The literary meaning of the word “business” is the state of being busy. Technically it involves all those activities that are related to the production and the distribution of goods and services with the objective of earning profits. Some businesses operate on a large scale and some on a smaller scale and follow a carefully devised business plan. The five most profitable businesses in the UK are as follows:
1. British petroleum: The British petroleum more commonly referred to as BP originated in 1909 after a grant for oil search from the shah of Iran in 1901. It is a British oil company. The BP headquarter is located in London, UK. In the private sector this company is amongst the largest energy corporations of the world. In fact it is the third largest energy company in the world and the world’s second largest oil producer. Oil and petrol prices are sky high and still on the rise and it has boosted the BP’s profits. BP has been reported to be like a dream come true for its share holders. The oil reserves at BP appear to be watertight and not only that but the oil business is as profitable as ever. Around fifteen years back the situation was not the same but today the situation is very different. It has reported the highest ever profits recently and has created business opportunity for the investors.
2. Banking: The banking sector comes next in the most profitable business in UK list. There are five leading banks that are the most profitable financial institutions of UK. HSBC bank that is a giant in the banking sector tops the most profitable financial institution list in UK. One fifth of the HSBC profits are made in the UK. In very five pounds a profit of one pound is generated in UK. Its profits are on the increase. A year back it reported a profit of £12.2 billion for the year 2007, as compared to the £11.1 billion of the year before that. Furthermore another sign of the banks strength is that it increased the dividends by 11-90% to its share holders. E-banking, a form of banking is also a very profitable business in UK.
3. Tesco’s form of shopping: Tesco’s form of shopping is one the most profitable businesses of UK and still on the rise. With Tesco’s online shopping one can buy sitting in the comfort of their homes. A wide range of products is available. Namely groceries, books, DVDs, flowers and wine. Not only that but it also provides low cost services like telecoms, travel, gas and electricity etc. you can register with them and become a registered tesco online shopper. They use the information provided to make their services better and to send commercial communication according to the customers’ personal preference. The customers are given preference at the Tesco stores. Be it online or at some Tesco store. They have the club card option available to its customers. For e.g. if the services of online grocery are availed, whenever a tesco store was visited and the grocery that was bought is automatically added to the favorites list. Tesco is fast becoming a house hold name. Not only the online service of shopping is available but Tesco deals in insurances as well and it is a trusted name and attracts countless number of Britons. And hence generates large amounts of profits making it one of the top five most profitable businesses in UK.
4. Holland and Barrets: Holland and Barret is a leading provider of vitamins, mineral and other kinds of health supplements. Drugs are one of the top most profitable businesses to be in in the present times and Holland and Barrets in UK can back this statement. Their stores can be found in almost every major city and they have a very large number of loyal followers. The quality of drugs provided by the Holland and Barrets business is very high quality; they have a team of scientists that work daily with the fine ingredients from all over the world to produce the best quality supplements for the customers of Holland and Barret. Not only that but these high quality oriented supplements are available to the customers at comparatively very cheap prices.
5. E-Books: E-Books are one of the most profitable online businesses in UK and a great way to work at home and make some extra money. Making an e-book may seem like a very difficult task but its not. It’s relatively easy. Many best selling e-books are les than 20 pages so it is not necessary for your first e-book has to be very long. All you have to do in the e- book business is to make a plan and write in the area of your expertise. This way it takes less time to write the e-book and you can work from home and make sizeable profits like many people before you. One does not have to worry about their printing. They can be shipped electronically.
There are a number of business opportunities in UK. The right form of business should be invested in that suits the personal interest and requirements of the investor. The investor should keep abreast of the market and be aware of any businesses for sale that might be of his choice, be it a home business or a commercial business.
