2016 - Fast Track 100 League Table
What is the Fast Track 100 – 2016?
The Fast Track 100 league table ranked Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing sales in 2016 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 2016 Results
| Rank | Company | Activity | Location | Year end | Annual sales rise over 3 years | Latest sales £000s | Staff | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gymshark | Online activewear retailer | Worcestershire | Jul 16 | 193.27% | 12,841 | 53 | Its 18 “athletic ambassadors” have 20m followers on social media [* Latest sales] |
| 2 | Loveholidays | Online travel agency | Central London | Oct 15 | 183.90% | 14,548 | 223 | Investors include Lastminute.com co-founder Brent Hoberman and Better Capital founder Jon Moulton |
| 3 | Chemist-4-U.com | Online pharmacy | Lancashire | Sep 15 | 172.66% | 16,940 | 48 | Is one of Royal Mail's largest customers in the northwest, sending up to 16,000 parcels a day [* Latest sales] |
| 4 | Heck! Food | Gourmet sausage producer | North Yorkshire | Jul 16 | 170.13% | 11,228 | 64 | Named after a line in the 1983 movie Risky Business, starring Tom Cruise [* Latest sales] |
| 5 | Carfinance247 | Vehicle finance provider | Manchester | Jun 16 | 161.01% | 25,027 | 320 | Says £25m worth of loans are completed each month through its website [* Latest sales] |
| 6 | AerFin | Aircraft and spares services | South Wales | Dec 15 | 158.34% | 15,332 | 40 | Customers include airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France and Philippine Airlines [† Latest sales] |
| 7 | Acro | Aircraft seat manufacturer | Crawley | Dec 15 | 156.55% | 33,408 | 108 | Manufactures 3,000 seats a month for more than 30 clients [* Latest sales] |
| 8 | ESM Power | Electrical engineer | Scunthorpe | Apr 16 | 146.43% | 12,433 | 41 | Sponsors Scunthorpe Rugby Club, where its managing director used to play [* Latest sales] |
| 9 | GreenTech Distribution | Mobile phone recycler and distributor | High Wycombe | Feb 16 | 143.84% | 64,246 | 25 | Provides an in-house repair service in more than 40 Samsung stores across Europe |
| 10 | Ennismore | Hospitality developer and operator | Central London | Dec 15 | 141.64% | 10,511 | 39 | Spending £500m to roll out its Hoxton hotel brand internationally |
| 11 | Globe Locums | Healthcare recruitment consultancy | Central London | May 16 | 140.92% | 29,560 | 44 | More than 70% of its candidates come from outside the UK [* Latest sales] |
| 12 | Pink Boutique | Online fashion retailer | Newcastle upon Tyne | Feb 16 | 138.84% | 7,709 | 44 | Ships 2,000 garments a day from its warehouse in Newcastle [* Latest sales] |
| 13 | Transflex Vehicle Rental | Vehicle rental provider | Stockton-on-Tees | Dec 15 | 134.39% | 11,504 | 31 | Has grown from 50 vehicles five years ago to a fleet of 3,300 |
| 14 | Tropic | Skincare manufacturer | Croydon | Jun 16 | 131.32% | 7,541 | 55 | In its Surrey “beauty kitchen”, “chefs” create natural products sold by 5,000 ambassadors [* Latest sales] |
| 15 | Wool Warehouse | Online yarn retailer | Leamington Spa | May 16 | 127.94% | 5,097 | 40 | Its largest customer group is made up of 24- to 30-year-olds [* Latest sales] |
| 16 | Victorian Plumbing | Online bathroom retailer | Merseyside | Sep 15 | 116.63% | 42,264 | 111 | Was originally set up as a sideline to provide income for the founder's father |
| 17 | Athena PTS | Electrical engineer | Cumbria | Jul 16 | 115.47% | 6,760 | 52 | Won £3m of new contracts in January alone [* Latest sales] |
| 18 | Green Frog Connect | Utilities connections provider | Birmingham | Mar 16 | 114.21% | 20,557 | 10 | Its connections at solar farms and power stations provide reserve power to the National Grid |
| 19 | Honest Burgers | Burger restaurant operator | Central London | Jan 16 | 110.69% | 10,148 | 203 | Has expanded to 16 restaurants across London, including in Peckham, Tooting and Camden [† Latest sales] |
| 20 | Lindy Bop | Vintage fashion designer | Manchester | Oct 15 | 108.83% | 10,054 | 54 | Its vintage-inspired womenswear is especially popular in Scandinavia |
| 21 | A-2 Sea | Subsea telecoms supplier | Hampshire | Sep 15 | 106.43% | 8,328 | 17 | Has worked on projects in countries such as Colombia, Panama, Iraq and Taiwan [* Latest sales] |
| 22 | JDX | Business consultancy | Central London | Mar 16 | 105.16% | 14,778 | 207 | Co-founder set up financial consultancy DCG, which he expanded to 450 staff in four years |
| 23 | Enra Group | Specialist loan provider | Borehamwood | Dec 15 | 101.72% | 30,928 | 60 | Its West One Loans subsidiary lent almost £400m in 2015 |
| 24 | Gtech | Appliance manufacturer | Worcestershire | Nov 15 | 95.97% | 65,983 | 81 | Has sold more than 22m domestic appliances in 19 countries |
| 25 | PureGym | Gym operator | Leeds | Dec 15 | 95.22% | 125,201 | 960 | Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy joined as an investor and adviser last year |
| 26 | HYPE. | Fashion retailer | Leicester | Apr 16 | 94.44% | 14,981 | 51 | Fans of the HYPE. brand include the American rappers Jay-Z and 50 Cent [* Latest sales] |
| 27 | The City Pub Company | Pub operator | Central London | Dec 15 | 92.27% | 20,312 | 283 | Differentiates itself from other chain pubs by allowing its managers to choose suppliers [* Latest sales] |
| 28 | Northvale Construction | Construction contractor | Northwest London | Mar 16 | 91.97% | 10,398 | 24 | Recently completed two separate £2m school projects in London [* Latest sales] |
| 29 | Evolution Money | Secured loans provider | Manchester | Dec 15 | 90.11% | 10,994 | 102 | Its head of credit risk was “Dr Stats” on Strictly Come Dancing |
| 30 | Day Webster | Healthcare recruitment consultancy | Northeast London | Mar 16 | 89.59% | 89,672 | 175 | Its founders started the business with £122,000 of savings [* Latest sales] |
| 31 | Pixel Inspiration | Digital signage agency | Altrincham | Dec 15 | 89.40% | 6,703 | 60 | Its screens for Argos can advertise umbrellas when it is raining and barbecues when it is hot |
| 32 | New World Trading Company | Pub and restaurant operator | Cheshire | Mar 16 | 88.97% | 30,186 | 600 | Won a Guinness World Record for largest gin-tasting event, with 796 participants in 9 venues |
| 33 | 4most | Credit risk analytics consultancy | Central London | Sep 16 | 88.41% | 12,075 | 99 | Founder Mark Sisson began his career selling mainframe computers to banks [* Latest sales] |
| 34 | Andusia | Waste exporter | Hertford | Mar 16 | 87.95% | 17,447 | 11 | Exports 300,000 tons of waste each year |
| 35 | Mobile Phones Direct | Online mobile phone retailer | Berkshire | Mar 16 | 85.15% | 79,253 | 96 | Sells the latest mobile phone handsets from manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, and Sony [* Latest sales] |
| 36 | BTL Property | Residential design and build contractor | Southwest London | Apr 16 | 82.48% | 11,822 | 35 | 25% of its staff served in the military [* Latest sales] |
| 37 | Torchlight Group | Counter threat adviser | Swindon | Jun 16 | 79.27% | 10,128 | 28 | Works with governments, corporations and private clients on complex security challenges [* Latest sales] |
| 38 | BULK POWDERS | Sports nutrition brand | Colchester | Dec 15 | 78.49% | 15,345 | 75 | Originally an import business, it now exports to 12 countries [* Latest sales] |
| 39 | Professor Puzzle | Puzzle retailer | Southwest London | Jun 16 | 76.87% | 8,002 | 34 | Founder started the business in 1999, aged 23 and with only £250 [* Latest sales] |
| 40 | Tomorrow | Designer brands wholesaler | East London | Dec 15 | 76.52% | 17,155 | 41 | Promotes new fashion brands at its 20,000 sq ft showroom in Paris during fashion weeks [* Latest sales] |
| 41 | AlphaSights | Business information provider | Central London | Dec 15 | 73.60% | 48,617 | 269 | Clients include nine of the top 10 global private equity firms |
| 42 | High Street TV | TV shopping channel | Harrogate | Dec 15 | 72.15% | 74,640 | 112 | Top-selling products are the NutriBullet blender and the XHose expanding hosepipe |
| 43 | Skinnydip | Fashion accessories retailer | Northwest London | Dec 15 | 70.97% | 6,637 | 50 | Its fast fashion website attracts more than a million visitors a month [* Latest sales] |
| 44 | Showcase | Furniture dealer | Essex | Mar 16 | 70.27% | 24,262 | 34 | Has worked on events such as the World Retail Congress in Dubai [* Latest sales] |
| 45 | Net World Sports | Online sports goods retailer | Wrexham | Sep 16 | 69.93% | 11,867 | 62 | Sells 100,000 football goals a year around the world [* Latest sales] |
| 46 | Alliance Surgical | Healthcare provider | Birmingham | Mar 16 | 69.93% | 14,766 | 60 | Has treated 25,000 patients in 2016, including the England football team and Team GB Olympians |
| 47 | Send For Help | Lone-worker protection provider | Southwest London | Mar 16 | 69.69% | 6,101 | 54 | Its personal security devices protect more than 100,000 lone workers |
| 48 | Hotcha | Chinese takeaway | Bristol | Mar 16 | 69.56% | 6,261 | 160 | Has built an infrastructure network to support up to 100 outlets nationwide [* Latest sales] |
| 49 | The Office Group | Shared workspace provider | Central London | Dec 15 | 67.74% | 43,160 | 143 | Its 1.1m sq ft of office space is home to the likes of Facebook, Coca-Cola and Dropbox |
| 50 | Lily’s Kitchen | Pet food manufacturer | Northwest London | Mar 16 | 66.94% | 14,540 | 48 | Named after the founder's border terrier [* Latest sales] |
| 51 | LSE Retail Group | Online lighting retailer | Manchester | Dec 15 | 66.67% | 14,181 | 61 | Fulfilled more than 750,000 customer orders so far in 2016 |
| 52 | M&M Contractors | Infrastructure services provider | Belfast | Oct 15 | 66.09% | 11,830 | 46 | Installed a 4,600km subsea fibre-optic cable between the UK and the US [* Latest sales] |
| 53 | Aquinna Homes | Housebuilder | Buckinghamshire | Dec 15 | 64.23% | 18,833 | 17 | Focusing on high specification, its houses are among the most expensive in town |
| 54 | RHA | Headphone designer | Glasgow | Mar 16 | 64.10% | 6,164 | 42 | Apple sells this company's headphones through its stores and website [* Latest sales] |
| 55 | Shiner | Sports goods distributor | Bristol | Apr 16 | 63.63% | 38,226 | 91 | Runs its own skateboard and skating news channel online [* Latest sales] |
| 56 | Inside Ideas Group | Marketing services provider | Central London | Jun 16 | 63.51% | 65,626 | 700 | Its customers include BMW, Adidas, Starbucks and Virgin Media [* Latest sales] |
| 57 | Giggling Squid | Restaurant operator | Guildford | Mar 16 | 63.46% | 11,840 | 280 | Its first restaurant was in the basement of a fisherman's cottage in Brighton |
| 58 | Hadrian Technology | CCTV systems provider | Sunderland | Jul 16 | 63.30% | 5,035 | 11 | Its cameras help guard treasures loaned to South Shields Museum by the British Museum [* Latest sales] |
| 59 | Readie Construction | Construction contractor | Romford | Mar 16 | 63.28% | 91,579 | 81 | Its website allows users to view live webcams of its current projects [* Latest sales] |
| 60 | Opus Professional Services Group | IT recruitment consultancy | Bristol | Dec 15 | 62.27% | 39,736 | 142 | Staff benefits include the complimentary use of a Tuscan villa [* Latest sales] |
| 61 | Lintbells | Pet nutritional supplements maker | Hertfordshire | Dec 15 | 62.09% | 7,204 | 41 | Works with UK universities to develop its pet supplements, which are sold in 15 countries [* Latest sales] |
| 62 | Your World Recruitment Group | Healthcare recruitment consultancy | Central London | Dec 15 | 61.79% | 98,232 | 174 | Places more than 2,300 healthcare staff a day |
| 63 | Pure | Healthy food chain | Central London | Dec 15 | 61.70% | 10,037 | 193 | Whitbread bought a 49% stake in the business for £6.8m in May |
| 64 | BrewDog | Brewery | Aberdeenshire | Dec 15 | 61.32% | 44,730 | 403 | Has 53,000 investors worldwide after a crowdfunding appeal to support US expansion |
| 65 | Diamond Logistics | Logistics services provider | Guildford | May 16 | 60.50% | 6,496 | 16 | Transported 650 tons of goods a month in 2016 [* Latest sales] |
| 66 | Aptus Utilities | Utilities connections provider | Bolton | Mar 16 | 60.49% | 19,848 | 138 | In July it connected 400 homes in Merseyside to the gas, electricity and water mains |
| 67 | Missguided | Fashion retailer | Manchester | Mar 16 | 59.75% | 117,336 | 349 | Its new four-storey HQ in Manchester features a light tunnel to help staff take better selfies [* Latest sales] |
| 68 | Xercise4Less | Gym operator | Leeds | Jul 16 | 59.73% | 28,753 | 600 | Offers its members 200 free workout classes per month [* Latest sales] |
| 69 | RFS Group | Management consultancy | Swindon | Dec 15 | 59.36% | 39,601 | 50 | Its new office features a breakout area designed as an Alpine ski lodge |
| 70 | Bill’s Restaurants | Restaurant operator | Central London | Aug 16 | 58.90% | 110,547 | 2,909 | Sources its own-label products from independent suppliers [* Latest sales] |
| 71 | G&P | Quality management consultancy | Birmingham | Dec 15 | 58.56% | 47,603 | 1,223 | Launched operations in China in 2014 when Jaguar Land Rover started manufacturing there [* Latest sales] |
| 72 | Prospero Group | Recruitment consultancy | Central London | Jun 16 | 58.36% | 23,486 | 97 | Sources teachers for UK schools from English-speaking countries around the world |
| 73 | Audley Retirement | Retirement village operator | Staines | Dec 15 | 58.16% | 43,500 | 301 | Its luxury retirement homes sell for an average of £500,000 |
| 74 | Grenade | Sports nutrition developer | Coventry | Dec 15 | 58.14% | 8,563 | 16 | American special forces are among this sports nutrition company's customers [* Latest sales] |
| 75 | Boss Cabins | Cabin manufacturer | Lincolnshire | Mar 16 | 57.68% | 25,224 | 87 | Heimdall, its new lighting tower company, is named after the Norse god of light [* Latest sales] |
| 76 | Home Grown Hotels | Boutique hotel operator | Hampshire | Dec 15 | 57.38% | 14,208 | 298 | Its menu can change daily, depending on what the “kitchen gardener” suggests |
| 77 | Lioncourt Homes | Housebuilder and developer | Worcestershire | Mar 16 | 57.36% | 40,524 | 54 | Its management team has more than 100 years' experience in the housebuilding industry |
| 78 | Anesco | Energy efficiency consultancy | Reading | Mar 16 | 57.08% | 213,670 | 111 | Says it was the first British firm to install a commercial-scale battery charged by solar power |
| 79 | Maylim | External works contractor | Central London | Dec 15 | 56.90% | 26,552 | 31 | Sourced two cannon for Arsenal's Emirates stadium as part of external works and landscaping |
| 80 | END. | Online menswear retailer | Newcastle upon Tyne | Mar 16 | 56.86% | 37,931 | 146 | Half of its sales are generated overseas including in France and Germany |
| 81 | JB Structures | Building contractor | Watford | Mar 16 | 56.51% | 22,717 | 14 | Its high profile projects include working with Arsenal FC to develop the club's training facilities |
| 82 | Lundy Projects | Specialist railway constructor | Stockport | Sep 15 | 56.27% | 25,618 | 23 | Its robot-powered steelwork facility operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week |
| 83 | Watchfinder | Pre-owned watch retailer | Kent | Mar 16 | 55.49% | 60,777 | 108 | Sells a watch every 30 minutes, worth an average of £5,000 each [* Latest sales] |
| 84 | Morganstone | Construction contractor | South Wales | Mar 16 | 55.22% | 18,795 | 110 | Is a supplier on the £850m South West Wales Framework for public sector development |
| 85 | Radnor House Group | Independent schools operator | Southwest London | Aug 15 | 54.88% | 7,234 | 112 | Runs a mini Dragons' Den for Year 9 students who may be budding entrepreneurs |
| 86 | Service Care Solutions | Recruitment consultancy | Preston | Mar 16 | 54.64% | 35,634 | 73 | Founder set up the company in his back bedroom in 2005 |
| 87 | Third Bridge | Research services provider | Central London | Dec 15 | 54.63% | 32,252 | 306 | Third Bridge is named after a bridge in Botswana, the last before reaching uncharted territory |
| 88 | Instantprint | Online printer | Rotherham | Apr 16 | 54.41% | 19,898 | 198 | Prints 450,000 business cards a day, using 9,000 sheets of A2 card |
| 89 | Rosa’s Thai Café | Thai restaurant chain | Central London | Mar 16 | 53.87% | 5,502 | 140 | Rosa's was the name of the former greasy spoon cafe on the site of its first restaurant [* Latest sales] |
| 90 | Panther Warehousing | Logistics services provider | Northampton | Dec 15 | 53.40% | 27,372 | 250 | Managing director Colin McCarthy used to play as a striker for Nottingham Forest FC |
| 91 | CRUISE.co.uk | Cruise travel agent | Worcestershire | Nov 15 | 53.18% | 36,328 | 179 | Its community-focused website allows first-time cruise passengers to find tips and join forums |
| 92 | Cennox | Banking automation services provider | Surrey | Dec 15 | 52.24% | 30,987 | 466 | Supplies some of the largest global banks with cash machines |
| 93 | Loaf | Furniture retailer | Central London | Mar 16 | 51.14% | 26,901 | 100 | Launched a range of sofas in August in collaboration with John Lewis |
| 94 | T.O.M. Vehicle Rental | Commercial vehicle hire | North Lanarkshire | Mar 16 | 50.67% | 213,231 | 575 | Will supply 7,500 rentals a year to Scottish Power under a recent deal [* Latest sales] |
| 95 | World First | International payments provider | Central London | Dec 15 | 50.48% | 61,562 | 362 | Processed more than £10bn of currency transactions worldwide last year [† Latest sales] |
| 96 | Loungers | Café and bar operator | Bristol | Apr 16 | 49.99% | 68,475 | 1,793 | Opened 15 new Lounges and six Cosy Clubs in the past year [* Latest sales] |
| 97 | Pet Brands | Pet accessory manufacturer | West Yorkshire | Jan 16 | 49.94% | 10,271 | 42 | Its festive pet products include Christmas stockings for dogs and cats [* Latest sales] |
| 98 | MAATS Tech | Marine engineering consultancy | Winchester | Sep 15 | 49.84% | 38,711 | 35 | Is working with Swiss company ABB on the world’s most advanced cable-laying vessel |
| 99 | Engage Partners | Recruitment consultancy | Watford | Dec 15 | 49.66% | 32,404 | 118 | Its "iday" recruitment events enable schools to meet hundreds of job candidates in one day |
| 100 | Tangle Teezer | Hair products supplier | South London | Mar 16 | 49.63% | 28,565 | 42 | Famous fans of its detangling hair brush include Victoria Beckham and Cara Delevingne [* Latest sales] |
* Supplied by Company † Annualised figure
Data Source: www.fasttrack.co.uk
Book your FREE strategy session!
On your free phone consultation, one of our experts will discuss the following:
- Your business, your goals and what success means to you
- How our approach to digital advertising will achieve your goals
- Whether we're a good fit for one another (we certainly hope so)
There’ll be no commitment or obligation to use our services.