TWO Bradford companies have been listed in the top 100 of Britain’s best private firms with the biggest sales.

Car firm JCT600 and water services provider Kelda Group have been ranked in the top 50 of this year’s Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table, published this Sunday.

JCT600 is ranked in 43rd place in the list, the highest rating in Yorkshire, after reporting a 12 per cent increase in sales last year and profits of £32 million.

The company was launched by current chairman Jack Tordoff as Brooklands Garage on Sticker Lane in 1946.

The business has grown to a group with 50 dealerships across the north of England selling 18 makes of car from Minis to Maseratis.

JCT600, whose turnover exceeded £1 billion for the first time last year, now employs nearly 2,000 staff, including more than 100 apprentices.

The car dealership is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year and was named as employer of the year at last month’s Telegraph & Argus Bradford Means Business Awards.

Richard Hargraves, JCT600 group operations director, said: “It’s great to be recognised as a major player in Yorkshire.

“The growth and success of our business allows us to become more engaged with the community and to give something back.”

Kelda Group, based in Halifax Road, was ranked in 46th place.

It recorded sales of £1.096bn for the 2014/15 financial year, with £680m profits. Kelda Group is the previous name of Yorkshire Water.

It is a consortium including Citigroup, GIC, RREEF Infrastructure and Infracapital.

Richard Flint, chief executive at Kelda Group, said: “We are pleased to see our ranking rise up to 46th in the league table.

“But more important than our financial performance is our customer service performance so we want to let people know that over the next year we will be investing £318m to improve water and sewerage services, including drinking water quality and waste water treatment.”

The two Bradford firms are among four who have their headquarters in Yorkshire to make the top 100. The other two companies are Doncaster-based builders Keepmoat, rated 44th, and Northallerton's R&R Ice Cream, ranked in 81st place. 

Together all four firms have achieved sales of £4.1bn and profits of £912 million in their last financial year and employ a combined 12,000 people.

Other firms on the list include Dyson, JCB and Virgin Atlantic.