Harwoods Group is the highest placed franchised dealer group in the Sunday Times’ Top Track 250 countdown of the leading mid-market private companies.

Published yesterday, Harwoods is at number 11, with sales to December 2015 of £553.2 million (up 17% year-on-year) and operating profit of £15.1m (up 15%). It has 867 staff.

At number 14 is Helston Garages with sales of £517.8m (up 10%) and operating profit of £17.3m (up 14%) with 945 staff.

The first independent used car dealer in the 250 countdown is Car Giant at 18. To the end of December 2014 it had sales totalling £465.9m (18%) and profit of £36.8m (20%). Staff number 644.

Other car dealers acknowledged are Park’s Motor Group (number 20), Peter Vardy (22), Glyn Hopkin (24), Dick Lovett (28), Lloyd Motors (34), Robinsons Motor Group (38), Available Car (58), Westover Group (59), People’s (67), Car Shop (112), Hatfields (113), Toomey Group (119), Pentagon (126), Yeomans (140), The Car People (152) and Fish Brothers (210).

Fraser Cohen, Glyn Hopkin managing director, said, “This is Glyn Hopkin’s sixth consecutive listing in the Top Track 250, and the company continues to leap up the rankings every year. To be recognised alongside such prestigious and successful brands is testament to the continued hard work and effort of all our staff.

“Our continued growth has enabled us to expanding into new locations in 2016, with new Renault and Dacia dealerships in St Albans and Colchester, as well as an interim Nissan showroom in North London that precedes a state-of-the-art dealership opening later this year. We remain very ambitious, and we have more facilities than ever before with an even wider range of brands and models.”

Car distributor IM Group is at number seven (£571m/£115.5m and 397 staff).

Topping the Top Track 250 is Virgin Active with sales of £630.5m, operating profit of £68.1m and 13,629 staff. At number 250 is Cosmar Carpets (£115.9m/£7.5m and 259 staff).