
16	7	EDF ENERGY NUCLEAR GENERATION LIMITED	Gloucester
17	17	WINCANTON PLC	Chippenham
18	14	FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED	Swindon
19	18	SPIRAX-SARCO ENGINEERING PLC	Cheltenham
20	New	ARVAL UK LIMITED	Swindon
21	23	THE MORTGAGE WORKS (UK) PLC	Swindon
22	New	COATS GROUP PLC	Bristol
23	19	SMITHS NEWS PLC	Swindon
24	29	C&J CLARK (NO 1) LIMITED	Street
25	28	ALD AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED	Bristol
26	23	WH SMITH PLC	Swindon
27	35	INDEPENDENT VETCARE LIMITED	Bristol
28	27	MEARS GROUP PLC	Gloucester
29	new	NEW LOOK RETAILERS LIMITED	Weymouth
30	68	BASF METALS RECYCLING LIMITED	Cinderford
31	24	MATTHEW CLARK BIBENDUM LIMITED	Bristol
32	32	BAKER HUGHES ENERGY TECHNOLOGY UK LIMITED	Bristol
33	31	YTL UTILITIES (UK) LIMITED	Bath
34	33	WESSEX WATER LIMITED	Bath
35	42	RENISHAW P L C	Wotton-Under-Edge
36	40	DICK LOVETT COMPANIES LIMITED	Swindon
37	41	WESTERN COUNTIES AUTOMOBILE COMPANY LIMITED	Swindon
38	43	FREEMANS OF NEWENT LIMITED	Hereford
39	45	SUPERDRY PLC	Cheltenham
40	63	FUTURE PLC	Bath
41	36	HARGREAVES LANSDOWN PLC	Bristol
42	37	ROTORK P.L.C.	Bath
43	47	CAMBRIA AUTOMOBILES LIMITED	Swindon
44	30	VIRIDOR LIMITED	Taunton
45	55	PATHEON UK LIMITED	Swindon
46	50	MAN TRUCK AND BUS UK LIMITED	Swindon
47	new	VMWARE UK LIMITED	Bristol
48	61	OPENWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED	Swindon
49	59	THE OASIS HEALTHCARE GROUP LIMITED	Bristol
50	39	RWE RENEWABLES UK SWINDON LIMITED	Swindon
51	80	NIANTIC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED	Bristol
52	44	NUTRICIA LIMITED	Trowbridge
53	57	MAGNOX LIMITED	Bristol
54	34	BORGWARNER TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED	Stonehouse
55	53	COMBINED INDEPENDENTS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED	Andover
56	54	ZURICH ASSURANCE LTD	Swindon
57	79	TELEPERFORMANCE LIMITED	Bristol
58	65	KEY WEST (HOLDINGS) LIMITED	Bristol
59	49	NOKIA UK LIMITED	Bristol
60	56	GE AVIATION SYSTEMS LIMITED	Cheltenham
61	60	BENEFACT TRUST LIMITED	Gloucester
62	61	OPENWORK LIMITED	Swindon
63	66	NISBETS PLC	Bristol
64	38	SAFRAN LANDING SYSTEMS UK LTD	Gloucester
65	51	DKH RETAIL LIMITED	Cheltenham
66	67	CENTAUR SERVICES LIMITED	Castle Cary
67	94	AUXILLIS SERVICES LIMITED	Bath
68	52	SANDERSON SOLUTIONS GROUP PLC	Bristol
69	132	NASA UMBRELLA LTD	Bristol
70	71	KK DAYTONA HOLDING LTD	Gloucester
71	77	GRANGE MOTORS (BRENTWOOD) LIMITED	Swindon
72	New	INFINITY MIDCO LIMITED	Bristol
73	87	M AND M DIRECT LIMITED	Leominster
74	73	HERITAGE AUTOMOTIVE HOLDINGS LIMITED	Salisbury
75	72	MASSTOCK ARABLE (UK) LIMITED	Cheltenham
76	62	NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO UK LIMITED	Stonehouse
77	76	ASPIRE DEFENCE HOLDINGS LIMITED	Tidworth
78	100	GALLOPER WIND FARM LIMITED	Swindon
79	78	MONAGHAN MUSHROOMS LIMITED	Bristol
80	84	ECCLESIASTICAL INSURANCE OFFICE PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY	Gloucester
81	93	THE UNITE GROUP PLC	Bristol
82	82	YEO VALLEY PRODUCTION LIMITED	Bristol
83	74	STANNAH LIFTS HOLDINGS LIMITED	Andover
84	70	NOV DOWNHOLE EURASIA LIMITED	Stonehouse
85	83	OAK FURNITURELAND HOLDINGS LIMITED	Swindon
86	92	ETEX BUILDING PERFORMANCE LIMITED	Bristol
87	114	MOLSON GROUP LTD	Bristol
88	108	AVON PROTECTION PLC	Melksham
89	new	GREEN BRITAIN GROUP LIMITED	Stroud
90	96	TAYLOR MAXWELL GROUP (2017) LIMITED	Bristol
91	85	INTERCEPT PHARMA EUROPE LTD.	Bristol
92	98	INTERNATIONAL PLYWOOD PLC	Gloucester
93	145	SEABANK POWER LIMITED	Bristol
94	89	ECOTRICITY LIMITED	Stroud
95	New	LOUNGERS PLC	Bristol
96	88	EURONICS LIMITED	Andover
97	new	DEREK RAPHAEL & COMPANY LIMITED	Cirencester
98	109	YANKEE CANDLE COMPANY (EUROPE) LIMITED	Bristol
99	86	RYGOR GROUP LIMITED	Westbury
100	91	MAGNERS GB LIMITED	Bristol
101	111	KINGSPAN INSULATION LIMITED	Leominster
102	new	GALAXY GROUP BIDCO LIMITED	Bath
103	97	SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED	Gillingham
104	119	BRADFORD AND SONS LIMITED	Yeovil
105	New	ACHIEVE TOGETHER LIMITED	Bath
106	new	ANTHOLOGY GROUP LIMITED	Cheltenham
107	new	SODRA WOOD LIMITED	Cirencester
108	95	SIMPLYHEALTH ACCESS	Andover
109	102	JISC	Bristol
110	113	ANAPLAN LIMITED	Bristol
111	103	LEIDOS EUROPE, LIMITED	Bristol
112	69	NUVIAS GLOBAL SERVICES LIMITED	Cirencester
113	122	FORD FUELS LIMITED	Bristol
114	101	HAPPOLD LLP	Bath
115	104	APETITO LIMITED	Trowbridge
116	new	ARK ESTATES DEVELOPMENT LIMITED	Corsham
117	new	EPIPHANY HOLDINGS LIMITED	Gloucester
118	134	THOMAS SILVEY,LIMITED	Bristol
119	new	INSPECS GROUP PLC	Bath
120	New	PORTMAN HEALTHCARE LIMITED	Cheltenham
121	106	DAC BEACHCROFT SERVICES LIMITED	Bristol
122	123	COTSWOLD MOTOR GROUP LIMITED	Cheltenham
123	124	DOPANO LIMITED	Cheltenham
124	112	SIRONA CARE & HEALTH C.I.C.	Bristol
125	New	UNITE INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS PLC	Bristol
126	115	ZELLIS HOLDINGS LIMITED	Bristol
127	105	TYCO ELECTRONICS UK LTD	Swindon
128	new	HOLMAN HOLDINGS EUROPE LIMITED	Chippenham
129	150	FORAY MOTOR GROUP LIMITED	Salisbury
130	New	ALLIANCE PHARMA PLC	Chippenham
131	New	FMG REPAIR SERVICES LIMITED	Bath
132	130	FISH BROTHERS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED	Swindon
133	New	AIRLINE INVESTMENTS LIMITED	Cheltenham
134	115	ZELLIS TOPCO LIMITED	Bristol
135	81	QUALASEPT HOLDINGS LIMITED	Corsham
136	126	CORIN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED	Cirencester
137	144	KOHLER SHOWERS HOLDINGS LIMITED	Cheltenham
138	120	WATER 2 BUSINESS LIMITED	Bristol
139	138	HOWARD GARAGES (WESTON) LIMITED	Weston-Super-Mare
140	143	FANATICS UK HOLDINGS LIMITED	Bristol
141	New	MULBERRY GROUP PLC	Radstock
142	117	AMCOR EUROPE GROUP MANAGEMENT	Bristol
143	New	T. H. WHITE HOLDINGS LIMITED	Devizes
144	125	MERCK LIFE SCIENCE UK LIMITED	Gillingham
145	121	KNORR-BREMSE RAIL SYSTEMS (UK) LIMITED	Melksham
146	New	STEF LANGDONS LTD	Bridgwater
147	128	LANGDON GROUP LIMITED	Bridgwater
148	new	RWE RENEWABLES MANAGEMENT UK LIMITED	Swindon
149	New	OUTDOOR AND CYCLE CONCEPTS LTD	Malmesbury
150	135	VITACRESS LIMITED	Andover