'Northern Ireland is a place where organisations of all sectors can scale and succeed': Belfast family-run business makes the top 100 list with £1.8bn turnover and profits of £62m
W&R Barnett tops the list followed by John Henderson and John Graham..rounding out the top five is Almac Group - which generated profits of £119.3m - and McLaughlin & Harvey
Insider, the UK's highest hit regional B2B media and news site, has launched the 2025 list of the 100 largest owner-managed businesses by turnover in Northern Ireland.
The Owner Managed Businesses 100 list, which was first launched in 2022, has been compiled by Insider from information gained from Companies House and includes companies based in the region with shareholding directors.
Topping the list is Belfast-based holding firm W&R Barnett (the group of international commodity trading, storage, agribusiness and industrial companies) with turnover of over £1.8bn and profits of £62m. This is followed by John Henderson (Henderson Group) in Newtownabbey with over £1.3bn and John Graham (Graham’s Construction) in Hillsborough with over £1.0bn. Rounding out the top five is Almac Group in Craigavon also with over £1.0bn - and profits of £119.3m - and McLaughlin & Harvey in Newtownabbey.
The NI Owner Managed Business 100 is sponsored by Wilson Nesbitt, Brown & Brown, Legacy Wealth Management and Sumer Northern Ireland.
Drew Nesbitt, partner, Wilson Nesbitt, called owner-managed business the "lifeblood of our local economy" adding: "The variety of leading businesses featured in this year’s list shows that Northern Ireland is a place where organisations of all sectors can scale and succeed."
Ian McClure, group director at Brown & Brown, added: "We are truly delighted to be sponsoring the Northern Ireland Owner Managed Businesses 100 for the first time. This year’s list is of tremendous quality and represents the very best of local business with dynamic local owners leading the way in this important area of our economy."
We create in-depth, comprehensive journalism and explore the issues affecting the people of Northern Ireland.
Support our work with a subscription from just £6.99 and gain unlimited access to exclusive news and sport stories, bespoke newsletters, discounts, access to the News Letter app and Farming Life and more.
Keith Liggett, managing director, Legacy Wealth Management, said the firm was "proud" to sponsor the list, adding: "As a company, dedicated to helping business owners build and protect their financial legacies, we are honoured to support an initiative that recognises the entrepreneurial excellence thriving in Northern Ireland."
Adrian Patton, partner at Sumer NI, called owner-managed businesses "essential". He added: "As trusted accountants offering a wealth of services including audit and accounting, corporate financing, tax and restructuring, we’re committed to providing the high-quality expertise and insights needed to ensure that OMBs continue to thrive."