CRN Profit Index: The UK's 30 most profitable VARs

The likes of Computacenter, Softcat and CDW are joined by some lesser-known names in our inaugural ranking of the UK's top VARs, MSPs and consultancies by profitability

They say that sales are vanity and profits are sanity, and the 30 firms in our inaugural Profit Index have all demonstrated they are doing more than bringing in empty revenues at a time when margins are being severely squeezed.

The top 100 resellers, MSPs and consultancies that CRN tracks saw average net profit margins drop steeply from 3.1 to 1.8 per cent in their most recent financial years on record.

Outside the top 100, margins held up, with average profit margins among the wider VAR 300 actually rising fractionally, from 2.8 to 3.0 per cent.

In contrast, the 30 firms in our inaugural Profit Index boast average net profit margins of a blistering 14.2 per cent and raked in total net profits of £300m.

The Profit Index forms part of CRN's Rising Stars Report, which highlights some of the most profitable, highest-growth and most innovative firms in the UK channel. The report can be viewed here.

The Profit Index is based on a combination of net profits and net profit margins, meaning that the likes of Softcat, Computacenter and CDW are joined by some lesser-known names with which not everyone will be familiar. All figures in the report are based on VAR 300, which is available to subscribers of CRN Essential.