Biggest companies in South East 2026
- Companies
- 9,347
- Total revenue
- £914.99bn
- Total jobs
- 3,181,798
Biggest companies in South East by revenue 2026
Top filers by latest reported turnover
| # | Company | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | TESCO PLC LSE-listed multinational grocery retailer | £72.89bn | 310,022 |
| 02 | TESCO STORES LIMITED Principal UK supermarket operating subsidiary | £50.84bn | 249,663 |
| 03 | VODAFONE GROUP PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY group accounts Multinational telecommunications group | £35.15bn | 91,128 |
| 04 | CENTRICA PLC registered office Multinational energy and services group | £21.57bn | 22,066 |
| 05 | BRITISH GAS TRADING LIMITED registered office | £14.52bn | 6,970 |
| 06 | VOLKSWAGEN GROUP UNITED KINGDOM LIMITED group accounts UK automotive importer and distributor | £13.18bn | 978 |
| 07 | MICROSOFT LIMITED UK technology and software subsidiary | £10.86bn | 5,023 |
| 08 | EASYJET AIRLINE COMPANY LIMITED Low-cost passenger airline | £9.94bn | 15,903 |
| 09 | ESSO PETROLEUM COMPANY,LIMITED UK petroleum refining and distribution | £9.32bn | 1,391 |
| 10 | CARNIVAL UK LTD. Cruise line operator | £7.57bn | — |
| 11 | BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS) LIMITED registered office Aerospace and defence operating subsidiary | £7.57bn | 17,598 |
| 12 | MARTIN-BROWER UK LTD Supply chain and logistics provider | £7.06bn | 4,590 |
Biggest employers in South East
Top filers by latest reported headcount
| # | Company | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | TESCO PLC LSE-listed multinational grocery retailer | 310,022 |
| 02 | TESCO STORES LIMITED Principal UK supermarket operating subsidiary | 249,663 |
| 03 | VODAFONE GROUP PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY group accounts Multinational telecommunications group | 91,128 |
| 04 | RENTOKIL INITIAL PLC Listed pest control and hygiene group | 65,632 |
| 05 | NHS PROFESSIONALS LIMITED registered office State-owned NHS staffing agency | 51,292 |
| 06 | SPECSAVERS OPTICAL SUPERSTORES LIMITED UK optical retail chain operator | 46,616 |
| 07 | J D WETHERSPOON PLC Listed pub and hotel operator | 42,081 |
| 08 | WHITBREAD GROUP PLC group accounts Hotel and restaurant operator | 32,386 |
| 09 | DHL SERVICES LIMITED | 31,560 |
| 10 | MASH HOLDINGS TOPCO LIMITED group accounts Holding company for Mike Ashley | 31,022 |
| 11 | TJX UK | 25,463 |
| 12 | CENTRICA PLC registered office Multinational energy and services group | 22,066 |
Most profitable companies in South East 2026
Top operating filers by latest pre-tax profit
| # | Company | Pre-tax profit | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | VODAFONE GROUP PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY group accounts Multinational telecommunications group | £4.24bn | 91,128 |
| 02 | TELEFONICA UK LIMITED Mobile telecommunications network operator | £2.39bn | 5,375 |
| 03 | TESCO STORES LIMITED Principal UK supermarket operating subsidiary | £1.66bn | 249,663 |
| 04 | TESCO PLC LSE-listed multinational grocery retailer | £1.51bn | 310,022 |
| 05 | BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS) LIMITED registered office Aerospace and defence operating subsidiary | £989M | 17,598 |
| 06 | ABBOTT LABORATORIES LIMITED | £949M | 583 |
| 07 | MICROSOFT LIMITED UK technology and software subsidiary | £890M | 5,023 |
| 08 | INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP PLC group accounts | £797M | 19,040 |
| 09 | ABBOTT DIABETES CARE LIMITED | £692M | 847 |
| 10 | SMITH & NEPHEW PLC Multinational medical technology manufacturer | £578M | 17,530 |
| 11 | HILTON WORLDWIDE MANAGE LIMITED registered office | £506M | 35 |
| 12 | ARQIVA LIMITED Broadcast and utilities infrastructure provider | £499M | 1,307 |
Best-paid boards in South East
Highest directors' remuneration disclosed
| # | Company | Directors' pay | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | MCLAREN RACING LIMITED Formula One motor racing team | £111M | 1,246 |
| 02 | THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED Regulated water and wastewater utility | £49M | 8,472 |
| 03 | ESURE SERVICES LIMITED | £38M | 1,090 |
| 04 | VODAFONE GROUP PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY group accounts Multinational telecommunications group | £31M | 91,128 |
| 05 | KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES (SPIRENT SERVICES) LIMITED Telecommunications and network testing provider | £15M | 234 |
| 06 | ARCUS INVESTMENT LIMITED | £14M | 15 |
| 07 | VERTAGE LIMITED registered office Specialist staffing and managed services | £13M | 1,570 |
| 08 | TELEFONICA UK LIMITED Mobile telecommunications network operator | £12M | 5,375 |
| 09 | VIRGIN MEDIA LIMITED Broadband and telecommunications provider | £12M | 10,510 |
| 10 | OXFORD ECONOMICS LIMITED | £12M | 334 |
| 11 | BRITVIC SOFT DRINKS LIMITED registered office Carlsberg-owned soft drinks manufacturer | £11M | 2,097 |
| 12 | VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS LIMITED British long-haul passenger airline | £11M | 8,036 |
Directors' remuneration as disclosed in filed accounts. Group filings may report key-management-personnel compensation, which is broader than the board; LLP members' profit share is excluded. Treat as "highest disclosed", not a like-for-like board ranking.
Filed accounts in October 2026 · South East
1,654 of the companies we profile in South East filed a new set of accounts in the month to 1 Oct 2026 — the biggest by turnover. Whole register →
| # | Company | Turnover | YoY | Employees | Year to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | BMW (UK) LIMITED Consumer Discretionary · Farnborough | £5.8bn | +6% | 470 | 31 Dec 2025 |
| 02 | TELEFONICA UK LIMITED Telecommunications · Reading | £5.3bn | -7% | 5,375 | 31 Dec 2025 |
| 03 | OCEAN PARTNERS HOLDINGS LIMITED Consumer Discretionary · Maidenhead | £3.8bn | +16% | 134 | 31 Dec 2025 |
| 04 | THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED Utilities · Reading | £3.8bn | +37% | 8,472 | 31 Mar 2026 |
| 05 | VIRGIN MEDIA LIMITED Industrials · Reading | £3.4bn | -13% | 10,510 | 31 Dec 2025 |
| 06 | OCADO RETAIL LIMITED Consumer Staples · Hatfield | £3.2bn | — | 928 | 29 Mar 2026 |
| 07 | IQVIA LTD. Technology · Reading | £3.0bn | +1% | 3,894 | 31 Dec 2025 |
| 08 | HEADFIRST GLOBAL PLC Industrials · Luton | £2.9bn | +12% | 10,045 | 31 Dec 2025 |
| 09 | BAE SYSTEMS MARINE LIMITED Industrials · Camberley | £2.8bn | +8% | 12,428 | 31 Dec 2025 |
| 10 | BALL BEVERAGE PACKAGING EUROPE LIMITED Consumer Discretionary · Luton | £2.7bn | +18% | 134 | 31 Dec 2025 |
Companies ranked from their latest filed accounts at registered offices in South East. Registered office is where a company files, which is not always where it trades — see the badges. Implausible outliers are excluded. Snapshot from Companies House.