REVEALED: What the top Dorset firms pay staff, the best paid director and annual turnover

A new guide to the 500 biggest companies in the south reveals much about the state of some of the area's best-known names in business.

But it also delivers an “amber light” warning for the region’s economy.

Across the south, the combined turnover of the top 500 companies stood at £537billion last year, roughly level with the previous year – but combined operating profits were down sharply from £35.9bn to £25.2bn.

In the Bournemouth area, the combined turnover of the top six businesses was slightly up from £3.2bn to £3.3bn, with the biggest earner LV= reporting sales down from £2.3bn to £2.2bn.

Tim Walker, managing director of Taylor Made Computer Solutions, which commissioned the report, said: “These results make fascinating reading, and show a very uncertain pattern across the region.

“I’d still describe the mood in the south as one of cautious optimism, and there is evidence that the recovery is continuing, but the pattern of growth is more inconsistent than we would prefer.

“I would say these results are an amber rather than red light for the economy. That said, it is almost impossible to overestimate the impact that these huge companies have on the region.

“They provide thousands of jobs and contribute billions of pounds to the region each year, ensuring that the south continues to be rightly seen as a great place to live, work and do business.”

He added: “We are very proud to present this list, which is the result of months of painstaking research and provides a definitive and very clear picture of the performance of businesses in our region.

“The sheer scale and scope of the report is a reminder of how many of the country’s biggest and most profitable companies choose to base themselves here in the South.”

The list below covers the local companies in the top 500, along with some best elsewhere who are major employers locally.

Taylor Made Computer Solutions based its table on the latest audited accounts available by February 12 this year.

• #13 Nationwide Building Society, based in Swindon but employing more than 1,000 people locally.

Turnover: £5.79bn up 0.2 per cent from £5.78bn.

Pre-tax profit: £1.04bn up 54.2 per cent from £0.67bn.

Staff numbers: 15,645, up 2.9 per cent from 15,209.

Average pay £33,877, up 2.6 per cent from £33,007.

Highest paid director: £3.27m, up 27.5 per cent from £2.57m.

• #36. Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society Ltd, County Gates.

Turnover: £2.26bn, down 2.3 per cent from £2.31bn Pre-tax profit £37m, down 76.3 per cent from £156m.

Staff numbers: 5,889, up 2.2 per cent from 5,763.

Average pay £35,150, down 0.7 per cent from £35,398.

Highest paid director: £1.66m, down 29.5pc from £2.36m.

• #46 Cobham, specialist manufacturer, Wimborne Turnover £1.85bn, up 3.5 per cent from £1.78bn Pre-tax profit £24.3m, down 80.8 per cent from £126m.

Staff numbers: 10,941, up 8.4 per cent from 10,090.

Average pay £47,519, down 3.5 per cent from £49,257.

Highest paid director: £1.19m, down 41.9pc from £2.05m

• # 51. Siemens plc, manufacturer, based at Camberley but employing 500 people in Poole.

Turnover £1.7bn, down 36.4 per cent from £2.68bn Pre-tax profit £135.4m, up 17.6pc from £115.1m.

Average pay £50,155, up 0.2 per cent from £50,044.

Highest paid director: £753,000, down 40.4 per cent from £1.26m.

• #53. Meggitt PLC, manufacturer, Christchurch Turnover £1.55bn, down 5.1 per cent from £1,63bn.

Pre-tax profit £208.9m, down 22.5 per cent from £269.4m.

Staff numbers: 10,685, down 3.2 per cent from 11,035.

Average pay £40,683, up 1.8 per cent from £39,964.

Highest paid director: £1.23m, down 21.9 per cent from £1.57m.

• #56. New Look Retail Group, clothes retailer, Weymouth.

Turnover £1.41bn, up 3.3 per cent from £1.36bn.

Pre-tax profit £50.6m, up 144.4pc from £20.7m.

Average pay £17,245, up six per cent from £16,272.

Highest paid director: £900,000, down 43.8 per cent from £1.6m.

• #62. Merlin Entertainments, theme park operator, Poole.

Turnover: £1.24bn, up 4.8 per cent from £1.19bn.

Pre-tax profit: £226m, up 31.4 per cent from £172m.

Staff numbers: 17,327, up 6.4 per cent from 16,285.

Average pay £15,352, down two per cent from £15,659 Highest paid director: not listed.

• #162. McCarthy & Stone, retirement developer, Bournemouth.

Turnover £485.7m, up 25.2 per cent from £387.8m.

Operating profit £80.9m, up 41.7 per cent from £57.1m.

Staff numbers: 1,044, up 10.8 per cent from 942.

Average pay £48,180, down 2.8 per cent from £49,575.

Highest paid director: £700,000, unchanged

• #174. Fitness First Finance Ltd, gym operator, Poole.

Turnover: £469.3m, down 8.2 per cent from £511.4m.

Pre-tax loss of £36.7m, cut 41 per cent from £61.3m.

Staff numbers: 6,935, down five per cent from 7,299.

Average pay £20,392, up one per cent from £20,190.

Highest paid director: £1.11m, up 40.3 pc from £796,000.

• #249. Lush Cosmetics Ltd, cosmetics manufacturer/retailer, Poole.

Turnover: £282.6m, up 0.9 per cent from £280.2m.

Pre-tax profit £23.2m, up eight per cent from £21.5m.

Staff numbers: 4,985, down 12.2 per cent from 4,443.

Average pay £18,857, down 8.3 per cent from £20,559.

Highest paid director: £156,000, down 12.4 per cent from £178,000

• #273. Westover Holdings Ltd, car dealerships, Bournemouth

Turnover: £249.3m, up 17.7 per cent from £211.8m.

Operating profit £6.4m, up 9.3 per cent from £5.8m.

Staff numbers: 675, up 22.5 per cent from 551.

Average pay £23,771, down 4.4 per cent from £24,861.

Highest paid director £202,891, down 1.9 per cent from £206,916.

• #301 Sunseeker International (Holdings) Ltd, boat manufacturer, Poole.

Turnover: £199.5m, down 17.8 per cent, from £242.6m.

Pre-tax loss: £38.6m, up 76.6 per cent from £21.9m.

Staff numbers: 2,112, down 4.5 per cent from 2,212 Average pay £31,491, down 2.1 per cent from £30,844 Highest paid director £205,000, down 83.3 per cent from £1.22m.

• #376. Churchill Retirement plc, retirement developer, Ringwood.

Turnover: £142.7m, up 53.3 per cent from £93.1m.

Pre-tax profit £38.7m, up 134.1 per cent from £16.5m.

Staff numbers: 420, up 18.3 per cent from 355.

Average pay £50,538, up 45.7 per cent from £34,687.

Highest paid director £2.04m, up 185.6 per cent. from £715,994

• #377. Sigma-Aldrich Company Ltd, Gillingham, specialist/chemical manufacturer.

Turnover: £142.5m, up 3.9 per cent from £137.1m.

Pre-tax profit: £16.2m, up 31.5 per cent from £12.3m.

Staff numbers: 581, down 6.6 per cent from 622.

Average pay £33,831, up 2.1 per cent from £33,151.

Highest paid director £168,000, up 32.3 per cent from £715,994.

• #380 Hobbycraft Group Ltd, Christchurch, retailer.

Turnover: £141m, up 8.9 per cent from £129.5m.

Pre-tax Loss of £14.7m, cut 30pc from £21.1m.

Staff numbers: 1,084, up 3.4 per cent from 1,048.

Average pay £20,995, down one per cent from £21,203.

Highest paid director £298,000, up 7.6 per cent from £277,000.

• #423. The National Lighting Company Ltd, Poole, distributor.

Turnover: £122.1m, up 0.4 per cent from £121.6m.

Operating profit: £6.3m, up 9.5 per cent from £5.7m.

Staff numbers: 527, up 6.5 per cent from 495.

Average pay £25,719, down 9.7pc from £28,479.

Highest paid director: Not listed.

• #443 Beale Ltd Bournemouth, retailer (figures date from before last year's takeover) Turnover: £116.2m, down 3.6 per cent from £120.5m.

Pre-tax loss of £4.6m, down 212 per cent from £4.1m profit.

Staff numbers: 1,482, up 7.5 per cent from 1,378.

Average pay: £10,701, down 3.4 per cent from £11,073.

Highest paid director £372,000, up 12 per cent from £332,000.

• #449 Magellan Aerospace Bournemouth, manufacturer.

Turnover: £113m, down 0.3 per cent from £113.6m.

Pre-tax profit: £7.5m, down 17 per cent from £9m.

Staff numbers: 783, up 4.3pc from 751.

Average pay £29,494, down 11.9pc from£33,466 Highest paid director £194,384, down 0.6 per cent from £195,537.

• #450 AIM Aviation Holdings Ltd, trading as AIM Altitude, Bournemouth Airport, aircraft interiors.

Turnover: £112.2m, down 4.5 per cent from £117.5m.

Pre-tax loss of £10.7m, 283.6 per cent down from £5.8m profit.

Staff numbers: 872, up 8.1 per cent from 807.

Average pay £34,771, up 3.2 per cent from £33,693.

Highest paid director £285,000, up two per cent from £279,429.

• #461 Manitou UK Ltd, Verwood, materials handling equipment manufacturer/distributor.

Turnover: £109.8m, up 46 per cent from £72.2m.

Pre-tax profit: £2.2m, up 93.3 per cent from £1.13m.

Staff numbers: 40, up 5.3 per cent from 38.

Average pay £45,000, up 10.2 per cent from £40,842.

Highest paid director £156,000, up 14.7 per cent from £136,000

• #463.Hall & Woodhouse, Blandford, brewery and soft drinks manufacturer.

Turnover: £109.4m, up 6.4pc from £102.8m.

Pre-tax profit: £7.7m, up 10.5 per cent from £7m.

Staff numbers: 1,428, down 2.5 per cent from 1,465.

Average pay £17,377, up 6.4 per cent from £16,334.

Highest paid director £401,000, up 2.3 per cent from £392,000.

• #466. Kondor Ltd, Christchurch, consumer electronics accessories distributor.

Turnover: £107.7m, up 20.4 per cent from £89.5m.

Pre-tax profit: £8.2m, down 31.3 per cent from £11.9m.

Staff numbers: 227, up 16.4 per cent from 195.

Average pay £26,577, up 1.1 per cent from £26,293.

Highest paid director £869,000, up 281.2 pc from £227,969

• #470 RNLI Trading Ltd, Poole, lifeboat, safety equipment.

Turnover: £106.8m, down 10.3 per cent from £119m.

Pre-tax profit: £1.27m, down 49.7 per cent from £2.53m.

Staff numbers: 365, down 0.3 per cent from 366.

Average pay £24,299, up 5.3 per cent from £23,066.

Highest paid director: not listed.

• #479. Sandown Dorset & Wiltshire Ltd, Poole, car dealerships, formerly Jacksons Bournemouth.

Turnover: £103.6m, up 13 per cent from £91,6m.

Pre-tax profit: £1.06m up 0.8 per cent from £1.05m.

Staff numbers: 193, up 4.3 per cent from 185.

Average pay £26,725, down 2.7 per cent from £27,476.

Highest paid director: Not listed.

• #490 Raymond Brown Group, Ringwood, construction, civil engineering, aggregate extraction.

Turnover: £100.7m, up 17.9 per cent from £85.5m.

Operating profit: £2.2m, up 37 per cent from £1.6m.

Staff numbers: 461, down 11.6 per cent from 413.

Average pay £35,380, up 2.9 per cent from £34,380.

Highest paid director £173,000, up 38.4 per cent from £125,000 The complete list can be found at tmcs.co.uk/Top-500