17 Bulgarian companies rank among the 500 largest companies in Central and Eastern Europe in 2017. Compared to last year, their number decreased by one, and "Energo-Pro Varna" is the company that debuted for the first time in the Coface ranking.
This is the tenth edition of the study, which ranks top 500 of the largest companies in the region by turnover. It also contains additional data on the number of employees of the companies, as well as on the sectors in which they operate. In the last issue published this week, Bulgaria ranks 7th out of a total of 12, and our country is ranked higher with more companies compared to Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Estonia and Latvia. The total turnover of Bulgarian companies for the past year was 18,552 billion euros and their net profit amounted to 724 million euro. According to their data, there are 23,274 people employed.
Which are the Bulgarian companies that are in the top 500 for the 2017?
The ranking in the first few places is not much different compared to the previous year, with the state-owned company Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) being the highest. This year, however, the company dropped 4 positions down to 29th. For the past year, its turnover is 5.9% up to a total of 3.287 billion euros. After that, the Lukoil Neftochim Burgas and Aurubis Bulgaria respectively are in the top 3, which report a solid growth of their turnover.
The German producer based in Pirdop in Bulgaria is a leader in this respect, with revenues for the last 12 months jumping 55.5 per cent to 2.566 billion euros. The Burgas company, for its part, reported a growth of 24.5% in turnover to 2,863 billion euros. Both companies climb upwards to the 35th and 43rd position respectively. With revenues above 1 billion euros last year, there are also National Electric Company (NEC) and Lukoil Bulgaria. A significant increase in this regard is also registered by the Saksa oil trading specialist. Last year, the company's turnover grew by over 28% to 553 million euros. On the other hand, there are only two companies - Lukoil Bulgaria and CEZ Electro Bulgaria - for the period under review. Two of the companies listed last year are missing in the latest issue. These are Daphne Group and Hufepharma.
"Energy, communications, trade and manufacturing companies maintain their strong positions and remain the backbone of the business in the country." Consumption will continue to be one of the main drivers of growth in Bulgaria, " said Milena Videnova, head of Coface Bulgaria.
How do other countries in CEE perform in the ranking?
Leading companies in the top 500 are Poland with 175 companies, which generated a turnover of 262.3 billion euros in 2017 and a profit of 10.887 billion euros. After that, Hungary and the Czech Republic with 71 and 67 companies are the top three. Fourth is Romania with 56 companies, which generated a profit of 3 billion euros last year. In the ranking, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are the most numerous. These include those in the automotive industry and transport, as well as non-specialized trading companies.
Fore more detailed information visit http://www.coface.com/News-Publications/Publications/Coface-CEE-TOP-500-Companies-2018-Edition
