Biggest companies in South East 2026
- Companies
- 9,475
- Total revenue
- £865.53bn
- Total jobs
- 3,160,651
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 | £69.92bn | 339,140 |
| 02 | TESCO STORES LIMITED Principal UK supermarket operating subsidiary | £50.84bn | 249,663 |
| 03 | VODAFONE GROUP PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY group accounts Multinational telecommunications group | £32.11bn | 92,834 |
| 04 | CENTRICA PLC registered office Multinational energy and services group | £21.57bn | 22,066 |
| 05 | VOLKSWAGEN GROUP UNITED KINGDOM LIMITED group accounts UK automotive importer and distributor | £12.84bn | 1,002 |
| 06 | ESSO PETROLEUM COMPANY,LIMITED UK petroleum refining and distribution | £10.59bn | 1,411 |
| 07 | EASYJET AIRLINE COMPANY LIMITED Low-cost passenger airline | £9.94bn | 15,903 |
| 08 | CARNIVAL UK LTD. Cruise line operator | £7.50bn | — |
| 09 | BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS) LIMITED registered office Aerospace and defence operating subsidiary | £7.10bn | 16,609 |
| 10 | MARTIN-BROWER UK LTD Supply chain and logistics provider | £6.85bn | 4,591 |
| 11 | TUI UK LIMITED Tour operator and travel agency | £6.34bn | 2,870 |
| 12 | VODAFONE LIMITED British mobile network operator | £5.85bn | 9,199 |
Biggest employers in South East
Top filers by latest reported headcount
| # | Company | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | TESCO PLC LSE-listed multinational grocery retailer | 339,140 |
| 02 | TESCO STORES LIMITED Principal UK supermarket operating subsidiary | 249,663 |
| 03 | VODAFONE GROUP PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY group accounts Multinational telecommunications group | 92,834 |
| 04 | RENTOKIL INITIAL PLC Listed pest control and hygiene group | 65,632 |
| 05 | SPECSAVERS OPTICAL SUPERSTORES LIMITED UK optical retail chain operator | 46,283 |
| 06 | J D WETHERSPOON PLC Listed pub and hotel operator | 42,081 |
| 07 | WHITBREAD GROUP PLC group accounts Hotel and restaurant operator | 34,700 |
| 08 | DHL SERVICES LIMITED | 31,560 |
| 09 | MASH HOLDINGS TOPCO LIMITED group accounts Holding company for Mike Ashley | 31,022 |
| 10 | NHS PROFESSIONALS LIMITED registered office State-owned NHS staffing agency | 27,931 |
| 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 | TESCO PLC LSE-listed multinational grocery retailer | £2.70bn | 339,140 |
| 02 | TESCO STORES LIMITED Principal UK supermarket operating subsidiary | £1.66bn | 249,663 |
| 03 | TELEFONICA UK LIMITED Mobile telecommunications network operator | £1.40bn | 5,500 |
| 04 | BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS) LIMITED registered office Aerospace and defence operating subsidiary | £813M | 16,609 |
| 05 | INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP PLC group accounts | £804M | 19,040 |
| 06 | ABBOTT DIABETES CARE LIMITED | £692M | 847 |
| 07 | SMITH & NEPHEW PLC Multinational medical technology manufacturer | £583M | 17,530 |
| 08 | PFIZER LIMITED | £554M | 1,243 |
| 09 | SOUTHERN ELECTRIC POWER DISTRIBUTION PLC registered office | £545M | 2,979 |
| 10 | ITW LIMITED Diversified industrial manufacturing subsidiary | £541M | 1,895 |
| 11 | VERTIV COMPANY GROUP LIMITED group accounts | £512M | 31 |
| 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 | £37M | 1,283 |
| 02 | TESCO PLC LSE-listed multinational grocery retailer | £17M | 339,140 |
| 03 | ARCUS INVESTMENT LIMITED | £14M | 15 |
| 04 | IMPELLAM GROUP LIMITED group accounts registered office Specialist staffing and managed services | £13M | 1,570 |
| 05 | GENUS PLC Listed animal genetics business | £12M | 3,307 |
| 06 | VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS LIMITED British long-haul passenger airline | £11M | 8,036 |
| 07 | OXFORD ECONOMICS GROUP LIMITED group accounts | £10M | 658 |
| 08 | VIRGIN MEDIA LIMITED Broadband and telecommunications provider | £10M | 10,434 |
| 09 | RED BULL TECHNOLOGY LIMITED Formula One car manufacturer | £9M | 969 |
| 10 | SIX CONTINENTS LIMITED | £9M | 399 |
| 11 | WICKES BUILDING SUPPLIES LIMITED | £8M | 7,713 |
| 12 | T&L HOLDCO LIMITED group accounts | £8M | 1,872 |
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.
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.