Welcome to the sixth update of the MT/Bain e25, the original and still the most rigorous ranking of the UK's top pureplay net businesses.

A lot has changed since the first e25 hit the streets back in Nov 1999, and to reflect this we have made some changes to our methodology. We have dropped the increasingly irrelevant 'profile' category, and replaced 'concept' and 'traffic' with the more objective 'fundamentals' and 'performance' The overall emphasis has shifted away from the original question of 'what's hot?' towards the more contemporary questions of the prospects for survival and success.

Despite the considerable respect the index has gained in the course of its 18 month lifespan, this will be the last ever e25. E-business is no longer in the start-up phase and we feel it is time to move on.

What remains is a fascinating chronicle of one of the most turbulent business cycles in recent years.


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