InDaily’s annual ranking of the state’s top 100 companies by market capitalisation and revenue covers the 2019/20 financial year – the latter half of which was dominated by the pandemic-induced economic downturn.

The Index will give a good indication of the local economy’s resilience in the face of this unprecedented economic challenge. The data will provide an insightful complement to the State Government’s official economic forecasts, to be revealed in next Tuesday’s State Budget.

The list, which includes the key private sector employers in the state, will also allow an assessment of how each business sector has been impacted over the year.

Beginning on Monday in InDaily with the companies ranked 100 to 81, the countdown will continue all week – with the top 20 and full list revealed on Friday.

InDaily editor David Washington said the pandemic meant the usual business lunch to announce the companies could not be held this year, but he hoped it would return in 2021.

“For six years, the SA Business Index has provided a unique insight into the companies that drive our economy, and we’re pleased to continue that service this year despite the challenges we’ve faced,” he said.

“The really interesting stories to tell will not just be the expected dent in many companies’ bottom lines, but also those businesses that have managed to end the year in better shape than they started.”

To be eligible for inclusion in the list, compiled for InDaily by Adelaide financial services firm Taylor Collison, companies must:

• Be a South Australian entity with an Adelaide ownership register, or be a South Australian operated entity;
• Be a company founded and majority-owned (50.01 per cent plus) by South Australians.

Companies owned in part or whole by government, government agencies and organisations, and registered charities are not eligible.

While companies don’t have to nominate to be included in the list, which is based on market capitalisation, local businesses are encouraged to put their names forward.

Now in its sixth year, the Index has become a key source of data for those with a keen interest in the South Australian economy and business environment.