Top British companies in India: There are more than 635 British companies in India and this article discusses the Top British companies in India like Unilever, Cadbury, JCB, Barclays, etc., and their contribution to this country’s economy.
Globalization impacted India in 1991, when IMF under the New Economic Policy opened up the Indian market and industries to the outside world. In this context we see various foreign companies establishing their presence in India and contributing to India’s economy through their investments and job creation.
Let’s start.
British Companies in India
British companies have had a long-standing presence in India. Given India and Britain’s shared colonial past, we find that many important British companies have come up since the New Economic Policy in 1991 and significantly contributed to India’s economy. The top British Companies and their contribution to various economic sectors in India are discussed below in detail.
List of Top British Companies in India
Given below in tabular form is the list of Top British Companies in India based on their economic contribution to the country. Please note that these companies are listed based on their market share and job creation as well:
|
S.No.
|
Name of British Company based in India
|
Company Type
|
Industry
|
|
1.
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JCB India Ltd
|
MNC
|
Construction, Infrastructure, Electronics, Batteries, Power, Green Energy, Engineering
|
|
2.
|
Barclays Bank
|
MNC
|
BFSI, Fintech
|
|
3.
|
Standard Chartered Bank
|
MNC
|
BFSI, Fintech
|
|
4.
|
Price WaterhouseCoopers Pvt Ltd (PWC )
|
MNC
|
Consulting
|
|
5.
|
Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd
|
MNC
|
Automobile, Auto Ancillaries, Electric Vehicle & Dealers
|
|
6.
|
G4S Secure Solutions India Pvt Ltd
|
MNC
|
Security, Safety, Facility Management
|
|
7.
|
Cadbury
|
MNC
|
Food, FMCG
|
|
8.
|
Cairn Energy
|
Industry Top
|
Petroleum, Oil, Gas, Refineries
|
|
9.
|
Capita India Pvt Ltd
|
MNC
|
ITES – BPO, KPO, LPO, MT
|
|
10.
|
Unilever
|
India’s Top 500
|
Food, FMCG
|
Largest British Company in India – JCB India Ltd
J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB) is a British manufacturer who makes equipment for construction, agriculture, waste handling etc. JCB was founded in 1945 in Staffordshire, England and JCB India is a subsidiary of the British company formed in 1979. The company makes construction and heavy machinery like excavators, compactors, skid steer loaders, super loaders, generators etc. and is established in not just India, but also its neighboring countries. JCB India are the leading supplier of heavy machinery all over India and extremely crucial for construction and real estate property.
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Industry
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Construction, Infrastructure, Co-working, Electrical, Electronics, Batteries, Power, Green Energy, Engineering
|
|
Sub-Industry
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Construction Machinery, Machineries, Instruments, Electrical, Electronics, Power Infrastructure
|
|
Company Type
|
Multi National Company (MNC)
|
|
Founded in
|
1979
|
Second Largest British Company in India – Barclays Bank
Barclays is an important British multinational bank; It is one of the longest standing investment banks in the world, founded in 1960 in London and originally called “Goldsmith Bank”. The operations of Barclays are global as it provides a wide range of facilities to its customers like investment banking, retail banking etc. Barclays has had a branch present in India since 1990 and has had a major hand in growth of Corporate Banking and Investment Banking in India. Barclays has helped Indian economy grow by infusing a significant amount of capital into the economy.
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Industry
|
Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), Fintech
|
|
Sub-Industry
|
Banks
|
|
Company Type
|
Multi National Company (MNC)
|
|
Founded In
|
1690
|
Third Largest British Company in India – Standard Chartered Bank
|
Industry
|
Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), Fintech
|
|
Sub-Industry
|
Banks
|
|
Company Type
|
Multi National Company (MNC)
|
|
Founded In
|
1969
|
Standard Chartered is a multinational bank, based in the UK that offers institutional banking, and treasury services to its customers. The bank offers a wide range of services globally, more than the UK and hence a majority profit of this bank comes from its operation in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It was the first foreign company that got listed in India in 2010 and is India’s largest international bank with 99 branches in 42 cities.
Fourth Largest British Company in India – Price WaterhouseCoopers Pvt Ltd (PWC)
PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is a global group of firms functioning as partnerships under one brand aka PwC who offer professional audit services. This British based company is listed as the second-largest professional services network in the world. The company has a strong presence in India and has helped greatly to job creation in the tertiary sector for the country’s young workforce. This company offers services like audit, consulting, and advisory services to its customers worldwide.
|
Industry
|
Consulting
|
|
Sub-Industry
|
Management, Accounting, Taxation
|
|
Company Type
|
Multi National Company (MNC)
|
|
Founded In
|
1998
|
Fifth Largest British Company in India – Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is an automobile company originating in Britain that makes luxury vehicles (Jaguar and Land Rover) and sports utility vehicles worldwide. Land Rover especially has been hailed as a superior SUV brand. JLR has manufacturing plants and operations in India and many other countries, where it assembles some of its vehicles and their parts. JLR deals with design, development, manufacture and sale of its vehicles.
|
Industry
|
Automobile, Auto Ancillaries, Electric Vehicle & Dealers
|
|
Sub-Industry
|
Automobiles
|
|
Company Type
|
Multi National Company (MNC)
|
|
Founded In
|
2008
|
Sixth Largest British Company in India – G4S Secure Solutions India Pvt Ltd
G4S Secure Solutions is a British security services company with a worldwide presence that provides a variety of security services. It has over 131 Branches, Hub and Area Offices across India. This company caters to clients like Diplomatic Missions, IT Industry, MNC’s, Hotels, Airlines & Airports, Malls etc. by providing them professionally trained security personnel and other services like electronic surveillance, risk consulting, and cash management. It has a strong presence in India with a wide ranging clientele from the government to private sector.
|
Industry
|
Security, Safety, Facility Management
|
|
Sub-Industry
|
Security Services
|
|
Company Type
|
Multi National Company (MNC)
|
|
Founded In
|
1901
|
Seventh Largest British Company in India – Cadbury
Cadbury is a world famous confectionery company, originating from the UK. The British company is famous for its chocolate products like Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Creme Egg, dairy milk silk etc. It came to be popularized in India after being acquired by Mondelez International, a global food services company, headquartered in Mumbai. All Cadbury products are extremely popular among the Indian general public and can be found in every small store across the country, indicating the success of the company.
|
Industry
|
Food, FMCG
|
|
Sub-Industry
|
FMCG
|
|
Company Type
|
Multi National Company (MNC)
|
|
Founded In
|
1824
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Eighth Largest British Company in India – Cairn Energy
Cairn Energy is an oil and gas exploration company founded in 1981 originating in the UK and Cairn Oil & Gas Vedanta Limited is its subsidiary company aka the biggest private sector crude oil producer in India. This company accounts for more than one fourth of India’s domestic crude oil production. Crude Oil in this day and age is the economic backbone of any country, given its usage in a wide range of industries and across different sectors. Hence this company has been really significant for India’s economic growth globally.
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Industry
|
Petroleum, Oil, Gas, Refineries
|
|
Sub-Industry
|
Exploration, Production, Storage
|
|
Company Type
|
Industry Top
|
|
Founded In
|
1981
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Ninth Largest British Company in India – Capita India Pvt Ltd
Capita India is a big player in the Indian outsourcing industry and it comes from the parent company, Capita plc which is a global business process outsourcing (BPO) company based in UK. Capita India, classified as a private unlisted company, provides quality services in areas like customer service, finance, accounting, human resources and IT services to its clients in the country and outside of it.
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Industry
|
ITES – BPO, KPO, LPO, MT
|
|
Sub-Industry
|
BPO, KPO, Call Centre
|
|
Company Type
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Multi National Company (MNC)
|
|
Founded In
|
2004
|
Tenth Largest British Company in India – Unilever
Mumbai based company Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is popular final good company known for a wide range of products including food, beverages, cleaning agents, beauty and personal care products and other FMCGs. It originates from the British company Unilever, that offers similar worldwide services. HUL has positively impacted the Indian economy with its job creation and the production of various consumer goods, thereby making it a profitable venture for India.
|
Industry
|
Food, FMCG
|
|
Sub-Industry
|
FMCG
|
|
Company Type
|
India’s Top 500
|
|
Founded In
|
1930
|
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Conclusion
India opened up its economy to the world since the New Economic Policy in 1991, that focused on Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation as the three main ingredients to improve the Indian economic situation,. Many Indian industries were opened up to foreign investors, and we saw a great influx of foreign investment and ventures in India. In this context the British companies in India are even more significant because both India and Britain have a shared colonial past, which they overcame with economic investments in the form of these companies that help the economy of both nations grow. This is a result of capitalism, that came with modernity and India has certainly benefited from it.
FAQs on Top British Companies in India
How have British companies impacted India’s economy?
British companies have impacted India’s economy by contributing to increased employment opportunities, foreign investment, and infrastructure development.
What attracts British companies to do business in India?
Vast consumer market, cost-effective workforce, and opportunities for growth in sectors like technology, manufacturing, and finance attracts many British companies to do business in India.
What types of British companies operate in India?
British companies operating in India cover a diverse sector of services like finance, manufacturing, technology, and healthcare.
What is the biggest British company in India?
Some of the biggest British companies in India are: JCB, Cadbury India , Barclays Bank, G4S Secure Solutions, Unilever, Cairn Energy etc.
How many British companies are in India?
According to various data sources the number of British companies in India is more than 618.
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