Business & Finance has released the annual Top 100 Index, recognising the leading companies operating in Ireland in 2021.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
The full list is available to download here
PCH
For over 25 years, we support our customers at all phases of the product journey – from the initial concept, to product development, strategic sourcing, manufacturing management, fulfilment and delivery B2B and B2C worldwide. We work with companies that are passionate about design, brand and the consumer experience. We design and manage custom supply chains that are efficient, agile, and socially and environmentally responsible. We provide the supply chain visibility and predictability that allows our customers to best manage their business.
Phelan Energy
Phelan Energy Group Limited was established in 2005 after solar energy solutions grabbed our founder’s, Paschal Phelan, entrepreneurial attention. The Group now have global offices in Dublin, Cape Town, New Delhi, Germany and Afghanistan. Phelan Energy Group Limited is a leading international energy developer with an exclusive focus on Solar PV. Led by a dynamic trans-national team the group commenced operations in South Africa 15 years ago. It has a total installed, and grid connected, capacity of 260 MWp, with a large and ever-growing international footprint. Our vision, as an energy developer, is to achieve the lowest cost of solar energy in the world.
PM Group
PM Group is an employee owned, international project delivery company operating across Europe, the USA and Asia. With a 49 year track record, the company oversees the delivery of services in project management, process design, facility design and construction management for leading multinational companies. PM Group is a leader in the pharmaceutical, food, mission critical, medtech and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Portwest
Portwest, a family business, founded in 1904. Today it is one of the fastest growing protective wear companies in the world. Headquartered in Westport, Co. Mayo, with over 4,000 staff worldwide. It has sales teams in 130 countries, six factories and eight warehouses to service an ever growing global customer base. Portwest were named Exporter of the Year at the Export Industry Awards 2018.
Primark
Primark is an international retailer that offers customers the latest fashion, beauty and homeware at great value prices. Founded in Ireland in 1969 under the Penneys brand, Primark today has over 400 stores across 14 countries in Europe and North America and employs more than 68,000 people. Primark continues to invest in its home market recently committing to invest €250 million across the Irish business in the next ten years. The retailer also has ambitious growth plans across new and existing markets, with plans to grow the US business to 60 stores over the next five years, and plans to open stores in new markets of Romania and Slovenia. Primark is working to make more sustainable fashion affordable for everyone and is focused on giving clothing a longer life, protecting life on the planet and improving the lives of people who make Primark products. As part of this it has unveiled a series of commitments it is working to achieve by 2030. These include making all its clothes from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials, ensuring clothing is recyclable by design, halving carbon emissions across the value chain, removing single-use plastic and pursuing a living wage for workers in the supply chain. You can find out about these commitments and more here.
Ryanair
Perhaps Ireland’s best-known company, the low-cost airline is the number one International airline, carrying 153 million customers annually and operating over 2,400 flights every day across 2,100 routes. Ryanair flies out of 239 airports in 40 countries. Over the last year Ryanair took a 75% stake in Austrian airline Laudamotion, which opened bases in Austria and Germany, flying Airbus aircraft. Ryanair Sun continued to grow, with five aircraft operating charter flights from Poland to the Mediterranean.
SISK Group
Founded 159 years ago in Cork, Sisk Group has expanded from local builder to international construction giant. Though it’s primary focus is construction, the group’s portfolio includes Consumer Products, Property, and other investments in Ireland, Europe, and the Middle East. Sisk has recently delivered the Capital Dock Development—a mixed-use development, spread across three apartment blocks—that includes Ireland’s tallest residential building, along with 32,000m2 of commercial space.
Smurfit Kappa Group
A world leader in paper-based packaging with revenue of approximately €10.1 billion, Smurfit Kappa employs over 48,000 people globally, across 36 countries, and owns multiple recycling and manufacturing operations. Jefferson Smurfit Group became Smurfit Kappa after the 2005 merger with Kappa Packaging. Group CEO Tony Smurfit oversees global operations and in most recent results, for the year ending 2021, Smurfit Kappa Group delivered EBITDA of €1,702 million, and an EBITDA margin of 16.8%,, demonstrating once again the strength and resilience of the Group.
Smyths Toys
The company is run by four brothers, Tony, Padraig, Liam and Thomas Smyth. The company was founded in Claremorris, County Mayo on 23 December 1986.Expansion to central Europe – On 24 April 2018, Smyths acquired Toys “R” Us stores in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In 2019, all the stores in those countries were re-branded as such to Smyths Toys. Stores and subsidiaries – In total, Smyths Toys operates over 200 stores: 21 stores in Ireland, 115 in the United Kingdom, 68 in Germany, 16 in Austria and 10 in Switzerland. Smyths Toys UK Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the company.
SoftCo
SoftCo deliver powerful, innovative financial process automation solutions that increase productivity, reduce costs, and ensure organizations meet compliance obligations. SoftCo’s technology automates Procure-to-Pay, Accounts Payable, Vendor Management, eBilling and Contract Management processes. Our solutions are built on a common platform, SoftCo10, ensuring that as our customers expand they can seamlessly grow on the SoftCo ecosystem. SoftCo are a global organization with 2 million business users worldwide across all industry sectors. Our DNA is Procure-to-Pay. We build our smart technology with this domain knowledge delivering fast, straight through and touchless processing. Our ethos is to understand our customers’ businesses, the challenges they face, and deliver solutions to meet and go beyond their expectations. We are ISO 27001 and SÄHKE2 certified, a Microsoft Gold Partner and an AWS Advanced Technology Partner.
SSE Airtricity
The wind farm developer, founded over 20 years ago and now employing 750, is Ireland’s market-leading supplier of renewable energy. Its operations span 26 wind farms (including Ireland’s largest – Galway Wind Park), and a number of Power Purchase Agreements with third party wind and solar operators. Since 2008, The company has invested €2.5 billion in low-carbon energy infrastructure in Ireland.
Stafford Group
Helmed by Group CEO, Mark Stafford, the family-run firm has existed since 1891 with activities ranging from sports retail, fuel, and shipping. Its chief subsidiary, Life Style Sports, boasts sales in excess of €100 million. In 2016, the retailer opened a 6,000 square feet flagship store on Dublin’s Grafton Street. In recent years, Mark Stafford, who took the reins in 2004, is said to harbour ambitions to expand Life Styles Sports’ reach into Europe.
Supermac’s
Supermac’s is an Irish fast food restaurant chain first opened in 1978. As of 2019 the chain consists of a total of 118 restaurants spread throughout Ireland, north and south.
Sysco Ireland
Sysco is the largest food business on the island of Ireland. What was started by the Geary family has now grown to a team of over 1,300 people delivering food solutions to thousands of customers every night. Our customers rely on us to help them grow their businesses with a range of over 10,000 fresh, frozen and ambient food products and non-food products. Operating from a central Dublin location and seven regional centres, we guarantee next-day island-wide delivery; we are the only food business in the country capable of delivering on our customers’ expectations regardless of how remote your business location is.
Tedcastle/Top Oil
At Facebook our mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together! The work we do impacts the world, and the future. We work on things we’re incredibly passionate about, that align with our values and purpose, and that have a positive impact on the world. It’s who we are. It’s why we build. Join Facebook and our growing family of apps/services (e.g. Instagram, Oculus, WhatsApp, Workplace, Portal). We’re moving fast, making an impact, and just getting started. Learn more at www.facebook.com/careers
The Heatons Group
The Heatons Group is Ireland’s largest department store group employing over 2,000 people across Ireland. The company has three brands; Heatons Department stores (54 stores across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland), SportsWorld (28 stores in the Republic of Ireland) and Sports Direct (15 stores in Northern Ireland). Heatons has been named as one of Ireland’s ‘Best Managed’ companies in the ‘Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards Programme’.
Transfermate Global Payments
TransferMate, part of software technology group CluneTech, is a global B2B payments technology firm, enabling companies to send and receive cross-border payments faster and easier. TransferMate has built one of the largest portfolios of payments licences worldwide, including in 51 US states and territories, to support trading in 162 countries. Leading banks, fintechs and software providers partner with TransferMate to offer an enhanced user experience for their business customers. Using TransferMate’s technology and global banking infrastructure, companies benefit from better exchange rates, greater transparency and improved reconciliation via direct integration into accounting and ERP systems. TransferMate’s mass payments technology is trusted by banks and businesses globally to offer an enhanced user experience for their business customers. The company has created bespoke integrations for banks like ING, AIB and Wells Fargo and software providers such as Coupa, SAP Concur, Tradeshift, Workday etc. The TransferMate API solution broadens the reach of the technology, enabling all businesses to utilise the technology, achieving significant time and financial savings. The years 2018 and 2019 have been pivotal in the growth of TransferMate, solidifying its position as market leaders in global payments. Given the pace of adoption of its payments technology by partners striving to digitalise the payments flow within their software platforms TransferMate has increased its global team by 20% now employing 312 people globally.
Trilogy/Arkphire
Arkphire provides expert, impartial IT procurement and logistics management services for ambitious, fast-growing businesses in more than 90 countries across APAC and EMEA. Our support extends beyond the right equipment. With access to a vast network of global partners, we offer a breath and depth of products at highly competitive prices, 24/7 support, and end-to-end logistics services. Our solutions enable our clients to empower their workforce, scale at speed, boost productivity and cut costs.
UDG Healthcare
UDG Healthcare provides expert outsourced healthcare services specialising in advisory, communications, commercial, clinical and packaging for the pharmaceutical sector via two divisions; Ashfield and Sharp. UDG Healthcare plc has experienced phenomenal growth over the last eight years. During this period, the Group has evolved from being primarily an Irish and UK-based supply chain business for pharmaceutical companies, to a global leader in advisory, communications, commercial and clinical and packaging services for healthcare across two divisions; Ashfield (70% of Group profits) and Sharp (30% of Group profits). The Group’s strategy has been to shift from a low growth, low margin supply chain business, into higher growth and higher margin outsourcing services for pharmaceutical companies. Executing this strategy has seen the Group make 21 acquisitions and four disposals since 2012. Over the past 5 years, Ashfield has generated a 14% operating profit CAGR while Sharp has generated a 15% operating profit CAGR. In 2018, the Group completed the final step in its strategic shift from a distributor for the pharmaceutical industry, to a service provider.
Uniphar
Uniphar is a diversified healthcare services organisation with activities in Ireland, UK, and the Benelux. It was established by Irish community pharmacists over 50 years ago to ensure access to medicines for their patients. Over its first forty years in business, Uniphar grew organically and through merger and acquisition. In 2013, Uniphar bought Cahill May Roberts Ltd and became number two in the Irish pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution market. Since then, the company has gone through a significant period of growth, taking poll position in the Irish market and transforming itself to become a high growth diversified healthcare services company. Uniphar floated on the stock market in July of this year raising €135 m on its initial IPO. The group generated revenue of €1.55 billion, gross profit of €1596m and EBITDA of €46.3m on a pro forma basis, in 2018. This summer the company completed the acquisition of Durbin, a leading specialist medical supplier which has facilities in the UK and United States. This acquisition, which was completed ahead of schedule, ensures that Uniphar is well placed to become a global leader in the provision of product access solutions to speciality pharmaceutical organisations.
Valeo Foods
Valeo Foods Group is a leading international food business that has built three significant growth platforms; the UK, Europe, and Ireland, each with its own diverse portfolio of leading food brands. Our brands, which include the iconic Rowse honey, Kettle crisps and Jacob’s biscuits, have histories that stretch back over 150 years. This heritage and their strong appeal to consumers is what makes them stand out as category leaders.
Viatel
Viatel is the leading Irish owned end to end technology company, the group includes Digiweb, Viatel and more recently includes the acquired ActionPoint business, who are the leading digital transformation service provider in Ireland. Viatel have customers across almost every sector in Ireland, which include Voxpro, Centric Health, Chill Insurance and the National Lottery. Viatel have over 260 team members with offices in Dublin, Dundalk and Limerick. We are disruptors in the comms and technology space and would love to engage with you and your team on your next tech related project: getstarted@viatel.com
WiseTek
Businesses today are increasingly more aware of the need to enhance their processes regarding the disposition of IT assets, comply with new data protection regulations, adhere to e-waste management best practices and embrace a more circular economy model for sustainable IT re-use. Wisetek is one of the few vendors worldwide that can uniquely offer customers a complete one stop solution to meet all these requirements. Founded on the principle of lean manufacturing, Wisetek’s culture of flexibility and operational quality, combined with a full lifecycle solution, manufacturing assembly, forward, and reverse logistics, e-waste recycling and IT asset disposition services is what distinguishes us in the market. Our global network of certified processing facilities delivers worldwide excellence, security, compliance and competitiveness for our customers and reinforces our commitment to offering a global end to end service. To enhance the use of a circular economy model, Wisetek has created its own Ecommerce store www.wisetekstore.com to ensure that everyone has access to quality IT product at an affordable price, whilst giving devices further opportunity for Re-use.
Workhuman
Workhuman is a multinational company co-headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts and Dublin, pioneering the human workplace with Social Recognition and Continuous Performance Development software solutions. In 2020, the company became the latest Irish tech firm to reach unicorn status, with a valuation of $1.2 billion.
Workvivo
Workvivo is a new breed of employee communication platform designed to build natural, meaningful connections in teams while helping companies reach and engage their employees in ways that traditional tools simply can’t. Workvivo brings your people together, wherever they are. It’s your intranet, internal comms tool, employee app, all merged into one familiar social experience at the very heart of your digital workplace. With annual growth of over 200% year-on-year, 1,00,000+ users across more than 87 countries, and customers ranging from Fortune 500 companies to tech startups, Workvivo is on a mission – to elevate everyone’s workplace experience. To date, Workvivo has received backing from Tiger Global, Frontline Ventures, Zoom founder Eric Yuan and Enterprise Ireland. Workvivo is headquartered in Cork, Ireland. For more information, please visit https://www.workvivo.com.
