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Research report 2018
Britain's private companies with the fastest-growing sales
@ST_FastTrack
#FastTrack100
years
22 1997-2018
Title sponsor Main sponsors
Fast Track 100 research report 2018 i
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
Top 10 Fast Track 100 companies
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2
KEY STATISTICS 3
Sales breakdown
Staff and job creation
Foundation date
Profitability 4
Operating profit margins
Ownership 5
External capital
Sector breakdown 6
Industry breakdown
Regional breakdown 7
Sustained growth
22 YEARS OF FAST TRACK 100 8
Stock market flotations
Acquisitions and mergers 9
Failures
Fast Track 100 alumni 10
KEY THEMES & SELECTED COMPANY PROFILES 11
Women founders
Family-run businesses 12
External capital 13
International activity 14
Manufacturing 15
Emerging brands 16
Housebuilding and construction 17
2018 FAST TRACK 100 LEAGUE TABLE 18
ONES TO WATCH 22
DISRUPTORS TO WATCH 23
METHODOLOGY 24
SUPPORTERS 25
Media partner
Cornerstone supporter
Sponsors 26
ABOUT FAST TRACK 27
Compiler & publisher
The authors
Fast Track 28
CONTACT DETAILS 29
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk
Fast Track 100 research report 2018 1
INTRODUCTION
This is the 22nd year of The Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast
Track 100, the league table of Britain’s private companies with the
fastest-growing sales. Virgin Atlantic is the title sponsor of the
league table, and Barclays, BDO, BGF, and N+1 Singer are main
sponsors. The league table identifies the fastest-growing companies
over their latest three years across all sectors except technology,
which is covered in our sister league table, Tech Track 100.
Over the past 22 years, the Fast Track 100 has become the
definitive barometer of privately-owned growth companies in
the UK, and has featured many companies that have gone on to
greater success.
Past star alumni include ARM, which floated and was acquired by
Japan's SoftBank for £24bn in 2016; B&M Retail, which floated in
Co-founders Mark Waters and Ben Everington of this year’s
No 1 company Midwinter Solutions, a clinical trials supplier,
2014 and is now worth £3.5bn; and FeverTree, which floated on
together with directors Tony Phillips and Tim Morgan AIM in 2014 valued at £154m, and is now worth £2.8bn.
1,558 companies have featured on the Fast Track 100 over the
22 years. Forty-four companies have floated and 393 have been
been acquired.
This year’s 100 companies achieved, on average, sales growth of 78%
a year over their last three years of accounts, to a combined total of
£3.1bn. They employ 16,900 staff, and added 12,200 jobs over the
same three-year period, some as a result of acquisitions.
Emerging household names include burger restaurant chain Five
Guys (No 43), beauty product retailer Charlotte Tilbury Beauty (No
21) and brewery BrewDog (No 71), which appears for a record
seventh consecutive time and is valued at £1bn.
Top 10 companies on the league table
Rank Annual sales Latest
2018 Company growth over sales
[2017] Activity HQ location FYE 3 yrs§ £000 Staff Founded Comment
Midwinter Solutions Its co-founders worked at Clinigen, which was No 1 on
1 Burton-on-Trent Feb 18 233.29% 61,823 20 2013
Clinical trials supplier Fast Track 100 in 2011
Crep Protect Its footwear protection and cleaning products are
2 West London Feb 18 190.74% *27,465 29 2012
Footwear accessories developer sold in 52 countries around the world
Revolution Beauty Has a range of cruelty-free beauty and cosmetic
3 Kent Dec 17 152.92% 71,788 94 2013
Beauty product retailer products starting at just £1
Missoma Plans to use 3D printing to create crystals for
4 West London Mar 18 148.26% 5,970 15 2008
Online jewellery brand future jewellery collections
Mission Mars Raised £10.2m from BGF in July to fund the expansion
5 Manchester Sep 18 147.37% †*27,744 531 2015
Bar and restaurant operator of its Rudy's and Schloss hospitality brands
Warner Edwards Each bottle of its rhubarb gin contains one-third
6 Northamptonshire Dec 17 142.58% *6,052 21 2012
Gin distiller fresh rhubarb juice
One Retail Group Founder Joshua Stevens started his first business
7 Northwest London Dec 17 141.53% *13,970 12 2013
Consumer products retailer aged 13
8 Aerfin Has spent more than £100m buying aircraft,
Caerphilly Dec 17 140.68% 70,221 87 2010
[1] Aircraft and spares services engines and spares worldwide
AFC Bournemouth Achieved a ninth place finish in the Premier League
9 Bournemouth Jun 17 138.23% 136,456 575 1890
Football club last year, its second season in the top flight
ISO Spaces Constructed, fitted and finished 60 apartments made from
10 Truro Sep 18 135.38% *5,575 29 2013
Modular buildings designer shipping containers in just 24 weeks for Ealing Council
§ compound annual growth rate between 2014/15 and 2017/18 * supplied by company † annualised
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk
2 Fast Track research report 2018
Growth in sales EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
>150% 3
Overview
• This year’s Fast Track 100 companies increased their sales
80-150% 29 by an average of 78% a year over three years from a total of
£623m to £3.1bn
60-80% 26
• Combined operating profits of the 100 companies were £339m
50-60% 25 and more than half of the companies (56) increased their
operating profit margins over the last three years
40-50% 17
• 78 companies are majority-owned by an entrepreneur
and/or founders
Number of companies in each range of compound
• Services (40 companies) and manufacturing (38) are the
annual growth rate (CAGR) of sales over latest 3 years
dominant sectors on the league table
• The majority of the companies are based in London (34) and
the Southeast (20)
Characteristics of a typical Fast Track 100 company
Key themes
Sales
Women founders: There are 22 female founders or chief
Average growth over three years 78% pa
executives running businesses on this year’s league table, the
Sales in 2014/15 £6.2m
same as last year and the joint highest number in the 22 years of
Sales in 2017/18 £31.4m
Fast Track 100 [page 11].
Profits Family businesses: More than a quarter of companies (28) were
Operating profit in 2017/18 £3.4m founded or are run by families, including married couples, siblings
Margin 13% and parents-and-children, up from only 18 in 2015 [page 12].
External capital: Forty companies have raised external capital
Staff from PE/VC firms, business angels, crowdfunding or corporate
Typical number of staff in 2017/18 20-500 investors [page 13].
Typical increase in staff over three years 53%
International activity: More than two-thirds of the companies (67)
have expanded overseas to boost revenue growth, up from
Company characteristics 23 companies on the first Fast Track 100 in 1997 [page 14].
Region London & southeast (54)
Sector Services (40) Manufacturing: Thirty-eight companies are engaged in
Founded 2006 manufacturing, either directly or indirectly by outsourcing to third
Majority ownership Entrepreneur and/or parties [page 15].
founder (78)
PE/VC, angel or corporate investment 40 Emerging brands: Some companies are becoming household
names, including brewer BrewDog (No 71), beauty products
retailer Charlotte Tilbury Beauty (No 21) and online sportswear
retailer Gymshark (No 12) [page 16].
Housebuilding and construction: There are 13 companies
working in building-related industries on this year’s table,
including 7 engaged in housebuilding – which have benefitted
from government-backed schemes like Help to Buy [page 17].
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk
Fast Track 100 research report 2018 3
Sales breakdown KEY STATISTICS
>£50m 19
Sales breakdown
• The top ranked company, Burton-on-Trent-based clinical trials
£21-50m 31 supplier Midwinter Solutions, grew sales by 233% a year, from
£1.7m in 2015 to £61.8m in 2018
£10-20m 27
• The 100th ranked company is South Yorkshire-based
500 7 sales of £8m; and property developer Henley Homes (No 38)
with 17 staff and sales of £36.5m
151-500 26
Foundation date
101-150 10
Fast Track 100 companies are typically young and dynamic, with
90 founded after the turn of the century, and 18 founded in the
51-100 19
last five years.
26-50 25 Two companies were founded in 2014, pub operator Urban Pubs
& Bars (No 28) and charity sector recycler ARB Recyling (No 87);
4 Fast Track research report 2018
10 companies with biggest operating profits Profitability
• The Fast Track 100 companies are required to make an
Company Profit Sales OP operating profit of at least £500,000 in their most recent
Rank FYE
Activity £m £m margin financial period
69
END.
Mar 18 23.0 101.1 22.8% • Combined operating profits of the 100 companies were £339m
Online menswear retailer
in 2017/18, up fivefold from £69m in 2014/15
Matchroom Sport
60 Jun 18 21.0 137.2 15.3%
Sporting events promoter
• Online menswear retailer END. (No 69) achieved the highest
Gymshark
12
Online sportswear retailer
Jul 18 20.3 103.2 19.6% operating profits of £23m on sales of £101.1m in 2018
AFC Bournemouth
9 Jun 17 16.1 136.5 11.8%
Football club
Revolution Beauty
3 Dec 17 11.5 71.8 16.0%
Beauty product retailer
The Office Group
62 Dec 17 10.8 90.1 12.0%
Shared workspace provider
Midwinter Solutions
1 Feb 18 10.7 61.8 17.3%
Clinical trials supplier
Blackrock Expert Services
95 Oct 17 10.6 29.7 35.8%
Dispute resolution consultancy
Pure Retirement
34 Dec 17 8.5 21.1 40.2%
Specialist mortgage broker
Ennismore
30 Dec 17 7.9 17.4 45.3%
Hotel developer and operator
10 companies with biggest operating profit margins
END. (No 69) launched its London flagship store in Soho two months ago, and also ships 6,000 online
orders a day. Its operating profits have grown fivefold in the past three years, reaching £23m this year
Company OP* 2017/18 2017/18
Rank FYE
Activity margin OP £m sales £m
30
Ennismore
Dec 17 45.3% 7.9 17.4
Operating profit margins
Hotel developer and operator
Lusso Stone
• Ennismore (No 30) achieved the highest profit margin of 45%.
18 Sep 18 40.2% 3.2 8.0
Luxury bathroom retailer The hotel developer and operator had operating profit of
34
Pure Retirement
Dec 17 40.2% 8.5 21.1
£7.9m on sales of £17.4m in 2017
Specialist mortgage broker
Missoma • The average profit margin of the Fast Track 100 companies
4 Mar 18 36.0% 2.1 6.0
Online jewellery brand was 12.5% in 2017/18
Blackrock Expert Services
95 Oct 17 35.8% 10.6 29.7
Dispute resolution consultancy • Over half of the companies (56) increased their profit margins
6
Warner Edwards
Dec 17 31.5% 1.9 6.1
over the last three years. These include companies moving
Gin distiller
from loss to profit such as microbrewery and pub operator
Beat Concepts
23
Bespoke uniform supplier
Sep 17 28.3% 3.2 11.4 Brewhouse & Kitchen (No 19), and others more than doubling
Send For Help
margins, such as leisure and retail developer Boxpark (No 36),
68 Mar 18 27.5% 3.5 12.8
Lone-worker protection provider which quadrupled its margin between 2017 and 2018 to 26%
BioPhorum
100 Dec 17 27.4% 1.4 5.2
Biopharmaceutical forum organiser
Boxpark
36 Apr 18 26.2% 2.2 8.4
Retail leisure developer
*Operating profit margin
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk
Fast Track 100 research report 2018 5
Ownership
• 78 companies are majority-owned by an entrepreneur and/or
founders, such as Berkshire-based travel agency TravelUp
(No 37), which is entirely owned by founder Ali Shah
• Seven are majority-owned by a private equity/venture capital firm
(PE/VC), such as Hertfordshire creative agency Smyle (No 66),
which sold a majority stake to Rockpool Capital in April
• Six companies are majority-owned by management, including
energy and waste consultancy Sustainable Advantage (No 70),
whose management team is led by finance director Chris Sykes
Susie Ma's beauty products manufacturer Tropic Skincare
(No 42) has benefitted from capital investment from Lord Sugar
• Five are majority-owned by business angels, such as beauty
products manufacturer Tropic Skincare (No 42), which is
backed by Lord Sugar
• Three are majority-owned by family, including football club
AFC Bournemouth (No 9), which is 75% owned by the family
of Maxim Demin
External investor breakdown
• One company is majority-owned by its employees:
sustainability consultancy Anthesis Group (No 88)
PE and/or VC 22
Business angels 14
External capital
Two-fifths of companies (40) have secured equity investment from
Corporate investors 4
PE/VC, business angels, crowdfunding investors, or corporations
(compared with last year’s 44).
The 23 that have disclosed how much they have raised, secured in
excess of £500m, according to data supplied by Beauhurst. This includes
£271m by BrewDog (No 71), the Scottish brewery valued at £1bn.
In addition to the seven companies majority-owned by PE/VC:
• PE/VC houses hold a minority stake in 15 companies, including:
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty (No 21), the London-based beauty
products retailer, which was valued at $600m last year when it
sold a minority stake to Sequoia Capital; and Mission Mars (No 5),
which raised £10.2m from growth-capital firm BGF in July
• 12 companies have received equity investment from business
angels, including Boxpark (No 36), the Brighton-based
retail and leisure developer, which is backed by Carphone
Warehouse founder Sir Charles Dunstone
• Four companies are backed by corporate investors: housing
materials manufacturer Staircraft (No 73), which sold a 15%
stake to Travis Perkins in 2015; furniture designer naughtone
(No 81), which sold a 50% non-controlling stake to US furniture
giant Herman Miller in June 2016; craft brewer Beavertown
Brewery (No 35), which sold a minority stake to Heineken
for £40m in June; and Vanarama (No 90), which is backed by
Pentland Group
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk
6 Fast Track research report 2018
Sector breakdown Sector breakdown
• The two largest sectors are services (40 companies) and
Wholesale
7 manufacturing (38)
• Services (40) encompasses a wide range of industries, including
Construction leisure, finance, recruitment and business services. Examples
12
include sustainability consultancy Anthesis Group (No 88),
Services
40 specialist recruitment consultancy Xcede Group (No 57), and
aircraft and spares service Aerfin (No 8)
Retail • Manufacturers (38), including those that outsource to third
29 parties, are represented by food-to-go manufacturer Real
Wrap Co. (No 41), which makes sandwiches, wraps and other
food items at its Avonmouth factory; and TRB (No 94), which
Manufacturing manufactures lightweight materials and components used in
38 trains and planes
• Retail (29) mainly comprises companies selling food and drink,
fashion, and home furnishings such as Aussie café chain Daisy
Green (No 52), wedding dress retailer Wed2b (No 32), and travel
Note: companies can operate in more than one sector agency TravelUp (No 37)
• Construction (12) includes London-based building and civil
engineering contractor CField Construction (No 15), and Truro-
based modular buildings designer ISO Spaces (No 10), which
creates residential and commercial buildings by converting old
Industry breakdown shipping containers
• Wholesalers (7) include Agon Systems (No 78), which supplies
specialist security tags to prevent shoplifting; and Fizz Creations
(No 80), which sells novelty goods to retailers like Argos,
21 Consumer goods Debenhams and Tesco
Industry breakdown
• Consumer goods (21) include firms selling their own-branded
products, such as Charlotte Tilbury Beauty (No 21), which sells
16 Food & drink high-end beauty products. It also includes companies supplying
others’ products, such as Vaporized (No 24), which sells 500
flavours of e-liquids via its online store and 100 retail outlets.
Consumer goods accounts for combined sales of £741m and
14 Business services employs 3,100 people.
• Food and drink (16) firms are represented by restaurant and
pub operators, including pizza restaurant chain Homeslice
(No 65) and steak restaurant chain Flat Iron (No 39). Other
13 Building related
examples include three alcohol manufacturers: brewers
BrewDog (No 71) and Beavertown Brewery (No 35), and gin
distiller Warner Edwards (No 6), as well as sports nutrition
7 Leisure
brand Grenade (No 47), and food-to-go manufacturers Around
Noon (No 79) and Real Wrap Co (41).
7 Automotive & transport
Food and drink accounts for combined sales of £446m and
6 Media employs 6,100 people.
4 Healthcare • The Business services (14) firms include energy and waste
consultancy Sustainable Advantage (No 70) and conference
organiser Corinium Global Intelligence (No 27).
12 Other
Business services accounts for combined sales of £329m and
employ 2,500 people.
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk
Fast Track 100 research report 2018 7
Regional breakdown of HQ in UK Regional breakdown
Greater London is home to the highest proportion of this year's
Scotland
2 Fast Track 100 companies and is the base for a third (34), the
same number as last year. The next highest is the Southeast with
20, compared with 16 last year.
Northwest
• 12 companies are headquartered in the Midlands, including
8
advertising space leaser Elonex Group (75)
N. Ireland Northeast
• Eight are based in the northeast, including bathroom
4
8 distributor Harrison Bathrooms (No 53); and another eight are
Midlands
in the northwest, including Manchester-based international
courier ITD Global (No 56)
12
Wales • Five are based in the southwest, including modular buildings
3
4
designer ISO Spaces (No 9) and TV show producer Plimsoll
East Productions (No 92)
The regions with the lowest representations are: the East of
5
England and Northern Ireland, with four in each; Wales, with
London three; and Scotland, with two.
Southwest 20 34
Southeast Sustained growth
• 59 companies on this year’s list have not appeared on any
previous Fast Track 100 league table, including consumer
products retailer One Retail Group (No 7)
• 25 companies appear on the league table for a second
consecutive year, and nine make a third consecutive appearance,
including online sportswear retailer Gymshark (No 12)
• Three companies have appeared for four years in a row:
CarFinance247 (No 48), Honest Burgers (No 91), and
Giggling Squid (No 99)
• One company has appeared for five years in a row:
Grenade (No 47)
• One company, BrewDog (No 71), has appeared for a record
seven consecutive years
The table below shows the five companies that have appeared for
four or more consecutive years:
Companies that have featured on Fast Track100 for four or more consecutive years
Latest Rank Rank Rank Rank Rank Rank Rank
Company sales 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
Activity £m
BrewDog
111.6 71 62 64 35 40 38 29
Brewery
Grenade
33.8 47 67 74 65 33
Sports nutrition developer
CarFinance247
47.5 48 9 5 6
Vehicle finance provider
Honest Burgers
22.3 91 31 19 2
Burger restaurant chain
Giggling Squid
23.7 99 60 57 42
Thai restaurant chain
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk
8 Fast Track research report 2018
22 YEARS OF FAST TRACK 100
Fast Track 100 was launched 22 years ago to recognise Britain’s
private companies with the fastest-growing sales.
The vital statistics of the league table companies have changed
significantly over the last 22 years. The combined sales figure for all
100 companies has more than doubled to £3.1bn, and total staff
has increased by 1,400 to 16,900.
Since its launch, 1,558 companies have featured on the Fast Track
100 over the 22 years. Forty-four companies have floated, 393 have
been acquired, and just 15% (240) have gone bust; despite over
Charles Rolls and Tim Warrilow founded drinks brand Fever-Tree
in 2005; it floated on AIM in 2014 valued at £124m and is now 50% of start-ups typically failing after four years.
worth £2.8bn
Stock market flotations
Forty companies have floated on the stock market, including:
How the Fast Track 100 has changed
• AO.com, the household appliance supplier, first featured
in 2007 with sales of £52.8m, it floated in 2014 when it was
1997 2018 valued at £1bn
• ARM, the chip designer, featured on the first Fast Track 100 in
1997 with sales of £16.7m, floating the following year. It was
acquired by Japan’s SoftBank in 2016 for £24bn, the largest
acquisition of a European tech business
Total • B&M Retail, the discount retailer, first featured in 2009 with sales
sales £1.6bn £3.1bn of £256m, floated in 2014 at £2.7bn and is now valued at £3.5bn
• Carphone Warehouse, the mobile-phone retailer, featured on
the first Fast Track 100 in 1997 with sales of £107m. It floated
on the stock exchange in 2000 valued at £1bn, and in 2014 it
merged with Dixons to create Dixons Carphone, which now has
a market cap of £2bn
Total
• Clinigen, the Staffordshire-based pharmaceutical services
staff 15,500 16,900 provider, featured as No 1 in 2011, floated in 2012 on AIM
valued at £135m and is now valued at £1.2bn
• Fever-Tree, the mixer drinks manufacturer, first featured in
2011, with sales of £7m, floated on AIM in 2014 at £154m, and
Companies
is now valued at £2.8bn
with • Hotel Chocolat, the chocolate retailer, featured as No 1 in
external 2008 with sales of £18.4m, floated in 2016 at £167m, and is
investment 21 40
now valued at £355m
• Joules, the lifestyle retailer, first featured in 2008 with sales of
£22m; floated in 2016 valued at £140m and is now worth £223m
• Markit, the financial information services provider, first featured
in 2010 with sales of £305m, and floated in 2014 at $4.3bn. It
Exporters 23 67 merged with US data provider IHS in a $13bn deal in 2016, and
is now valued at $19.5bn
• Moneysupermarket, the financial website operator, first
featured in 2003 with sales of £14m, floated in 2007 at £843m
and is now valued at £1.6bn
Top • Pets at Home, the pet products retailer, first featured in 1991
company with sales of £36.1m, floating in 2014 valued at £1.2bn
sales £12m £61.8m
• Softcat, the IT reseller, featured in 1999 with sales of £9m,
floated in 2015 valued at £472m and is now worth £1.2bn
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.ukf Fast Track’s greatest hits Fast Track 100 research report 2018 9
Acquisitions & mergers
393 Fast Track 100 alumni companies have merged with or been
acquired by other businesses, including:
• Euro Garages, the fuel forecourt operator, featured in
2006 with sales of £79m. In 2015, it bought 172 sites from
Exxon Mobil and Shell, before private-equity firm TDR Capital
acquired a minority stake, valuing the group at £1.3bn. In 2016,
it merged with European Forecourt Retail, and a series of
overseas acquisitions took sales to £4.5bn in 2017
• Geneva Technology, the billing software developer, which
ARM
Sir Robin Saxby, former CEO and chairman of ARM, which
featured on the first league table with sales of £17m, was
B&Mfeatured in 2001 with sales of £13.4m, the same year it was
ight
hile on
acquired
Set up by SoftBank
by 12 engineers for £24bn
led by Robin in 2016
Saxby, above, in a converted barn in 1990,
ARM Holdings designs microchips that are now found in 95% of the world’s sold to Convergys for £477m
Simon Arora, pictured above, and his brother Bobby acquired 21 discount shops
in 2004 and have since turned B&M into a group with nearly 600 stores serving
anies smartphones. In 1997 it featured on the first Fast Track 100 with sales of £17m. 3m customers a week in the UK and Germany. Sales stood at £2bn last year.
ks
ed on
Simon Segars joined as ARM’s 16th employee in 1991 and became chief executive
in 2013. ARM has championed British technology and in May this year acquired
• ghd, the hair products supplier, featured as the No 1 company
An outrider of the surge in value retailing in the UK, offering everything from
furniture and electrical goods to clothing and cosmetics, the Merseyside-based
07m
ake
Apical, an imaging software specialist and Tech Track 100 alumnus, for $350m
(£284m). It had sales of £968m in 2015 and employed 4,200 people worldwide
in 2005. LDC bought a 40% stake in a £55m deal in 2006, and
company first featured on Fast Track 100 in 2009 with sales of £256m. In 2012
the Arora brothers sold a stake to the private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice,
et up
uding
before it was bought by Japan’s SoftBank in September for £24.4bn. As the
“internet of things” continues to grow, ARM is set to expand. To support growth, its
there have been two further buyouts in 2007 and 2013. It
valuing the company at £965m, and appointed Sir Terry Leahy, of Tesco fame,
chairman. They listed the business on the London Stock Exchange in 2014,
new owner has pledged to double the number of engineers at its Cambridge base. had sales of £167m and operating profits of £15m before the
when it was valued at £2.8bn.
company was acquired by US firm Coty for $510m in 2016
• innocent, the fruit drinks maker, featured for five consecutive
years from 2004, when it had sales of £11m. It generated sales
of £207m and operating profit of £28m in 2012 before Coca-
Cola acquired a 90% stake in 2013, valuing the company at a
reported £440m
• Jimmy Choo, the luxury accessories designer, which first
Dame Natalie Massenet, founder of NET-A-PORTER, which featured
in 2006 with sales of £21m and was sold to Richemont for £350m
featured in 2005 with sales of £27.8m, before being acquired
in 2010; and merged with Yoox and is now valued at £4.2bn by Michael Kors in 2017 for £896m
• Naked Wines, the online wine retailer, first featured in 2013
with sales of £34.9m, making another appearance in 2014
Carphone Warehouse Markit before being bought by Majestic for £70m
t last Charles Dunstone was 25 when he co-founded Carphone Warehouse in 1989 Founder Lance Uggla struck more than 30 deals to expand his financial
nd with just £6,000 of savings. He anticipated the rapid adoption of mobile phones • NET-A-PORTER, the online fashion retailer, featured in 2006
information firm Markit, before signing the biggest of all — a $13bn (£11bn) merger
eate and was recognised on the first Fast Track 100 in 1997 when the company of equals with the American data provider IHS in July this year. The firm provides
ched achieved sales of £65m. He listed it in 2000, when it was valued at £1.7bn, and with sales of £21m. It was sold to Richemont for £350m in
debt and derivatives pricing, reference data, indices and processing services to
er led it into broadband. In 2010 Carphone Warehouse spun off its broadband arm, more than 3,000 financial institutions. Uggla started it with a group of colleagues
red TalkTalk — now valued at £1.5bn — and merged the phone retail business with 2010, merged with Yoox in 2015, and the combined group is
in a shed in St Albans in 2001 and it was first ranked on Fast Track 100 in 2010,
. The Dixons Retail in 2014, to create a £3.8bn group with sales of £9.7bn, operating when it had sales of £305m. It listed in New York in 2014, pictured above, at a
ting profits of £304m and 42,000 staff. Dunstone, who was knighted in 2012, is now valued at £4.2bn
valuation of $4.3bn, when it raised $1.3bn for further acquisitions. Before the
chairman of the combined group and has served as an investor in and director of merger with IHS this year, Markit had sales of $1.1bn and more than 4,000
other fast-growing businesses, including the UK arm of burger chain Five Guys. employees in 28 offices worldwide.
• Travelex, the foreign exchange operator, featured in 2003
with sales of £463m; it was sold to the owner of UAE Exchange
for £1bn in 2014
Richard Reed, Adam Balon and John Wright of innocent, which • Watchfinder, the pre-owned watch retailer which first
generated sales of £207m in 2012, before Coca-Cola bought a featured on Ones to Watch in 2014 with sales of £25.1m
90% stake in 2013, valuing the company at a reported £440m
and featured on the main table for three years before being
acquired by Richemont in June 2018
Failures
15% of the Fast Track 100 companies have gone bust over the past
22 years. This compares favourably with the over 50% of start-ups
that fail within four years.
Companies that have failed include Land of Leather, which
first featured in 2000 before going into liquidation during the
recession in 2009; Focus DIY, which featured in 2002 but fell into
administration in 2011 after having grown to be the fourth-largest
DIY retailer in the UK; and Spark Energy, which featured in 2014 but
Started by Mohan and Zuber Issa, Euro Garages merged with ceased trading last month – the 7th energy supplier to fold in 2018.
fuel forecourt operator European Forecourt Retail in 2016,
and it now has sales of £4.5bn
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk10 Fast Track research report 2018 Example Fast Track 100 alumni © 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk
Fast Track 100 research report 2018 11
KEY THEMES & SELECTED COMPANY PROFILES
On the following pages we profile examples of companies that
demonstrate some of the key themes from this year’s league table.
Women founders
There are 22 female founders or chief executives running
businesses on this year’s league table, the same as last year and
a joint record high in the 22 years of Fast Track 100. The second
highest point was in 2002, with 17 female founders.
Examples include Susie Ma, 30, who set up beauty product
A childhood love of gemstones inspired Marisa Hordern to start manufacturer Tropic Skincare (No 42) in 2011; and Pranee
her online jewellery brand Missoma (No 5) Laurillard, 48, who started Thai tapas chain Giggling Squid (No 99)
with her husband Andy, 47, in 2009.
Missoma
Online jewellery brand Its explosive growth has mostly taken place in the last three
4 years, thanks in part to being seen on the likes of Meghan
A childhood passion for gemstones inspired
Marisa Hordern, 39, to set up this London Markle and Margot Robbie. It uses social media and digital
firm in 2008 marketing to market its rings, earrings and necklaces, and
attributes almost three-quarters of sales to Instagram publicity.
CAGR§ 148% The range is stocked in high-end department stores Harvey
Sales 2018 £6m Nichols and Selfridges, as well as online by Nordstrom in the
Sales 2015 £0.4m
US. Sales climbed to £6m in March, roughly half of which were
OP 2017 £2.1m
Staff 15 to customers overseas.
Founded 2008
Location West London
Daisy Green
Aussie café chain Her London chain’s Aussie-inspired offering is available
52 between 7am and 11pm, with Instagrammable dishes including
Australian-born Prue Freeman, 37, a former
banker, founded the firm in 2012 with smashed avocado on charcoal toast in the morning, and ‘Hot
husband Tom Onions, 40 Bondi’ prawns in the evening. It also offers a bottomless brunch
with free flowing prosecco at five of its nine bars and eateries
CAGR§ 66% across London, including at Darcie & May Green – two floating
Sales 2018 £5.8m* barges, designed by Sir Peter Blake, on the Grand Union Canal
Sales 2015 £1.3m
at Paddington. It recently raised £2m on Crowdcube to support
OP 2017 £0.6m
Staff 175 its rapid expansion, seeing sales hit £5.8m in the year to April.
Founded 2012
Location West London
XL Displays
Exhibition equipment retailer Looking for a way to pick her own hours and spend time with
84 her newborn daughter, Joanne Bass, 41, decided to become
Joanne Bass, 41, started the business in 2010
while on maternity leave after the birth of her her own boss, using £3,000 of her savings to create a website.
first child Now a mother-of-four, her Peterborough-based firm sells a
range of exhibition and promotional equipment like stands,
CAGR§ 49% signs and banners. Turnover hit £5.5m last year thanks to
Sales 2017 £5.5m* signing up new customers and repeat business from its
Sales 2014 £1.6m
blue-chip clients, which include Virgin, Dyson and John Lewis.
OP 2017 £0.5m
Staff 42 Roughly 50% of products are manufactured in-house at its
Founded 2010 28,000 sq ft production facility.
Location Peterborough
§ compound annual growth rate between 2014/15 and 2017/18 * supplied by company
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk12 Fast Track research report 2018
Family-run businesses
Over a quarter (28) of the companies were founded or are run by
families, including husband-and-wife teams, siblings or parents
and children, up from 18 in 2015. Some have been passed down
through the generations – such as Welland Power (No 59), whose
managing director Charlie Farrow is the fourth generation to head
up the firm. At others, multiple generations work together, including
at Cussins (No 46), whose father-and-son co-founders Peter and
Jabin Cussins are chairman and chief executive respectively.
Husband-and-wife team Tom Warner and Tina Warner-Keogh set Other examples are profiled below.
up gin distiller Warner Edwards (No 6) in 2012
Warner Edwards
Gin distiller Based at Falls Farm in Harrington, Northamptonshire, this firm
6 produces six flavours of small batch, handcrafted gin, including
Husband-and-wife team Tom Warner, 40,
and Tina Warner-Keogh, 35, established the honey-infused, elderflower and rhubarb. Husband-and-wife team Tom
firm in 2012 Warner, 40, and Tina Warner-Keogh, 35, both come from farming stock,
but were working in procurement and private equity respectively when
CAGR§ 143% they established Warner Edwards in 2012. Early success was boosted
Sales 2017 £6.1m* by Fast Track 100 alumnus Fever-Tree recommending its ginger ale be
Sales 2014 £0.4m
paired with the firm's rhubarb gin, while stockists now include M&S,
OP 2017 £1.9m
Staff 21 Waitrose and Majestic Wines. Sales hit £6.1m last year, and there are
Founded 2012 plans to expand the distillery in 2019.
Location Northamptonshire
Vaporized
Vaping shop chain He says the idea for the firm came after a friend offered him an
24 electronic cigarette in the pub. A heavy smoker for over 15 years,
Callum Henderson, 32, joined forces with
his brother Connor, 29, to open the first the device helped him kick the habit, and provided the inspiration
Vaporized store for a new business venture. The first Vaporized store opened in
Edinburgh in 2013, and there are now 112 outlets across Britain
CAGR§ 97% – making it the country's largest chain of vaping stores – as well as
Sales 2017 £22.7m an online shop stocking over 500 flavours of e-liquids. Total sales
Sales 2014 £1.2m
hit £22.7m last year, and in October, it announced plans to open
OP 2016 £0.9m
Staff 220 another 200 stores by 2021.
Founded 2012
Location Edinburgh
Around Noon
Food-to-go manufacturer Established in 1989, this County Down-based firm is now run
79 by Gareth Chambers, 33, the son of the founders, chairman
Founded in 1989 by husband and wife
Francis, 59, and Sheila Chambers, 58, it is Howard Farquhar, 60, who led a management buyout in 2016.
now run by son Gareth, 33 Sandwiches, wraps, salads and cold-pressed juices are among
the products produced under its Scribbles brand. It acquired
CAGR§ 51% Sweet Things bakery in 2016 and Slough-based Chef in a Box in
Sales 2017 £19.2m* 2017, both for undisclosed sums. Sales hit £19.2m last year.
Sales 2014 £8.9m
OP 2016 £0.7m
Staff 235
Founded 1989
Location Co Down
§ compound annual growth rate between 2014/15 and 2017/18 * supplied by company
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.ukFast Track 100 research report 2018 13
External capital
Forty companies have raised external capital from PE/VC firms,
business angels, corporate investors or crowdfunding investors.
Half have disclosed how much they have raised, securing in
excess of £500m, according to data supplied by Beauhurst. For
example, Scottish brewery BrewDog (No 71) has raised £271m
and is valued at £1bn; while Mission Mars (No 5) secured
£10.2m from BGF in exchange for a minority stake in July.
Other examples of companies that are backed by external
Mowgli Street Food (No 23) secured £3.5m from Foresight investors are profiled below.
Partners last year in exchange for a minority stake
ISO Spaces
Modular buildings designer Clients of this firm include Fever-Tree, Jeep, the BBC and
10 Boxpark – which features on Fast Track this year at No 10.
It has completed two crowdfunding rounds on
Crowdcube to support its expansion, the most Founded in 2013 by former stockbrokers Ben Treleaven, 37, and
recent of which raised 130% of its £500,000 target Gregg Curtis, 38, it converts shipping containers into bespoke
spaces like cafes, bars and offices, which are manufactured at its
CAGR§ 135% factory in Truro. Last year, it completed a 60-apartment project
Sales 2018 £5.6m* for Ealing Council, which was constructed, fitted and finished in
Sales 2015 £0.4m
just 24 weeks. Sales grew to £5.6m in September, thanks in part
OP 2018 £0.6m
Staff 29 to a merger with sister company CargoTek.
Founded 2013
Location Truro
Ventrica
Outsourced contact centre operator This firm helps to keep customers happy by answering their
63 questions via email, LiveChat and on the phone, working on
Mobeus Equity Partners bought a 36% stake
in the firm for £9m in September behalf of clients like Jimmy Choo, New Look and UGG Australia.
Founder Dino Forte, 52, anticipated that there would be
demand for such a business when he founded Ventrica in
CAGR§ 58% 2009, because of the rise of online shopping. Sales hit £9.4m in
Sales 2017 £9.4m 2017. It plans to open a contact centre in Holland next year, as
Sales 2014 £2.4m
well as create another 150 jobs in Southend-on-Sea.
OP 2017 £1.8m
Staff 354
Founded 2009
Location Southend-on-Sea
Giggling Squid
Thai restaurant chain The first Giggling Squid restaurant was in the basement of a
99 former fisherman’s cottage in Hove, which husband-and-wife
It secured £6.4m investment from the
growth-capital firm BGF in 2015 team Andy and Pranee Laurillard, 47 and 48, bought for £1
in 2009. The chain now has 30 eateries serving "Thai tapas"
– small sharing dishes inspired by authentic and rustic Thai
CAGR§ 46% cooking. It made a surprise discovery last year while renovating
Sales 2018 £23.7m* its newly-acquired Windsor site – £20,000 worth of fine wine
Sales 2015 £7.7m
stashed in a secret cellar by the previous owners. Sales hit
OP 2016 £1.8m
Staff 492 £23.7m in March.
Founded 2009
Location Guildford
§ compound annual growth rate between 2014/15 and 2017/18 * supplied by company
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk14 Fast Track research report 2018
International activity
More than two-thirds of the companies (67) have expanded
overseas to boost revenue growth, up from 58 last year and
23 that featured on the first league table in 1997.
Examples include AerFin (No 8), which sells aircraft and parts to
overseas customers like Philippine Airlines and Lufthansa; and
Welland Power (No 59), which produces over 3,000 generators
per year, roughly 95% of which end up abroad.
Industry veteran Bob James started AerFin (No 8) in 2012; it now Other examples are profiled below.
generates more than 80% of its £70.2m revenues overseas
Gymshark
Online sportswear retailer Ben Francis, 26, started this fitness clothing brand in 2012 at the age of
12 just 20. Since then its range of fitness apparel has gone global, under
This year, 80% of its sales were to its
overseas customers in 177 countries the steer of chief executive Steve Hewitt, 45, who joined in 2015. It has
focused on creating an aspirational brand and innovative products,
building a community of fans and customers through its social media
CAGR§ 128% programme, which has seen it sponsor popular YouTubers and Instagram
Sales 2018 £103.2m* stars. It now has a combined audience of 65m followers, creating such
Sales 2015 £8.7m
demand for its products that many new launches sell out within hours. In
OP 2018 £20.3m
Staff 202 April, it opened its new headquarters – GSHQ – in Solihull, creating 450
Founded 2012 jobs for the Midlands region, and in July, sales hit £103.2m.
Location Solihull
END.
Online menswear retailer Starting life as a shop in Newcastle in 2005, co-founders and
69 university friends John Parker and Christiaan Ashworth, both 36,
Ships up to 6,000 parcels a day to its
customers around the world saw the potential of the internet 12 months after launch and
set up an online store. It stocks a carefully curated selection
of luxury fashion, emerging designers and exclusive sport
CAGR§ 56% and streetwear, from brands such as Moncler, Off-White and
Sales 2018 £101.1m Alexander McQueen. Taking investment from Index Ventures
Sales 2015 £26.7m
in 2014 has helped it expand its retail footprint, opening a
OP 2017 £23m
Staff 316 Glasgow flagship in 2017. Sales reached £101.1m in March, and
Founded 2005 it opened its London Soho store in October.
Location Newcastle
naughtone
Furniture designer and manufacturer Google, Twitter and AstraZeneca are among the clients of this
81 Yorkshire firm, which was founded in 2005 by Mark Hammond,
To open the way for sales in the US, it sold
a 50% non-controlling stake to US furniture 38, Kieron Bakewell, 40, and Matt Welsh, 41. Its contemporary
giant Herman Miller in 2016 furniture can be found in hotels, restaurants, offices and even
airports, including Manchester's Terminal 3. Launching its first
CAGR§ 50% international showroom in Chicago has helped boost sales,
Sales 2018 £23.4m* which hit £23.4m in May, roughly 70% of which were overseas.
Sales 2015 £6.9m
OP 2016 £4.5m
Staff 40
Founded 2005
Location North Yorkshire
§ compound annual growth rate between 2014/15 and 2017/18 * supplied by company
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.ukFast Track 100 research report 2018 15
Manufacturing
Thirty-eight companies are engaged in manufacturing, either directly
or indirectly (by outsourcing to third parties), up from 33 last year.
Examples include Real Wrap Co (No 41), which manufactures a range
of sandwiches, wraps and other food-to-go from its Avonmouth
factory; and luxury bathroom retailer Lusso Stone (No 18), which
outsources the manufacture of its composite stone baths and sinks
to a partner in China.
Beavertown Brewery (No 35) produces 6.5m litres of beer a
year at its site in Tottenham Hale, North London
Beavertown Brewery
Craft brewery Logan Plant, 39 – son of Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant –
35 founded Beavertown in 2011. Its beers are now stocked in Young's,
Produces 6.5m litres of beer annually at its
site in Tottenham Hale Fuller's and Greene King pubs nationwide, as well as in Waitrose
and M&S stores. Its quirkily-named pale ales include Gamma Ray,
Neck Oil and Lupuloid, all of which are sold in eye-catching cans
CAGR§ 77% featuring psychedelic prints and comic book-style cartoons. Sales
Sales 2018 £12.7m frothed up to £12.7m in March, and it announced in June that
Sales 2015 £2.3m
Heineken had taken a minority stake in the business for £40m.
OP 2018 £1.3m
Staff 74 BeaverWorld – its new brewing site with a visitor centre – will open
Founded 2011 next year, seeing production capacity rise to 45m litres a year.
Location North London
Task Consumer Products
Lavatory paper manufacturer This Wolverhampton-based business was set up in 2007 by
67 managing director Ravi Patel, 62, along with his two sons Nikul,
Produces 60,000 tons of paper
products a year at its 250,000 sq ft 29, and Kunal, 30. It manufactures lavatory paper and kitchen
factory in Wolverhampton towel products for the consumer market, as well as commercial
paper products like hygiene rolls and facial tissues. The growth
CAGR§ 56% of discount retailers – who are among its key customers –
Sales 2017 £29.2m helped drive sales to £29.2m in 2017. It has recently invested in
Sales 2014 £7.7m
its equipment and production lines.
OP 2017 £2.5m
Staff 45
Founded 2008
Location Wolverhampton
Staircraft
Housing materials manufacturer Staircases, joist floors, door linings and other timber products
73 are manufactured at this firm’s ten UK facilities. Managing
It has 10 UK manufacturing facilities, and is
backed by Travis Perkins director, Andy Hamilton, 53, founded the Nuneaton-based
company in 1985 with a £5,000 loan from his father after
leaving school without any qualifications. Travis Perkins, the
CAGR§ 55% builders’ merchant, took a 15% stake in the business in 2015
Sales 2017 £35.9m for an undisclosed sum, with sales reaching £35.9m in 2017. It
Sales 2014 £9.6m
says it is now the largest staircase manufacturer in Europe, with
OP 2017 £1m
Staff 266 1,500 new houses built each week using its products.
Founded 1985
Location Warwickshire
§ compound annual growth rate between 2014/15 and 2017/18 * supplied by company
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk16 Fast Track research report 2018
Emerging brands
Some companies are becoming household names, including US
burger chain Five Guys (No 43), brewer BrewDog (No 71), and
online sportswear retailer Gymshark (No 12), as well as other
examples below.
Charlotte Tilbury, the eponymous founder of Charlotte Tilbury
Beauty (No 21) received an MBE for her services to the beauty
industry last month
Revolution Beauty
Beauty products retailer Joint chief executives Adam Minto, 48, and Tom Allsworth, 53,
3 launched the first Revolution Beauty product in 2014, under its
Its 1.4m Instagram followers can buy its
products at Superdrug, Ulta and Beautybay.com Makeup Revolution brand, which Superdrug picked up for distribution
less than six months after launch. The Kent firm sells items in its range
at an affordable price point – eyeshadows, concealer and lipstick
CAGR§ 153% start at £1 – which it achieves by shunning expensive print and TV
Sales 2017 £71.8m advertising in favour of social media and influencer marketing. Sales
Sales 2014 £4.4m
reached £71.8m in 2017, the same year US private equity giant TSG
OP 2017 £11.5m
Staff 94 Consumer Partners took a minority stake. It says it is now launching a
Founded 2013 new product every week, all of which are certified cruelty-free.
Location Kent
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty
Beauty products retailer Founder Charlotte Tilbury, 45, has been a make-up artist to the stars
21 for more than 20 years, having worked with some of the world’s
Its celebrity fans range from the Duchess of
Sussex to JK Rowling and the Kardashian family most famous faces, including Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss and Amal
Clooney. She launched her eponymous line of beauty products in
2013 together with chief executive Demetra Pinsent, 44, and opened
CAGR§ 102% the brand’s flagship Covent Garden store in 2015. It has since
Sales 2017 £100.7m expanded its distribution to the US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East
Sales 2014 £12.2m
and, most recently, Hong Kong. It now has 200 points of distribution
EBITDA 2017 £4.3m
Staff 989 worldwide, which helped boost sales to £100.7m last year. This year
Founded 2011 it launched in Sephora in the US, Canada, Germany and Spain.
Location West London
BrewDog
Brewery This Aberdeenshire brewer is featuring on the league table for
71 a record seventh time. Founded in 2007 by James Watt and
It has opened nearly 60 bars in locations as far
afield as Brazil and Japan Martin Dickie, both 36, it was valued at £1bn last April when
it sold a 22% stake to US private equity firm TSG Consumer
Partners for £213m; and it has since raised another £26m from
CAGR§ 56% crowdfunding. Its 95,000 'equity punks' have bought shares
Sales 2017 £111.6m through a public prospectus and own 20% of the company.
Sales 2014 £29.6m
Sales hit £111.6m in 2017, and at its April AGM this year, it told
OP 2018 £2.7m
Staff 777 shareholders that it was planning a stock market flotation as
Founded 2007 soon as 2020.
Location Aberdeen
§ compound annual growth rate between 2014/15 and 2017/18 * supplied by company
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.ukFast Track 100 research report 2018 17
Housebuilding and construction
There are 13 building-related companies on this year’s league table,
including six housebuilders and five building contractors.
Some have benefitted from government-backed schemes like Help
to Buy, including Staircraft (No 73) which says 1,500 new houses
a week are built using its products, and Highwood Group (No 74),
which is building 750 homes at North Stoneham Park in Hampshire.
Paul McKenna worked as a joiner for £8 a day as a teenager,
before setting up mac-group (No 58) in 2002
Eccleston Homes
Housebuilder This Warrington firm focuses on building traditional houses
22 with modern interiors, mostly in the suburbs of towns and cities
Founder Kevin Marren, 58, started this company
using his share of the proceeds from the £26m sale in the Northwest. Turnover climbed to £13.3m last year, when
of his previous venture to Bovis Homes in 2007 it sold 36 homes – up from 31 the year before. It is looking into
offsite methods of construction to help improve its build times.
CAGR§ 99%
Sales 2017 £13.3m
Sales 2014 £1.7m
OP 2017 £2.1m
Staff 26
Founded 2011
Location Warrington
mac-group
Construction and fit-out contractor Based in Newry, Northern Ireland, this office fit-out and
58 construction contractor has benefitted from the influx of large
It has worked on more than 1,000 projects
for clients like IBM and Oracle, and says it US firms setting up offices in Ireland. Founder and managing
has 93% repeat business director Paul McKenna, 51, who had worked as a joiner for
£8 a day as a teenager, grew sales to £94.7m last year - all
CAGR§ 63% generated across the border in Ireland. A fortuitous call from a
Sales 2017 £94.7m former client had led him to set the firm up in 2001, when he
Sales 2014 £21.9m
was contacted and asked to carry out a construction project. It
OP 2017 £4.5m
Staff 83 is currently involved in a number of brownfield and greenfield
Founded 2002 development projects.
Location Newry
Thakeham Group
Housebuilder and construction contractor Rob Boughton, 45, established this West Sussex firm in 2010.
82 The group of companies comprises a land promotion and
Its landbank comprises roughly 30,000 plots,
and works with the likes of Legal & General housebuilding arm, Thakeham Homes, and a contracting
arm, Thakeham Client. The former focuses on constructing
quality new houses across the Southeast, and has benefitted
CAGR§ 50% from government-backed schemes like Help to Buy. Under its
Sales 2017 £47.6m Thakeham Client arm, the firm works with external customers
Sales 2014 £14.1m
like Legal & General and housing association Clarion, on
OP 2017 £3.5m
Staff 13 projects such as retirement villages and affordable housing
Founded 2010 schemes. Group sales climbed to £47.6m last year.
Location West Sussex
§ compound annual growth rate between 2014/15 and 2017/18 * supplied by company
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.uk18 Fast Track research report 2018
2018 FAST TRACK 100 LEAGUE TABLE
Rank Annual sales Latest
2018 Company growth over sales
[2017] Activity HQ location FYE 3 yrs§ £000 Staff Founded Comment
Midwinter Solutions Its co-founders worked at Clinigen, which was No 1
1 Burton-on-Trent Feb 18 233.29% 61,823 20 2013
Clinical trials supplier on Fast Track 100 in 2011 before it floated on AIM
Crep Protect Sells its footwear protection and cleaning products
2 West London Feb 18 190.74% *27,465 29 2012
Footwear accessories developer in 52 countries around the world
Revolution Beauty Has a range of cruelty-free beauty and cosmetic
3 Kent Dec 17 152.92% 71,788 94 2013
Beauty products retailer products starting at just £1
Missoma Plans to use 3D printing to create crystals for future
4 West London Mar 18 148.26% 5,970 15 2008
Online jewellery brand jewellery collections
Mission Mars Raised £10.2m from BGF in July to fund the
5 Manchester Sep 18 147.37% †*27,744 531 2015
Bar and restaurant operator expansion of its Rudy's and Schloss hospitality brands
Warner Edwards Each bottle of its rhubarb gin contains one-third
6 Northamptonshire Dec 17 142.58% *6,052 21 2012
Gin distiller fresh rhubarb juice
One Retail Group Northwest Founder Joshua Stevens started his first business
7 Dec 17 141.53% *13,970 12 2013
Consumer products retailer London aged 13
8 AerFin Has spent more than £100m buying used aircraft,
Caerphilly Dec 17 140.68% 70,221 87 2010
[1] Aircraft and spares services engines and spares worldwide
AFC Bournemouth Achieved a ninth place finish in the Premier League
9 Bournemouth Jun 17 138.23% 136,456 575 1890
Football club last year, its second season in the top flight
ISO Spaces Constructed, fitted and finished 60 apartments made
10 Truro Sep 18 135.38% *5,575 29 2013
Modular buildings designer from shipping containers in 24 weeks for Ealing council
Velocity Outlet Names its speakers after natural landmarks such as
11 Cambridge Dec 17 134.32% *13,269 22 2013
Online electronics retailer Mount Snowdon
12 Gymshark Its social media pages have a combined following of
Solihull Jul 18 127.86% *103,232 202 2012
[12] Online sportswear retailer more than 7m and combined audience of 65m
13 Cult Beauty Has raised £1.8m funding from investors including
Central London May 18 125.88% *66,742 108 2008
[7] Online beauty retailer the founders of Net-a-Porter and Lovefilm
Ridgepoint Homes Is creating 135 family homes adjacent to the Grand
14 High Wycombe Dec 17 124.72% 34,619 21 2006
Housebuilder and developer Union Canal in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
CField Construction Built Field of Dreams educational centre for adults
15 Central London Dec 17 111.99% 50,009 39 2011
Building and civil engineering contractor with Down’s syndrome in Cork
INSTAsmile Placed side-by-side, the veneers it has made since
16 Manchester Sep 18 109.45% *5,580 45 2012
Dental veneer retailer 2012 would cover roughly four miles
Mowgli Street Food Founder Nisha Katona spent 20 years working as a child
17 Liverpool Jul 18 106.05% *8,066 254 2013
Indian restaurant chain protection barrister before opening her first restaurant
Lusso Stone Its baths, sinks and showers can be found in high-
18 Middlesbrough Sep 18 105.41% 7,965 11 2013
Luxury bathroom retailer end hotels such as Claridge’s in Mayfair
Brewhouse & Kitchen Most expensive own-brand pint is under £6 and
19 North London Sep 17 103.82% †11,424 281 2012
Microbrewery and pub operator 48% of its customers are female
Oxford Summer Courses Runs courses for overseas students across
20 Oxford Sep 18 103.80% *8,114 26 2010
Educational course provider Cambridge, London, Stanford and Bangalore
Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Charlotte Tilbury was appointed an MBE at
21 West London Dec 17 102.11% 100,653 989 2013
Beauty products retailer Buckingham Palace last month
22 Eccleston Homes Founder Kevin Marren sold his previous
Warrington Oct 17 99.01% 13,339 26 2011
[13] Housebuilder housebuilding venture to Bovis Homes for £26m
23 Beat Concepts Designed and supplied the eye-catching ultra-
Central London Sep 17 98.36% †*11,388 11 2008
[26] Bespoke uniform supplier reflective jackets worn by Deliveroo riders
Vaporized In October it announced plans to open another 200
24 Edinburgh Dec 17 96.65% 22,677 220 2012
Vaping shop chain stores by 2021, bringing its total to over 300
25 Veezu Donates 1p to charity for every ride booked through
Newport Dec 17 95.62% 25,929 304 2013
[4] Taxi hire provider its app
* supplied by company † annualised
© 2018 Fast Track 100 fasttrack.co.ukFast Track 100 research report 2018 19
2018 FAST TRACK 100 LEAGUE TABLE
Rank Annual sales Latest
2018 Company growth over sales
[2017] Activity HQ location FYE 3 yrs§ £000 Staff Founded Comment
HalalBooking.com More than 80% of its turnover is generated from
26 Reading Dec 17 90.01% *10,132 36 2009
Specialist online travel agency bookings made by overseas customers
Corinium Global Intelligence All of its 56 employees across five continents work
27 Cirencester May 18 87.35% *5,559 56 2013
Conference organiser remotely
Urban Pubs & Bars Co-founders sold their previous venture Realpubs
28 West London Apr 18 85.05% *16,805 241 2014
Pub operator to Greene King for £53m
29 TFS Healthcare
Central London Mar 18 84.92% 38,621 100 2010 Runs a “Nurse of the Month” feature on its website
[3] Healthcare recruitment consultancy
30 Ennismore Its portfolio includes six Hoxton-branded hotels, as
Central London Dec 17 84.12% 17,382 83 2012
[19] Hotel developer and operator well as the Gleneagles golf resort in Scotland
31 Pallet-Track Says it can transport anything that fits on a pallet,
Wolverhampton Jan 18 84.04% 84,656 166 2004
[20] Logistics provider including pianos, trees and fridges
32 Wed2b
Milton Keynes Jul 18 81.68% *18,435 418 2009 Its wedding dresses range in price from £99 to £699
[18] Wedding dress retailer
Clearabee Purchased 10 acres of native woodland in the
33 Birmingham Dec 17 77.51% *8,999 146 2012
Waste collection services Scottish Borders to offset all of its CO2 emissions
Pure Retirement Manages more than £600m in lifetime mortgage
34 Leeds Dec 17 77.17% 21,055 52 2013
Specialist mortgage broker loans across the UK
Beavertown Brewery It is the official craft beer supplier of the new
35 North London Mar 18 77.16% 12,740 74 2011
Craft brewery Tottenham Hotspur stadium
Boxpark Grime artist Stormzy launched his 2017 album Gang
36 Brighton Apr 18 75.77% *8,400 48 2010
Retail leisure developer Signs and Prayer at Boxpark Croydon
TravelUp Its websites receive 20,000 visits a day, up 65% on
37 Berkshire Mar 18 75.34% 77,263 74 2004
Travel agency last year
Henley Homes Southwest The Victorian hospital it is converting in Manchester
38 Dec 17 75.23% 36,458 17 1999
Property developer London was once used as the set of a horror film
39 Flat Iron Customers regularly queue for up to two hours to
Central London Aug 17 75.05% 11,715 220 2012
[23] Steak restaurant chain secure a table at its no-reservation restaurants
Cheevers Howard One of its directors drove to the south of France to
40 West London Mar 18 73.07% *25,930 95 2013
High-end construction contractor personally collect glass panels for a client
Real Wrap Co. Supplied 15,000 sandwiches to 68 world leaders
41 Bristol Mar 18 72.64% *7,110 105 2012
Food-to-go manufacturer and their entourages at the G8 summit in 2013
42 Tropic Skincare Founder Susie Ma started selling cosmetic products
Croydon Jun 18 72.51% *22,475 120 2011
[32] Beauty products manufacturer at Greenwich Market aged 15
43 Five Guys Says customers have more than 250,000 combinations
West London Dec 17 72.38% *121,965 2086 2013
[8] Burger restaurant chain to choose from when they order one of its burgers
44 Corley + Woolley Fitted a bespoke oyster-shaped bar in the Rosebery
Central London Dec 17 71.79% 25,849 27 2012
[17] Fit-out contractor tea rooms at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
Braidwater Growth-capital firm BGF has invested twice in the
45 Londonderry Mar 18 71.75% 24,103 46 2011
Housebuilder past three years
46 Cussins The Duke of Northumberland owns a 35% stake in
Northumberland Sep 18 70.89% *33,063 88 2001
[29] Housebuilder the business
47 Grenade Says its Carb Killa protein bars outsell single Mars
Solihull Dec 17 70.55% *33,820 33 2009
[67] Sports nutrition brand bars in UK grocers
48 CarFinance247 More than £35m of loans are completed every
Manchester Jun 18 69.49% *47,456 423 2006
[9] Vehicle finance provider month via its website, it says
49 Chi Chi London Its designs have been spotted on celebrities such as
Enfield Dec 17 69.20% †*18,407 44 2008
[58] Online fashion retailer Love Island presenter Caroline Flack
50 Character.com Products range from Star Wars stormtrooper
Swansea Jul 17 68.84% *12,242 26 2009
[46] Branded clothing retailer backpacks to Peppa Pig dressing gowns
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