Moy Park tops list for 10th year in a row

Ulster business top 100 companies see sales rise but profits fall
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Northern Ireland’s biggest businesses have seen a small bump in sales but profits have stalled, it can be revealed.

The flagship Ulster Business Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2021 list, with A&L Goodbody (ALG), shows that sales increased by 4.3%, year-on-year, to £26.7bn.

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But the list of the leading 100 firms, published by Ulster Business, also showed profits fell marginally among those businesses by 0.3% to £930.2m.

Michael Neill, head of Belfast office, A&L Goodbody, sponsor of the Top 100 with John Mulgrew, Ulster Business editorMichael Neill, head of Belfast office, A&L Goodbody, sponsor of the Top 100 with John Mulgrew, Ulster Business editor
Michael Neill, head of Belfast office, A&L Goodbody, sponsor of the Top 100 with John Mulgrew, Ulster Business editor

The list has showcased the performance of the biggest firms from right across Northern Ireland, ranked by turnover, for more than 30 years.

It uses data from Dun & Bradstreet and the latest accounts filed to Companies House in the UK, with data from including more recent filings for many firms covering the period since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are a number of newcomers this year, including German discount supermarket giant Lidl, which is now filing full accounts in Northern Ireland, and blinds maker Mzuri Group, based in Lisburn. And poultry giant Moy Park has topped the list for the 10th year in a row.

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Within the Ulster Business Top 100 for 2021, firms employed a total of 101,792 people – a decrease of 2.3% from the prior year’s listing of 104,210.

Ulster Business has partnered with corporate law firm A&L Goodbody for the last six years with the Top 100.

Michael Neill, head of Belfast office, A&L Goodbody, said: “This year, it is encouraging to note the continued strong performance of the familiar faces at the top end of the list – many of whom have retained their spot during the six years that ALG has supported the Ulster Business Top 100 Companies edition. On behalf of our 120-strong team of lawyers and business support professionals at ALG in Belfast, congratulations to each of the Ulster Business Top 100 Companies.”

John Mulgrew, editor of Ulster Business, continued: “In the 12 months since the last Top 100, many of our biggest companies have had to pivot, evolve and deal with operating in an ever-changing environment. But as the Top 100 shows, many have actually increased sales and profits in the middle of this pandemic, while others have faced challenges to their way of working.

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“It may be another year before a clearer picture of the true impact of Covid-19 on our private sector, but there remains resilience and strong results among many of the companies making the 2021 list.”

Speaking to Ulster Business as the business topped the Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies list, Moy Park director Justin Coleman, added:

“There is a sense of pride being top of the list and it’s a proudly headquartered in Northern Ireland business and will remain so.”

The Ulster Business Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies edition will hit desks this week.

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