The figures which form the basis of this article are derived from the published accounts of a ample of around 1,400 of the largest UK companies. Although the theme of the article is the same as that of previous articles in tills series, it is not possible to make direct comparisons with figures published in earlier years because of significant changes to the sample of companies. A fuller description of the data sources and definitions is given at the end of the article. It is intended that in future years tills article will be amalgamated with that analysing company profitability and finance which appears in the August Bulletin.
Profitability of large companies