2011 - Fast Track 100 League Table
What is the Fast Track 100 – 2011?
The Fast Track 100 league table ranked Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing sales in 2011 over their latest three years. To find out more about the research and to view all the league tables from 1997 to 2023 click here.
Sunday Times Fast Track 100 - Full 2011 Results
Rank | Company | Activity | Location | Year end | Annual sales rise over 3 years | Latest sales £000s | Staff | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Clinigen Group | Pharmaceutical services provider | Burton on Trent | Jun 11 | 242.05% | 35,024 | 48 | Added £23m in sales this year through acquisitions |
2 | Secured Mail | Bulk mail service provider | Warrington | Jul 10 | 232.76% | 32,556 | 61 | Collects 400m letters nationwide each year |
3 | Diet Chef | Diet meal retailer | Edinburgh | Jul 11 | 228.69% | 11,852 | 45 | Founder’s first job was as personal chef to the Mountbatten family [* Latest sales] |
4 | Mobile Account Solutions | Phone and tablet provider | Hertfordshire | Mar 11 | 194.45% | 27,331 | 10 | Supplies mobile phones to Childline and Amnesty International |
5 | TopCashback | Cashback website operator | Staffordshire | Jan 11 | 189.27% | 15,512 | 17 | Claims that the average customer receives £50 cashback per year |
6 | Medstrom | NHS product supplier | Derbyshire | Feb 11 | 166.72% | 5,543 | 75 | Supplies high-tech cots that can x-ray and weigh critically ill children [* Latest sales] |
7 | Côte Restaurants | Restaurant operator | Central London | Jul 11 | 166.35% | 35,583 | 894 | Backed by Richard Caring and is run by the former owners of the Strada restaurant chain |
8 | Veetee Foods | Packaged food manufacturer | Kent | Dec 10 | 163.83% | 11,145 | 38 | Sells 25m trays of premium ready-cooked rice each year |
9 | Notonthehighstreet.com | Online retail marketplace | Richmond | Dec 10 | 154.65% | 15,080 | 45 | Estimates that it has received £50m in free PR from free press coverage [* Latest sales] |
10 | Lois Jewellery | Jewellery wholesaler & bullion dealer | Birmingham | Mar 10 | 150.13% | 263,009 | 12 | Melts down about 150kg of gold each day |
11 | AES International | Financial services provider | West London | Apr 11 | 144.89% | 5,471 | 19 | Started out providing financial advice for expats in hazardous regions and professions |
12 | Austin Fraser | Recruitment consultancy | Reading | Feb 11 | 142.12% | 7,101 | 28 | Its first office was a garage owned by the father of one of the founders [* Latest sales] |
13 | Be Wiser Insurance | Insurance broker | Andover | May 11 | 139.07% | 12,148 | 141 | Checks more than 30 insurance companies when searching for quotes for customers |
14 | Electricity Network Solutions | Electricity infrastructure servicer | Northamptonshire | Sep 10 | 136.05% | 9,735 | 115 | Refurbished 900km of overhead electricity lines last year [† Latest sales] |
15 | Staysure.co.uk | Over-fifties insurance provider | Northampton | Dec 10 | 134.01% | 14,583 | 62 | Operates an expatriate office in Spain [* Latest sales] |
16 | Pho | Vietnamese restaurant chain | Central London | Feb 11 | 132.59% | 5,374 | 130 | Up to 2,000 people are served freshly cooked dishes at its Westfield site each day [* Latest sales] |
17 | Actegy Health | Home healthcare devices | Ascot | Jun 11 | 130.44% | 22,911 | 27 | Has recently opened a new office in Montreal [* Latest sales] |
18 | sofa.com | Online sofa retailer | Southwest London | Feb 10 | 128.82% | 6,852 | 37 | Paid $200,000 for its internet domain name |
19 | Mobile Phone Xchange | Mobile phone recycler | Northwest London | Dec 10 | 128.01% | 10,235 | 18 | Claims to pay on average £57 to customers for their old mobile phones [* Latest sales] |
20 | Baird & Co | Bullion merchant | East London | Dec 10 | 115.27% | 417,167 | 53 | Makes 50,000 wedding rings a year |
21 | First Utility | Energy supplier | Warwick | Dec 10 | 114.53% | 60,537 | 145 | Its smart meters send out readings of electricity usage every 30 minutes |
22 | Liquid Friday | Payroll services provider | Portsmouth | Jul 11 | 112.72% | 31,405 | 1,450 | Provides financial services to contractors and temporary workers [* Latest sales] |
23 | La Fosse Associates | Technology recruitment consultancy | Central London | Sep 11 | 109.08% | 11,294 | 38 | Supports 250 children in a Malawi orphanage [* Latest sales] |
24 | feelunique.com | Online beauty products retailer | Jersey | Mar 11 | 105.50% | 16,056 | 118 | Gives its VIP club customers 10% off their favourite brand for life [* Latest sales] |
25 | Ella’s Kitchen | Baby food producer | Henley | Jun 11 | 99.89% | 30,289 | 35 | Claims that one of its products is eaten somewhere every second [* Latest sales] |
26 | Your Golf Travel.com | Golf travel retailer | Central London | Dec 10 | 99.28% | 26,405 | 59 | Has set up Golf for Heroes, which allows injured soldiers to play golf for free |
27 | Ashbury Construction Services | Building contractor | Ipswich | Mar 11 | 99.05% | 6,178 | 11 | Founder started in the building trade as a bricklayer at the age of 16 [* Latest sales] |
28 | Global Personals | Online dating service provider | Windsor | Aug 10 | 98.41% | 13,693 | 77 | Says it has created more than 6,000 dating websites for 1,400 companies |
29 | BullionVault.com | Gold dealer | West London | Oct 10 | 94.51% | 304,248 | 17 | Founded when Gordon Brown, as chancellor, sold off half of Britain’s gold reserve |
30 | Surfdome.com | Online lifestyle retailer | Wembley | Dec 10 | 92.11% | 7,261 | 50 | Founder originally planned to open an indoor surf centre |
31 | Fever-Tree | Mixer drinks manufacturer | Southwest London | Dec 10 | 91.13% | 6,664 | 11 | Says it uses the highest quality quinine sourced from Congolese ‘fever trees’ |
32 | DatacenterDynamics | Publisher & conference producer | Central London | Dec 10 | 90.12% | 10,331 | 70 | 2,500 delegates attended the company’s annual London conference this year [* Latest sales] |
33 | Pathology Group | Recruitment consultancy | Central London | Sep 11 | 89.17% | 35,964 | 52 | Donates funds to hospitals in the Czech Republic to buy equipment [* Latest sales] |
34 | Joseph Joseph | Household goods manufacturer | Central London | May 11 | 88.06% | 22,475 | 37 | Its colourful kitchenware has been a recent hit with customers in Mexico [* Latest sales] |
35 | Fideliti | Childcare voucher administrator | Warrington | Mar 11 | 86.76% | 41,298 | 19 | Customers for its vouchers include employees of Virgin Trains and Heinz |
36 | Shortlist Media | Magazine / digital publisher | Central London | Aug 11 | 86.28% | 15,263 | 78 | Co-founded by the former editor of FHM magazine [* Latest sales] |
37 | GRITIT | Winter gritting specialist | Uxbridge | Sep 10 | 82.98% | 5,176 | 100 | Founders met on a gritting job and thought they could do better [* Latest sales] |
38 | RED5 | Gift and gadget retailer | Hull | Mar 10 | 81.80% | 10,824 | 205 | Products include a rubber duck speaker for listening to music in the bath |
39 | Make It Cheaper | Business cost saving service | Central London | Mar 10 | 78.77% | 5,024 | 62 | This price comparison service claims to broker 90,000 contracts a year [* Latest sales] |
40 | MPM products | Pet food producer | Cheshire | Dec 10 | 78.15% | 8,702 | 20 | Premium cat food varieties include tuna-and-ostrich |
41 | Lifetime | Training provider | Bristol | Mar 11 | 77.75% | 23,639 | 239 | Has extended its fitness training services to retailing, hospitality and care provision |
42 | State Oil | Fuel wholesaler | Weybridge | Feb 11 | 77.38% | 419,681 | 92 | Blends imported diesel with up to 50% biofuel at its facility on the Thames |
43 | Miroma | Media barter company | Central London | Jun 11 | 76.94% | 50,555 | 15 | Enables clients to trade inventory for advertising space [* Latest sales] |
44 | Mayday Healthcare | Recruitment consultancy | Central London | Sep 10 | 72.65% | 56,768 | 102 | Makes its fourth consecutive appearance in the Fast Track 100 |
45 | APS Salads | Tomato supplier | Cheshire | Dec 10 | 72.19% | 34,979 | 84 | Sells 300m tomatoes each year to British supermarkets |
46 | Liquid Personnel | Recruitment consultancy | Manchester | Mar 11 | 70.79% | 12,442 | 24 | Co-founder sold his car to raise the money to start the business |
47 | Amber Taverns | Pub operator | Preston | Jan 11 | 70.49% | 18,494 | 15 | Often spends more on refurbishing a pub than on the purchase price |
48 | Clinical Professionals | Recruitment consultancy | Reading | Apr 11 | 69.92% | 5,471 | 62 | Makes placements in 22 countries [* Latest sales] |
49 | Markit | Financial information services | City of London | Dec 10 | 69.86% | 432,524 | 1,736 | Recently launched an iPad app to help its clients monitor financial data on the move |
50 | Low Cost Travel Group | Travel operator | West Sussex | Oct 10 | 69.79% | 27,054 | 145 | Claims to have become the exclusive holiday supplier to easyJet and Lastminute.com |
51 | Oliver James Associates | Recruitment consultancy | Central London | Dec 10 | 68.65% | 17,592 | 50 | Founded by childhood friends James Wase-Rogers, Oliver Castle and Nick Godson |
52 | Patisserie Valerie | Patisserie and cafe operator | Birmingham | Sep 10 | 67.79% | 33,424 | 1,027 | In the past 18 months the company has created more than 500 jobs |
53 | SDK Jewellers | Online watch retailer | Reading | Feb 11 | 67.66% | 8,630 | 30 | Operates Watchshop.com, which claims to stock 9,000 different watches [* Latest sales] |
54 | International Applications | Industrial & consumer goods distributor | Oxfordshire | Mar 11 | 66.94% | 16,433 | 22 | Exports goods across Europe, Africa and the Middle East |
55 | Climate Energy | Energy efficiency consultancy | Essex | Jul 10 | 66.94% | 30,880 | 63 | Began offering energy advice on behalf of local authorities in Essex [† Latest sales] |
56 | Badger Office Supplies | Office products supplier | Lancashire | May 11 | 66.55% | 9,683 | 51 | Has recently invested £3m in a new 80,000 sq ft industrial unit |
57 | OneE Tax | Tax planning specialist | Bolton | Dec 10 | 66.24% | 17,536 | 35 | Its last tax solution cost £1m to create, most of which was spent on lawyers’ fees [† Latest sales] |
58 | Chain Reaction Cycles | Online bike retailer | County Antrim | Dec 10 | 66.01% | 109,420 | 365 | Sponsored the International Triathlon Union World Championship Series in 2011 |
59 | GBE | Building services provider | Kent | Sep 10 | 64.48% | 13,331 | 16 | Installed mechanical pipes 90cm in diameter for the Olympic village |
60 | Euro Communications Distribution | Telecoms reseller | Wolverhampton | Mar 11 | 63.58% | 8,823 | 40 | Recycles 5,000 mobile phones a week [* Latest sales] |
61 | Nexus Vehicle Rental | Vehicle rental broker | Leeds | Sep 10 | 62.84% | 33,504 | 73 | Sourced refuse trucks for use in an episode of the BBC’s The Apprentice |
62 | Cartridge Save | Computer consumables reseller | Stockport | Dec 10 | 61.65% | 8,221 | 31 | Uses techniques designed for testing fighter jets to sell printer cartridges online [* Latest sales] |
63 | Jack Wills | Fashion retailer | Northwest London | Jan 11 | 61.14% | 92,230 | 1,870 | Company was named after a grandfather of one of the co-founders |
64 | Grand Union | Venue and bar operator | Central London | Mar 11 | 61.00% | 7,495 | 228 | Its Wandsworth branch has a 48-foot bar surrounding an oak tree [* Latest sales] |
65 | Sprue Aegis | Safety products manufacturer | Coventry | Dec 10 | 60.22% | 29,873 | 72 | Has developed a carbon monoxide sensor the size of a pound coin |
66 | Timothy James Consulting | Recruitment consultancy | Bristol | Oct 10 | 60.08% | 16,823 | 70 | Helps recruit finance directors for public and private companies |
67 | Mammoth Screen | Television programme producer | Central London | Oct 10 | 59.91% | 8,228 | 10 | Makers of the Inspector Morse prequel, Endeavour |
68 | TXO Systems | Telecoms infrastructure reseller | Windsor | Jun 11 | 59.79% | 8,748 | 32 | Received advice from telecoms billionaire Sir Terry Matthews on growing the business [* Latest sales] |
69 | Genuine Solutions | Mobile accessories distributor | Surrey | Jan 11 | 57.82% | 18,030 | 81 | Won the Queen’s Award for International Trade in 2011 [* Latest sales] |
70 | Buymobilephones.net | Online phone retailer | Derbyshire | Mar 10 | 57.69% | 30,962 | 75 | Now offers cash for old phones as part of its new recycling scheme |
71 | Waterfall Services | Contract caterer | Cheshire | Mar 11 | 57.52% | 43,261 | 2,231 | Provides contract catering for the YMCA |
72 | Intuition IT Solutions | IT recruitment consultancy | West London | Apr 11 | 57.47% | 6,384 | 16 | Has recently celebrated turning over £1m in a month for the first time [* Latest sales] |
73 | Age Partnership | Equity release adviser | Leeds | Dec 10 | 57.11% | 5,604 | 75 | Set up by former directors of Ultralase, the laser eye-surgery business |
74 | Thomas Franks | Contract caterer | Oxfordshire | Sep 10 | 56.29% | 7,457 | 275 | Uses locally sourced ingredients for food freshly produced in each restaurant [* Latest sales] |
75 | Lorclon | Civil engineer | West London | Mar 11 | 56.09% | 6,996 | 130 | Sales have been boosted by the London Olympics and the Docklands railway extension [* Latest sales] |
76 | Senergy Holdings | Energy consultancy | Aberdeen | May 10 | 55.48% | 89,716 | 450 | Has offices in Norway, the Middle East, Australia, North America and southeast Asia [* Latest sales] |
77 | Whitehall Resources | Recruitment consultancy | Colchester | May 11 | 55.46% | 14,462 | 21 | A quarter of turnover is generated through placements overseas [* Latest sales] |
78 | Future Home Care | Home care provider | Birmingham | Mar 11 | 54.92% | 15,264 | 707 | Provides home support enabling people with special needs to lead independent lives [* Latest sales] |
79 | Quercus Publishing | Publisher | Central London | Dec 10 | 54.45% | 31,784 | 41 | Biggest seller is Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy |
80 | GO Outdoors | Outdoor equipment retailer | Sheffield | Jan 11 | 53.86% | 115,238 | 651 | 3i acquired a minority stake in a £28m deal earlier this year |
81 | World First | International payments provider | Central London | Jan 11 | 53.86% | 11,996 | 97 | Claims to have transferred a client’s funds to Germany in less than seven minutes |
82 | Joules | Clothing retailer | Leicestershire | May 10 | 53.53% | 51,167 | 465 | Tom Joule bought into his father’s company after selling wellies at a country show |
83 | East Midlands Pharma | Pharmaceutical supplies distributor | Leicestershire | Feb 11 | 53.19% | 6,496 | 35 | Founded by a biochemist and an aerospace engineer |
84 | Kennedy Pearce Consulting | Recruitment consultancy | Central London | Dec 10 | 53.08% | 5,537 | 32 | Makes placements at all levels across the accountancy and finance sectors [*† Latest sales] |
85 | Wiggle | Online sports goods retailer | Portsmouth | Jan 11 | 53.01% | 86,787 | 131 | Company is chaired by cycling enthusiast and former Asda boss Andy Bond |
86 | Texel Finance | Insurance broker | Central London | Dec 10 | 52.98% | 6,174 | 14 | Has benefited from mounting worries about the financial stability of some countries |
87 | Next Ventures | Recruitment consultancy | Central London | Dec 10 | 52.50% | 14,211 | 39 | Makes its third consecutive appearance in the Fast Track 100 |
88 | Liv-ex | Fine wine exchange | Southwest London | Dec 10 | 52.24% | 52,564 | 21 | Has launched universal product codes for wine |
89 | Specialty Powders | Food manufacturer | North Yorkshire | Dec 10 | 52.17% | 10,834 | 44 | Recently diversified into sports protein drinks by acquiring a Dutch company |
90 | Goodman Associates | Media and advertising agency | Central London | Dec 10 | 51.78% | 12,105 | 10 | Places about 30,000 advertisements each year |
91 | Cath Kidston | Lifestyle retailer | West London | Mar 11 | 51.75% | 67,264 | 518 | Former Claire’s boss Kenny Wilson recently joined the company as chief executive [*† Latest sales] |
92 | TeacherActive | Recruitment consultancy | Birmingham | Dec 10 | 51.18% | 6,235 | 22 | Is opening three offices in the north of England to target that area in the next few years |
93 | Transglobal Fuels | Wholesale fuel supplier | West Yorkshire | Mar 11 | 51.13% | 30,205 | 11 | Sells 50m litres of fuel each year [* Latest sales] |
94 | Oak Furniture Land | Furniture retailer | Swindon | Sep 10 | 51.08% | 25,913 | 113 | The average customer spend in its shops is double the average online spend |
95 | MenKind | Men's gifts retailer | Surrey | Mar 11 | 50.88% | 18,187 | 220 | Sponsors men’s cancer charity Everyman [* Latest sales] |
96 | Marlin Financial Group | Debt purchaser | West Sussex | Dec 10 | 50.83% | 17,872 | 100 | Bought £60m of sub-prime debt this year, triple last year’s figure [* Latest sales] |
97 | Thomson Keene Associates | Recruitment consultancy | Central London | Mar 11 | 50.66% | 7,620 | 28 | Company started in the spare bedroom of its founder [* Latest sales] |
98 | Ship Shape Resources | Construction services provider | Central London | May 10 | 50.63% | 19,822 | 35 | Claims to have spent more than £1m on the technology behind its payroll services |
99 | UK Flooring Direct | Online flooring retailer | Warwickshire | Mar 11 | 50.14% | 8,999 | 27 | Sells sustainably sourced wood floors and eco-friendly bamboo and cork flooring [* Latest sales] |
100 | Calcot Health & Leisure | Hotel and spa operator | Gloucestershire | Dec 10 | 49.64% | 10,812 | 345 | Rooms at its country house hotels start from £250 a night |
* Supplied by Company † Annualised figure
Data Source: www.fasttrack.co.uk
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