2012 - Fast Track 100 League Table

What is the Fast Track 100 – 2012?
The Fast Track 100 league table ranked Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing sales in 2012 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 2012 Results

Rank	Company	Activity	Location	Year end	Annual sales rise over 3 years	Latest sales £000s	Staff	Comment
1	Gemporia	Home shopping jewellery retailer	Worcestershire	Mar 12	245.36%	54,471	265	The acquisition in 2010 of Gems TV for £3m doubled the group's sales that year
2	Spabreaks.com	Spa booking services provider	Central London	Dec 11	198.31%	6,805	30	Co-founders also set up and run Your Golf Travel, which is at No 59 in this league table
3	Mobile Account Solutions	Phone and tablet provider	Hertfordshire	Mar 12	198.01%	61,037	14	Sales growth has been driven by the popularity of smartphones and tablet computers
4	AES International	Financial services provider	West London	Apr 12	187.46%	11,210	36	Advises expatriates on all aspects of financial planning and wealth management
5	Solfex	Renewable energy products supplier	Preston	Oct 11	178.80%	15,528	15	Panoramic Growth Equity bought a minority stake for £1.3m last year
6	Drake & Morgan	Bar and restaurant operator	Central London	Mar 12	171.50%	16,400	267	Runs five venues in London and aims to open at least two more next year
7	Jamie’s Italian	Restaurant operator	Central London	Dec 11	168.10%	72,022	1,725	Has 30 restaurants in the UK and 5 abroad
8	Gaia Wind	Wind turbine manufacturer	Glasgow	Dec 11	167.85%	6,693	27	Recently received orders from the island of Tonga
9	Stormfront	Apple products reseller	Exeter	Sep 11	166.57%	22,687	105	Has a team that demonstrates Apple products in schools [† Latest sales]
10	Lenstore.co.uk	Online contact lens retailer	Guernsey	Jan 12	159.15%	5,114	28	Founder set up the company at the age of 24 [* Latest sales]
11	Activ8 Distribution	Mobile accessories distributor	Watford	Jul 12	151.21%	8,319	30	Has grown sales thanks to the increased demand for mobile accessories [* Latest sales]
12	TGC Renewables	Renewable energy provider	Bristol	Aug 12	150.37%	7,704	31	Founders came up with the idea of starting the firm during a climbing trip to Mont Blanc [* Latest sales]
13	The Gym	Gym operator	Central London	Dec 11	139.80%	13,464	41	Plans to expand from 27 gyms to at least 46 by the end of next year
14	ITH Pharma	Pharmaceuticals supplier	West London	Mar 12	137.50%	12,054	85	Sells a patented syringe device, which was designed to reduce waste
15	Alternergy	Solar energy products distributor	West London	Jul 12	136.91%	45,938	20	Sales exceeded £45m in 2012 as demand for solar panels has increased
16	EThames Graduate School	Higher education institution	Central London	Jul 11	134.81%	11,942	184	Founder previously worked as a mechanical engineer and software consultant
17	Genuine Solutions	Mobile accessories distributor	Surrey	Jan 12	132.98%	85,314	59	Ships to 30 countries from its stock of 4,000 lines of products
18	Capture	Retail marketing agency	Central London	Sep 12	130.25%	14,500	27	Has designed campaigns for companies such as J Sainsbury and Kraft Foods [* Latest sales]
19	Anesco	Energy efficiency consultancy	Reading	Mar 12	127.22%	21,422	54	Was spun out of a division of Scottish and Southern Energy in 2010 [* Latest sales]
20	First Utility	Energy supplier	Warwick	Dec 11	112.01%	76,098	179	Its smart meter transmits energy usage data every 30 minutes
21	ProMedical Personnel	Recruitment consultancy	Essex	Oct 11	107.41%	8,899	22	Founder started the company at the age of 25
22	World of Books	Books and media entertainment reseller	West Sussex	Oct 12	107.30%	19,293	256	Buys unsold books in bulk, saving charity shops the disposal costs [* Latest sales]
23	Safeguard World International	Payroll services provider	Cheshire	Dec 11	105.80%	8,467	97	Offers payroll processing services in 99 countries, for clients including eBay
24	Secured Mail	Bulk mail service provider	Warrington	Jul 11	101.56%	47,929	87	Acquired a division of DHL in February
25	ConSol Partners	IT recruitment consultancy	Central London	Dec 11	101.15%	6,348	31	Specialises in filling roles in areas such as mobile apps and video media
26	Save Britain Money	Money saving products provider	Swansea	Mar 12	99.53%	25,786	605	Since publication in 2012, Save Britain Money has gone into administration [* Latest sales]
27	MJ Media	Media planning & buying agency	Central London	Dec 11	99.47%	15,103	19	Manages advertising campaigns in the youth, entertainment and technology sectors
28	Staysure.co.uk	Over-fifties insurance provider	Northampton	Dec 11	96.93%	9,563	200	Recent growth has been achieved with marketing campaigns, including TV advertising
29	BrewDog	Brewery	Aberdeenshire	Dec 11	95.72%	5,919	61	Says it is the largest Scottish independent brewery
30	Hallam Medical	Medical recruitment consultancy	Sheffield	Apr 12	94.33%	5,568	20	Specialises in placing nurse practitioners [* Latest sales]
31	Liquid Friday	Payroll services provider	Portsmouth	Jul 12	93.95%	46,001	1,463	Employs temporary workers for the engineering, construction, IT and social work sectors [* Latest sales]
32	NWM Solutions	Payroll services provider	Bournemouth	Mar 12	93.63%	54,821	203	Offers an umbrella firm that freelances can join for simpler and more tax-efficient payments
33	Better Bathrooms	Bathroom products and tiles retailer	Lancashire	Mar 12	92.46%	22,468	77	Ships up to 500 orders a day placed by customers online, and also has three showrooms [*† Latest sales]
34	Travel FX	Foreign exchange broker	Northwest London	Dec 11	91.86%	35,342	11	Says it processes more than 1m of foreign currency transactions a week
35	TopCashback	Cashback website operator	Staffordshire	Jan 12	89.81%	21,186	47	Recently launched a website targeting customers in America
36	Côte Restaurants	Restaurant operator	Central London	Jul 12	88.39%	49,344	1,124	Is reportedly up for sale by its majority shareholder, Richard Caring
37	BathEmpire.com	Online bathroom retailer	Coventry	Dec 11	88.27%	8,667	55	The two co-founders started the company at the age of 24
38	Pulse Films	Advertising, TV and film producer	Central London	Oct 11	86.45%	14,108	32	Film producer Sharon Harel invested £2.3m for a 20% stake in October
39	The Specialist Works	Media and advertising agency	Central London	Dec 11	81.89%	26,072	30	Founded used the funds from selling a prize car to set up the firm ten years ago
40	Fideliti	Childcare voucher administrator	Warrington	Mar 12	79.21%	66,429	28	Received a business-angel investment of £50,000 from Betfred co-founder Fred Done
41	Redeem	Electronic devices recycler	West Lothian	Mar 12	78.23%	34,000	151	Has processed more than 500,000 mobiles for O2 Recycle [* Latest sales]
42	Trunki	Children's travel products designer	Bristol	Dec 11	78.15%	6,410	21	Its colourful ride-on suitcases for children became famous on the BBC show Dragons’ Den [† Latest sales]
43	feelunique.com	Online beauty products retailer	Jersey	Mar 12	77.97%	26,736	121	Sends 30,000 packages of beauty products a week all over the world post-free
44	Lawrence Harvey	Recruitment consultancy	Central London	Mar 12	77.60%	11,007	45	Founder set up the company 10 years ago with a graduate loan of £9,000
45	Be Wiser Insurance	Insurance broker	Andover	May 12	76.96%	17,364	241	Has tripled its staff since 2010, adding 100 in the past year alone
46	Penfield	Clothing wholesaler and retailer	Central London	Dec 11	76.31%	7,877	17	Sells its products through department stores, including Selfridges
47	Hunter Boot	Wellington boot retailer	Edinburgh	Dec 11	74.83%	77,959	73	Generates half of its sales overseas, in the Far East and America
48	Fever-Tree	Mixer drinks manufacturer	Southwest London	Dec 11	73.89%	12,038	11	Has recently expanded into overseas markets including Germany, Colombia and Japan
49	Joseph Joseph	Household goods manufacturer	Central London	May 12	73.62%	31,558	65	Its range of 360 products are sold in 83 countries [* Latest sales]
50	Oliver James Associates	Recruitment consultancy	Central London	Dec 11	73.46%	36,461	74	Is making its third appearance on the Fast Track 100 league table
51	Transglobal Fuels	Wholesale fuel supplier	West Yorkshire	Mar 12	73.07%	33,790	11	Counts Eddie Stobart and Robert Wiseman among its customers [* Latest sales]
52	Ella’s Kitchen	Baby food producer	Henley	Jun 12	70.89%	41,220	43	Founded 6 years ago, it sold its 200 millionth portion of baby food in September [* Latest sales]
53	Synergize Consulting	IT recruitment consultancy	West Sussex	Sep 11	70.35%	13,311	11	Places candidates for IT services providers such as HP, Fujitsu and Serco
54	Barrhead Travel	Travel agency	Barrhead, nr. Glasgow	Dec 11	69.72%	42,192	441	Has been booking holidays and offering travel advice since 1975
55	Uniting Ambition	Recruitment consultancy	Staffordshire	Jan 12	68.73%	5,068	28	Counts the likes of Phones4U, Specsavers and House of Fraser among its clients [* Latest sales]
56	Dieselec Thistle	Generator supplier and installer	Glasgow	Jun 12	68.61%	19,968	49	Sales have grown partly thanks to large contracts for the likes of Goldman Sachs
57	Champions	Brand management agency	Loughborough	Mar 12	68.32%	12,179	36	Its clients include celebrities and athletes
58	Country Attire	Clothing retailer	Stockport	Aug 11	68.12%	5,711	24	Stocks brands such as Barbour, Hunter Boot and Loake
59	Your Golf Travel.com	Golf travel retailer	Central London	Dec 11	67.95%	35,124	66	Books holidays to 3,500 golf courses for more than 200,000 customers a year
60	Automotive Trim Developments	Leather seating & trim manufacturer	Coventry	Jan 12	67.27%	7,037	85	Manufactures leather seats and trim for top marques such as Aston Martin and Jaguar
61	Climate Energy	Energy efficiency consultancy	Essex	Jul 11	67.12%	60,681	207	Two acquisitions last year have enabled the company to construct zero-carbon homes
62	High Finance	Insurance recruitment consultancy	Central London	Oct 11	67.03%	12,214	40	Places staff across Britain, mainland Europe and Asia
63	Brand Slam	Brand management agency	Central London	Dec 11	66.93%	95,630	158	Founder Marcia Kilgore had previously launched Bliss Spa in America
64	Opus Recruitment Solutions	IT recruitment consultancy	Bristol	Dec 11	66.00%	5,946	30	Founder started the firm after selling his stake in another recruitment consultancy [* Latest sales]
65	Specialty Powders	Food manufacturer	North Yorkshire	Dec 11	65.64%	21,496	47	Diversified into sports protein drinks following the acquisition of a Dutch firm last year
66	Ramsdens	Pawnbroker and jeweller	Middlesbrough	Dec 11	65.16%	51,270	324	Has just celebrated its 25th year on the high street
67	Cartridge Save	Computer consumables reseller	Stockport	Dec 11	64.76%	12,378	33	Offers more than 6,700 types of printer cartridge [* Latest sales]
68	Global Personals	Online dating service provider	Windsor	Aug 11	64.06%	18,894	94	Manages dating sites for partners such as GMG Radio and The Independent
69	Maverick	Marketing and advertising agency	Central London	Jun 12	63.85%	12,805	55	Works with brands such as DHL, Virgin Atlantic and Bacardi [* Latest sales]
70	Blue Group	Industrial machinery distributor	Warrington	Jan 12	63.72%	9,617	26	Sells replacement parts, which has proved successful during the economic downturn
71	Roc Search	ICT / engineering recruitment consultancy	Reading	Dec 11	63.52%	8,240	30	Has benefited from retailers’ growing demand for IT skills as they move online
72	Pearmain Pubs	Pub and restaurant operator	Guildford	Dec 11	62.68%	5,301	105	Founders previously built a restaurant chain and sold it for £14m in 2000
73	Make It Cheaper	Business cost saving service	Central London	Mar 11	62.16%	8,766	67	Acquired UK Power, an energy price comparison service, earlier this year
74	OneE Tax	Tax planning specialist	Bolton	Dec 11	61.94%	23,274	33	Its latest tax solution cost £1m to create, most of which went on barristers’ fees
75	MPM products	Pet food producer	Cheshire	Dec 11	61.39%	11,300	34	Moving into new markets such as Australia has helped to boost sales
76	Treadsetters	Tyre wholesaler and manufacturer	Telford	Mar 12	60.51%	71,213	33	Exports to 35 countries and acts as exclusive agent for a Chinese budget tyre range
77	International Applications	Industrial & consumer goods distributor	Oxfordshire	Mar 12	59.80%	22,832	28	Plans to expand into Africa [* Latest sales]
78	Offshore Sourcing	Forgings and steel manufacturer	Dorchester	Mar 12	59.73%	21,506	120	Its largest overseas market is America
79	Igloo	Recruitment consultancy	Leicestershire	Mar 12	58.85%	18,822	25	Specialises in the transport, logistics and automotive sectors
80	The Eventa Group	Events organiser	Brighton	Sep 12	58.73%	6,853	47	Specialises in hen and stag weekends and corporate events [* Latest sales]
81	Away Resorts	Holiday park operator	Hertfordshire	Dec 11	57.44%	15,235	142	Operates three parks on the Isle of Wight, Hayling Island and in Lincolnshire [† Latest sales]
82	Veetee Foods	Packaged food manufacturer	Kent	Dec 11	56.43%	13,665	43	Doubled its production capacity last year
83	Electricity Network Solutions	Electricity infrastructure servicer	Northamptonshire	Sep 11	56.19%	17,919	179	Refurbished more than 700 miles of overhead cables last year
84	Pho	Vietnamese restaurant chain	Central London	Feb 12	55.84%	6,507	150	Secured a £5.2m investment from Isis Equity Partners in July to fund expansion
85	Austin Fraser	Recruitment consultancy	Reading	Feb 12	55.19%	10,253	47	Opened its first continental office in Munich in November
86	Marlin Financial Group	Debt purchaser	West Sussex	Dec 11	54.78%	31,663	102	Secured an £80m credit facility last month
87	UK Flooring Direct	Online flooring retailer	Warwickshire	Mar 12	54.23%	13,817	37	Claims it has 20,000 customers’ flooring needs covered
88	Tropical Sky	Tour operator	West Sussex	Oct 11	53.69%	31,102	65	Caribbean beach holidays make up half of its sales
89	Amber Taverns	Pub operator	Preston	Jan 12	53.58%	25,424	24	Owns and operates 82 pubs across north England and the Midlands
90	Wiggle	Online sports goods retailer	Portsmouth	Jan 12	52.94%	118,600	211	Delivers its goods to more than 70 countries
91	Intuition IT Solutions	IT recruitment consultancy	West London	Apr 12	52.72%	9,518	22	Places software engineers who work with Oracle, SAP and PeopleSoft [* Latest sales]
92	Sprue Aegis	Safety products manufacturer	Coventry	Dec 11	52.58%	33,275	73	Last month won a contract to supply British Gas with bespoke carbon-monoxide alarms
93	ME Construction	Specialist refurbishment contractor	Central London	Dec 11	52.57%	12,581	25	Has completed high-profile refurbishments at sites including Westminster Abbey
94	GO Outdoors	Outdoor equipment retailer	Sheffield	Jan 12	51.66%	143,665	1,461	Opened 20 stores in the last two years, taking its total to 41
95	sofa.com	Online sofa retailer	Southwest London	Feb 12	51.42%	12,961	67	Launched in America and opened a showroom in Manhattan this year
96	European Fine Wines	DISQUALIFIED	Southeast London	Feb 12	51.39%	17,260	55	DISQUALIFIED [* Latest sales]
97	GRITIT	Winter gritting specialist	Uxbridge	Sep 11	51.18%	7,735	135	Provides gritting services and winter risk management to clients such as Thames Water
98	ACS Business Supplies	Office products supplier	West Yorkshire	Dec 11	51.01%	10,431	75	Its customers include Lloyds Pharmacy and Hallmark Cards
99	Chromogenex	Medical equipment manufacturer	Carmarthenshire	Dec 11	50.38%	6,932	36	Credits high demand in countries such as America, Brazil and Australia for recent growth
100	Chain Reaction Cycles	Online bike retailer	County Antrim	Dec 11	49.72%	136,448	365	Its online bike store is the largest in the world, offering a range of 90,000 products

* Supplied by Company † Annualised figure

Data Source: www.fasttrack.co.uk

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