New business ratio report

"OVER the last three years (1997–2000), leading mining and quarrying companies have seen total sales increase by 7.4% to an average of £31.8 million, while total profits have risen by a slightly faster rate of 9.5% to an average of £3 million in 1999/2000. However, overall the 1997–2000 financial period has been relatively mixed, with three out of four profitability ratios showing overall decreases over the period, albeit with some improvement in the final year. Increasing sales and profits are, nonetheless, promising."

"These are just some of the findings of the latest business ratio report entitled ‘Mining and Quarrying’, published annually by The Prospect Shop, which analyses and compares the financial performance of 127 leading companies operating in the mining and quarrying sector in Great Britain. Covering the last three full accounting years, the report provides individual company analysis, sub-sector analysis (mining companies 29%, quarrying companies 71%) as well as performance averages for the industry as a whole, allowing companies to measure and benchmark their own financial performance against the performance of their main competitors."