Arriva arrives in number one spot
IN a glory battle between public and private transport Arriva has pulled just in front of motor manufacturer Nissan to head this year’s listing of the North East Top 250 companies.
Arriva, which spans the UK and 11 other European countries from our region with both bus and train services, has hoisted its turnover by more than £1bn in 12 months.
With that it jump up two places from last year, securing first place on the table with a £3.04bn income. And Sunderland thus takes the top two places in the table.
Nissan has dropped to second from last year, its latest figure available being £2.78bn for 2007.
Amec, the international engineering services group working out of Darlington, is down one place also – to third. But its £2.6bn in revenues is a year-on-year rise even so.
The North East’s other titan of transport on road and rail, Go Ahead, retains fourth spot, reporting a higher turnover from its Newcastle headquarters.
In fifth place, unchanged, is Teesside’s top business, Huntsman Petrochemicals at Redcar.
Sage has moved up a place to sixth. Britain’s largest software group, sole bearer of the North East flag in the select group of FTSE-100 companies, made the advance with a higher turnover announced from its Newcastle headquarters.
It swapped rungs with another Newcastle-based firm, builder Bellway which, despite slipping one, does so with revenues up.
From Darlington, Southern Cross the UK’s biggest provider of care homes for elderly and disabled people, retains eighth place, again with income up over 12 months.
Ninth and 10th places have the same occupants as last year but switched. Npower Gas, of Newcastle, rose one to ninth, while Petroplus Refining, of Middlesbrough, slipped one to 10th.
Of the 20 leading companies, six are from Newcastle, five from Darlington, two each from Sunderland and Durham, and one each from Middlesbrough, Gateshead, Birtley, Redcar and Esh Winning.
Alcan is again Northumberland’s top company, down two places to 21 from last year.
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