9 XMA

Revenue: £399.2m (-3%)

Net profit: 2.3% Staff: 435

Known for its public sector pedigree, this Nottingham-based reseller enjoyed "strong" underlying growth in calendar 2020 as its customers spent big on remote working technology. Revenues fell by three per cent to £399.2m, however, due to the recent transfer of its third-party fulfilment business to distribution parent Westcoast.

Shorn of this low-margin business, XMA saw gross profits rise from 9.6 to 11 per cent. This, combined with tight cost control during the pandemic - helped it record its highest ever operating profit last year - namely £11.3m.

Claiming to ship 650,000 orders annually, XMA bills itself as both Google and Apple's top education reseller and the only UK partner to achieve triple-Platinum status with HP. In July 2020, XMA ceased its Viglen assembly business.

Covid impact

Spooked by uncertainty caused by Covid and trading challenges relating to Brexit, XMA said in its strategic report that it "remains cautious" for 2021. It expects revenues to be five per cent down, but gross profit and operating profit to remain flat.