Gripple features in the Employee Ownership Top 50 2021 report

13th July 2021

Gripple is pleased to announce they feature in the Employee Ownership Top 50 Report as one of the fifty largest employee-owned companies in the UK, ranking at 19 in the list.

Formed in 1989 and employing over 850 staff, the employee-owned market-leading manufacturer of wire joining and tensioning devices with their headquartered in Sheffield is proud to celebrate employee ownership alongside others in the sector across the UK making the Top 50. 

As part of the Top 50 the business contributes to the positive performance of the top end of the employee ownership sector. There is a combined sales of £21bn, an increase of 6.7, and a 2.8 rise in the number of combined employees - 180,405. 

The Top 50 list, complied by RM2 in partnership with the EOA, covers independent UK-registered companies that are at least 25 owned by their employees on a broad basis and UK subsidiaries of non-UK companies that are more than 75 employee-owned. 

Nigel Mason, Director of the RM2 Partnership said: “It is encouraging that despite a difficult year for many businesses, we can see an increase in both combined sales and employee numbers for the Top 50 employee-owned businesses by size.

“The fact that this sits alongside the sector having a year of unprecedented growth in the number of employee-owned businesses, shows that even more businesses are recognising the power of giving employees a stake and say in the business in which they earn a living.”

The top findings from the report include: 

• Combined sales: £21bn (Up 6.7)
• 180,405 combined employees (up 2.8)
• There are six new entrants – Activate Solutions Group Ltd, Briggs & Forrester (UK) Ltd Cleantec Services Ltd, Punter Southall Group Ltd, Oxford Policy Management Ltd, William Gibbons Group Ltd

Michael Hodgson Chair at GLIDE says: “The resilience, productivity and engagement we’ve seen in our group of businesses over the past 18 months is testament to our employee ownership model. We’re delighted to be part of such a thriving community of forward-thinking organisations which are reaping the benefits of a more inclusive way of doing business. 

“Being one of the Top 50 companies in the UK is a great achievement and our thanks go to our more than 850 owners around the world who continue to drive our business forward.” 

There are 730 businesses that are employee-owned in the UK - a sector that contributes over £21 billion to UK GDP. The sector grew by 30 in 2020. Despite this, the sector’s profile is comparatively low and its potential contribution to the economy is under-exploited as a result.

Deb Oxley, Chief Executive of the EOA, said: “Despite a difficult year where 78 of the sector said they had been affected adversely because of the pandemic, we are still seeing the significant increase in sales and employee numbers in the top end of the employee-owned sector.

“Alongside this, through the stories of our members, we are seeing a trend of resilience, good governance and communications building trust in the business which helps to respond to business shocks, and clear and impactful focus and health and wellbeing that is supporting individual resilience during these testing times. Something that sets them in good stead to be inclusive and resilient in their plans for recovery and renewal.”

To view the full Employee Ownership Top 50 list, please visit: https://employeeownership.co.uk/employee-ownership-top-50-2021/