TWO Salisbury firms are featured in a list of the Top 500 Companies in the South, compiled by IT services firm Taylor Made Computer Solutions.

Salisbury-based Heritage Automotive and Foray Holdings Ltd were ranked according to annual turnover, alongside other firms in the list.

The list presents information, taken from audited accounts filed by Companies House before December 2, including sales figures, pre-tax profit, net asset value, number of staff and average salaries.

Heritage Automotive took £142,152,000 in annual turnover, an 8.8 per cent increase on the previous year.

The company saw profits of £1,501,000, employed 445 people and the average salary was £27,927, a 2.5 per cent reduction compared to 2013.

Foray Holdings Ltd’s turnover amounted to £113,511,000, a 0.7 per cent rise on the year before.

Profits came to £765,000, 428 people were employed and the average salary was £18,623.

Overall, the list suggested a bright future for business in the south – thanks to increased sales, higher profits and a rise in staff numbers in the region’s largest firms.

Tim Walker, managing director of Taylor Made Computer Solutions, said: “The overall picture is positive – it shows a slow but steady rise in turnover and profit as the economy continues to pick up.

“What’s also striking is how much the south’s largest companies contribute – not just in pure financial terms but also in the phenomenal number of people they employ and their contributions to charity and their local communities.

“It’s also a reminder of just how many of the country’s largest companies choose to base themselves in the South, a fact which the business community here justifiably takes a great deal of pride in.”

The Top 500 firms collectively increased sales by three per cent over the year, employed 2.8 million people and improved pre-tax net