2009 Fast Track 100 Rep

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Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009
Britain's fastest-growing private companies

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Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

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CONTENTS
SUMMARY Introduction Top 10 Fast Track 100 companies KEY FINDINGS Growth in sales Impact of the credit crunch Sales breakdown Regional breakdown Number of employees The average Fast Track 100 company Funding and ownership Sector and industry breakdown LEAGUE TABLE HIGHLIGHTS AND EXAMPLES Top company profile Companies that have benefited from downturn Companies with public sector clients Companies with female founders Companies with green credentials Companies using new media to reach customers Companies with staying power METHODOLOGY 2009 FAST TRACK 100 LEAGUE TABLE ABOUT THE SPONSORS BACKGROUND About the authors About Fast Track CONTACT DETAILS 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 19 21 21 22 22

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

1

SUMMARY
Introduction
This is the thirteenth year of The Sunday Times Fast Track 100, which has become the definitive annual league table of Britain’s fastest-growing private companies. It is published in partnership with The Sunday Times, and with title sponsor Virgin Group. The 2009 Fast Track 100 ranks companies based on their sales growth over three years, either 2005 to 2008 or 2006 to 2009, depending on their latest available accounts. The Fast Track 100 league table is similar to the American Inc 500, which identified emerging private company stars such as Microsoft 25 years ago. A number of companies from previous Fast Track 100 league tables, including mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse and microchip designer ARM, floated on the London Stock Exchange after appearing on the league table. The league table identifies the fastest-growing private companies in a cross-section of sectors, excluding technology companies, which are covered in our sister league table, The Sunday Times Tech Track 100. The 64 new entrants on this year's league table include online greeting card retailer Moonpig.com (No 22), fashion retailer Cath Kidston (No 86) and golf travel agency Your Golf Travel (No 15).

Paul Lindley, founder of Ella's Kitchen (No 9), the baby food producer, with his daugther, Ella.

Top 10 Fast Track 100 companies
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Cyclescheme Bike scheme administrator Gio-Goi Fashion wholesaler Empiric Solutions Recruitment consultancy Oxygen Insurance broker Eazyfone Mobile phone recycler Mattressman Mattress retailer I-Paye Payroll services provider Paladin Group Property services provider Ella’s Kitchen Baby food producer Catering Academy Contract catering provider

Bath Central London Central London Central London Cheshire Norwich Merseyside Bath Henley Staffordshire

Feb 09 Mar 09 Aug 09 Dec 08 Aug 09 Mar 08 Mar 09 Mar 09 Jun 09 Dec 08

347.91 219.92 202.15 189.80 176.69 173.60 170.65 170.25 156.16 155.76

†22,748 18,811 8,962 17,021 †36,246 8,680 67,401 †20,450 *8,260 14,305

*253 575 325 699 *1,711 *424 3,400 *1,036 *491 *855

27 34 14 177 124 44 42 345 10 593

2005 1988 2005 2004 2001 2004 2005 2000 2005 2004

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

Co
New client Rolls-Royce bought £1.2m of bikes for employees in one month Brand featured in an MTV show with Pete Doherty modelling its clothes Has around 50 core investment and asset management clients including ING and Fortis Has arranged cancellation insurance for Madonna and U2 concerts Says it recycles up to 200,000 phones a month through its Envirofone website Stocks 5,000 bed frames and 3,000 mattresses at any given time Has 2,000 clients, many of whom are contractors working abroad Is moving into student letting, with a contract signed to manage 1,000 student units Its 30 products include flavours such as butternut squash, apple and prune Its clients include the Health Protection Agency, the University of Bolton and the YMCA

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www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

2

KEY FINDINGS
Growth in sales
• Fast Track 100 companies, on average, almost doubled their sales each year between 2005/06 and 2008/09. Average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in sales over three years was 95%, compared with 89% last year. • The combined sales of the 100 companies increased from £500m to £2.6 billion over the last three years. • Almost two-thirds of companies (60%) had sales of more than £10m in their latest year (2008/09). • The top-ranked company, which helps to administer the government's Cycle to Work scheme, Cyclescheme, had average sales growth of 348% a year, from an annualised £253,000 in 2006 to £22.7m in 2009. Last year’s top ranked company, Hotel Chocolat Stores, had sales growth of 226% a year to £18.4m in 2008.
Offshore services provider, Acteon (No 70), has the biggest sales on the league table with £309m.

• The 100th ranked company, retailer David Phillips Furniture, had average sales growth of 53%, from £3.5m in 2005 to £12.3m in 2008. • Sales of the 100 companies range from the biggest, £309m (Acteon, No 70), to the smallest, £5m (PJ Care, No 81) in their latest accounts.

Growth in sales
Number of companies in each growth range >200% 151 - 200% 101 - 150% 76 - 100% 53 - 75% 0 10 20 30 40 3 8 20 28 41 50

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

3

Impact of the credit crunch
The Fast Track 100 requires all entrants to have reported a pre-tax profit in their latest accounts and to be forecasting continued sales growth. It therefore tends to include companies which are faring well despite the current tough economic climate. In addition, more than half (52) the companies on the league table have their latest financial year ends in 2008, and therefore their growth has been measured over a period which does not reflect the full impact of the recession:
Net-A-Porter.com (No 92) founder Natalie Massenet featured for a third consecutive year.

• On average, each company is forecasting sales growth of 33% for the next year, which would take their combined sales from £2.6bn to £3.5bn. • Over the last three years, companies as a whole have created 12,783 jobs, and now emply 17,421 people. • This year’s companies as a whole are more profitable than last year’s Fast Track 100, reporting combined pre-tax profits of £198m, compared to £165m last year. • 29 companies from last year’s league table have continued to grow quickly enough to qualify for a second year. Nine companies are making a third consecutive appearance. Online fashion retailer NET-A-PORTER.com (No 92) is featured for the third time, but it would have achieved four consecutive rankings had it not been classified as a Tech Track 100 company in 2007. • Some companies appear to have directly benefited from the economic downturn. For example, bargain-hunting consumers have brought six new discount sector retailers and wholesalers onto this year’s table, including discount chain B&M Retail (no 97). However, the companies are by no means immune from the challenges of the downturn, and there are still some signs of the recession on the table: • Half of the companies have seen their operating profit margins reduced, as increased costs and downward pressure on prices have taken effect.

B&M Retail (No 97) has 124 discount stores throughout Britain and has taken over a number of Kwik Save and Woolworths shops.

Gio-Goi (No 2) sold a 20% stake to Pentland in December 2008.

• Only a small minority managed to improve margins by more than 5%. • Between July 2008 and July 2009, only two of the companies featured on the league table rasied VC funding, compared to 12 in the year leading up to July 2008. The two were digital design consultancy Fjord (No 47), which raised £2.7m from Beringea and European fund GP Bullhound in March 2009, and fashion label Gio-Goi (No 2), which sold a 20% stake to brand manager Pentland for an undisclosed amount in December 2008.

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

4

Sales breakdown
Number of companies in each range >£50m £20 - 49.9m £10 - 19.9m <£10m 0 10 20 30 40 12 20 28 40 50

Sales breakdown
12 companies reported sales in excess of £50m, including discount retailer B&M Retail (No 97) and book retailer The Book Depository (No 55). 20 reported sales between £20m and £50m, including fashion wholesaler Henleys (No 76) and wine exchange operator Liv-ex (No 59).

Regional breakdown
Greater London is home to almost a third of Fast Track 100 companies (32), followed by the North (22) and Southeast (18). The Southwest has 12 companies, up 9 from last year.

Regional breakdown
Number of companies in each region Greater London North Southeast Southwest Midlands East Scotland Wales 0 4 3 2 10 20 30 40 7 12 18 22 32

Number of employees
6 companies employed more than 500 people, including offshore services provider Acteon (No 70) with 1,595 staff, and payroll services provider Danbro (No 40) with 1,363. 20 companies employed between 151 and 500 people, including contract caterer Catering Academy (No 10) and architecture firm Zaha Hadid (No 67). The companies with the fewest employees are pub operator Amber Taverns (No 57) and organic baby food producer Ella's Kitchen (No 9), with 10 staff each.

The average Fast Track 100 company Sales
Growth 2005/06 – 2008/09 Sales in 2005/06 Sales in 2008/09 95% pa £4.7m £26.4m

Staff
Staff growth 2005/06 – 2008/09 55% pa 174

Number of employees
Number of companies in each employee range >500 151 - 500 101 - 150 51 - 100 26 - 50 10 - 25 0 10 20 3 19 23 29 30 6 20

Staff in 2008/09

Company characteristics
Region Sector Industry Founded Profits Financing Greater London (32%) Services (61%) Recruitment (20%) 1999 £2m Internal funds and short-term debt (69%)

Founders
Sex Age Male 138 (89%), female 18 (11%) 42

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

5

Majority-ownership breakdown in latest year (2008/09)
Entrepreneur and/or founder 76

Funding and ownership
• 76 of the companies are majority-owned by an entrepreneur and/or founder, such as organic baby food producer Ella’s Kitchen (No 9), which was founded by new father and former Nickelodeon director Paul Lindley in 2005. The company is still majority owned by Lindley and his wife and now sells its products in Scandinavia and America. • Ten companies are majority-owned by venture capital, private equity or business angels. Another four companies are backed by venture capital, private equity or business angels who own more than 10% of the business. These include offshore services provider Integrated Subsea Services (No 73), which completed an MBO in April 2008 that saw Bank of Scotland Corporate invest £80m for a 12% stake. • 13 companies have made acquisitions in the last year, including Low Cost Travel Group (No 20), which acquired airport transfer services provider ResortHoppa.com, and Miroma Group (No 23), which is expanding the group to include a media members’ club and a number of bars and nightclubs.

Management 13 Business Angels 5 Private equity and/or venture capital 5 Family 1

Ella's Kitchen (No 9) makes organic baby food products

Industry breakdown in latest year (2008/09)
Number of companies in each sector

Sector and industry breakdown
Fast Track 100 companies represent a wide range of business sectors. 61 of the 100 companies and 6 of the top 10 companies are service businesses such as bicycle scheme administrator Cyclescheme (No 1). This compares with 68 last year. 20 of the companies provide recruitment services, compared with 24 last year, while 15 operate in the food and drinks sector such as French bakery Paul (No 95) and energy drinks maker Boost Drinks (No 44), compared with 10 last year.

Recruitment 20

Consumer Goods 16

Food and drink 15 Business services 12 Healthcare 7 Engineering 6 Leisure 6 Building related 5 Transport 5 Telecoms 3 Finance 2 Media 2 Other 1

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

6

LEAGUE TAbLE hIGhLIGhTS AND ExAMPLES
On the following six pages we highlight some of the stories to emerge from this year’s league table:

businesses with public-sector clients
15 companies on the league table, including No 1 company Cyclescheme, generate business with government agencies, the NHS, or other public-sector bodies such as local authorities. The league table features three public-sector or medical recruitment agencies, three care homes and two medical/dental practice groups, including Alliance Surgical (No 18) and Denticare (No 93).

One of PMSS's (No 71) onshore wind farms.

Companies with female founders or co-founders
17 companies on the league table have female founders or co-founders, including Net-A-Porter.com (No 92), Cath Kidston (No 86) and Higgidy Pies (No 46).

Green businesses
6 companies on the league table, including 3 out of the top 10 companies, operate green businesses. These include mobile phone recycler Eazyfone (No 5), energy-saving device distributor PowerPerfector (No 33), and renewable energy consultancy PMSS (No 71).

Myprotein.co.uk (No 21) has Facebook and MySpace groups for customers to give feedback and share experiences.

Opportunities provided by the credit crunch
There are 6 discount sector retailers and wholesalers on the table for whom the downturn has provided increased opportunity. These include fried chicken wholesaler SFC (Wholesale) (No 49), and sports nutrition supplier Myprotein.co.uk (No 21). Both companies posted greater increases in sales in their latest years than in previous years.

Companies taking advantage of new media
6 companies on the league table have an active online presence through which they generate customer feedback and interact with their customer base, including Higgidy Pies (No 46), Ella’s Kitchen (No 9) and Myprotein. co.uk (No 21).

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

7

Top company profile
This year’s number one company highlights two of the trends on the table. Cyclescheme has a number of public sector clients, including nearly a third of all British councils and police forces. It also has strong green credentials, helping employers administer the government’s Cycle to Work scheme, which is designed to alleviate congestion and pollution.
Cyclescheme founder, Gary Cooper

1

Cyclescheme
CAGR§ Sales 2009 Sales 2006 Staff 2009 Founded Location

Cycle to Work-scheme administrator
347.91% £22.7m† £253,000* 27 2005 Bath

New client Rolls-Royce bought £1.2m worth of bikes for employees in one month Many companies have taken advantage of the government’s green policies and some have thrived on them. One of those is Cyclescheme, which has cashed in on the Cycle to Work scheme, an initiative that was introduced in 1999 to promote healthier journeys to work and to reduce environmental pollution. It allows employers to provide their staff with bicycles and safety equipment as a tax-free benefit. Cyclescheme provides administration for businesses that want to take part in the scheme. It arranges the purchase of bicycles. Employers become the owners of the bikes, and then hire them to their employees. Cyclescheme estimates that the average saving on bike purchases is between 30% and 50%. The company says it runs Cycle to Work schemes for 8,500 employers throughout Britain, including blue-chip firms and government agencies. Its clients include Coca-Cola, the BBC, and a third of the country’s police forces and councils. It has dealt with the purchase of more than 100,000 bikes so far. Rolls-Royce, a new customer, purchased 1,700 bicycles for its staff in one month, at an average cost of £700. Cyclescheme has developed an internet platform that generates invoices, contracts and hire agreements online, making it simple to administer the scheme, and hassle-free for employers, employees and the 1,500 partner cycle shops it works with. Founders Richard Grigsby and Gary Cooper worked in the bicycle trade for more than 20 years before founding Cyclescheme in 2005. Both are avid cyclists. Cooper had a youth racing career and later competed with road bikes in France. Grigsby won a British championship racing recumbent cycles. He also found success designing road bikes and tested cycles as a freelance journalist. Together the two founded and ran a shop in Bath specialising in folding bikes, and in 1999 launched Foldingbikes.co.uk, now one of Europe’s leading specialists in this area. When a nationwide Cycle to Work provider would not let their shop participate in the scheme, their solution was to create their own rival scheme. It started with about 10 local shops that agreed to participate, but today the company says it partners nearly every independent bicycle shop in Britain. This growth has come thanks to help from bike manufacturers such as Specialized, Trek and Giant, which encourage their dealers to join the scheme. Grigsby and Cooper gave up their cycle shop nearly two years ago and are confident that Cyclescheme will keep growing. This year it won an open government tender with the Department for Communities and Local Government, making its scheme accessible to more than 3.5m government employees.
* annualised figure † audited accounts not filed at Companies House

how Cyclescheme runs its Cycle to Work scheme:
1 Employer signs a contract withCyclescheme and is given a code for its online system. 2 Employee chooses a bike and safety equipment from a partner cycle shop, and requests the whole package through the Cyclescheme website. 3 Employer approves the application and pays Cyclescheme for the full retail amount. 4 Cyclescheme sends a voucher to the employee, who uses it to claim his or her bike from the shop. 5 Employee pays for the bike in 12 instalments, deducted monthly from his or her gross salary, so saving on National Insurance and tax. Most employers also reclaim the cost of Vat on cycles purchased, and pass this saving on to employees. 6 On completion of the 12-month hire term, the employer may offer the employee ownership of the bike for a fair market value (typically 5%-15% of its original price). Cyclescheme makes money mainly by charging participating cycle shops10% commission on the price of the cycle and any safety equipment that was sold as part of the package.

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

8

Companies that have benefited from downturn
Not everyone has seen their growth curtailed by the credit crunch: this year’s league table features 6 discount retailers and wholesalers who have seen increased opportunities thanks to the current economic climate. Energy drink maker Boost Drinks (No 44) markets itself as the value-end alternative to big brand energy drinks such as Red Bull, selling large 500ml and 1L bottles. Fried chicken wholesaler SFC (Wholesale) (No 49) sells more than 400 tonnes of ready cooked frozen fried chicken each month and has outsourced its excess capacity production through agreements with factories in six countries. Discount retailer B&M Retail (No 97) has opened a new store each week in 2009 thanks to taking over a number of Woolworth’s stores.

Stores Direct (No 45) managing director, Mike Birtwistle.

44

Energy drink maker
CAGR§ Sales 2008 Sales 2005 Staff 2008 Founded Location 87.54% £9.7m £1.5m 12 2001 Leeds

boost Drinks

Became the official energy drink for Glastonbury this year Festival-goers and students who need an energy boost may have a cheaper alternative to Red Bull thanks to Boost Drinks. The Leeds company was founded by Simon Gray in 2001 and differentiates itself from big-brand rivals by selling value-sized 500ml and one-litre bottles to petrol stations and newsagents. Today, it sells about 30m of its drinks each year. Isotonic sports drinks and smoothies are the latest additions to the Boost product line, and this year the company was the official energy drink supplier to Glastonbury.

45

Stores Direct
CAGR§ Sales 2009 Sales 2006 Staff 2009 Founded Location

Heating products retailer
86.58% £8.2m £1.3m 15 2001 Huddersfield


Sells about 500 stoves and fireplaces each month from its websites Founder Mike Birtwhistle started out in 2001 selling stoves from his garage and delivering them in his Vauxhall Corsa. Today his firm Stores Direct sells hundreds of stoves and fireplaces each month through its brands Stoves Are Us, Fireplaces Are Us and Stoves Direct. From its headquarters in Huddersfield, the company supplies everything from marble fireplaces to wood-burning and dual-fuel stoves, and says its high Google search rankings help to boost sales. It has recently launched a bathroom products website, and home furnishing and outdoor furniture sites are being planned.

97

Discount retailer
CAGR§ Sales 2008 Sales 2005 Staff 2008 Founded Location 54.60% £255.9m £69.3m* 3,119 1976 Blackpool

b&M Retail

Claims that more than 1.5m shoppers enter its stores each week This discount retail chain says it has opened one new store a week throughout 2009 by acquiring empty Kwik Save and Woolworths stores. Brothers Simon and Bobby Arora bought B&M Retail from Phildrew Ventures in 2004, having sold their previous business for a reported £30m in 2000. They have expanded the company rapidly, growing from 21 stores to 140 high-street and retail-park outlets across Britain. B&M Retail stores sell groceries and health and beauty products but also stock toys, clothing and electrical equipment.

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† audited accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

9

Companies with public sector clients
This year’s league table has 15 companies that do a significant amount of work with government agencies and other public-sector bodies. Building contractor Life Build Solutions (No 14) generates 80% of its turnover from educational authorities, schools and social housing projects. Medical surgery group Alliance Surgical (No 18) manages more than 1,200 NHS consultants who also work privately Medical equipment provider Asteral (No 38) has contracts with 7 NHS trusts to provide and maintain equipment such as x-ray machines and scanners.

Asteral (No 38) MD David Rolfe with director Steve Hodgson with a CT scanner.

14

Building contractor
CAGR§ Sales 2008 Sales 2005 Staff 2008 Founded Location

Life build Solutions
139.65% £15.0m £1.1m 15 2005 Buckinghamshire

Recently completed a £2.5m project for Pinewood Studios opened by the Queen This Buckinghamshire contractor undertakes building projects, refurbishment and fit-outs, mainly for clients in the Thames Valley region. Most of its clients are public-sector bodies such as education authorities and housing associations, but Life Build Solutions has also constructed film laboratories for the studios that produce the James Bond movies. Founded in 2005 by managing director Ken Adams and operations director Mike Wilde, the company recently launched a subsidiary to buy land and develop its own projects.

18

Alliance Surgical
CAGR§ Sales 2009 Sales 2006 Staff 2009 Founded Location

Medical surgery group
131.22% £5.9m £477,000 29 2005 Birmingham

450 NHS consultants are shareholders in the business This Birmingham company provides surgery services, managing more than 1,200 NHS consultants who also work privately, doing knee and hip replacements, hernia operations, breast reconstruction and other treatments. Chairman Paul Howlett and director Ann Copsey founded the business in 2005 after working with consultants and surgeries to bid for insurance and NHS contracts.

38

Asteral
CAGR§

Medical equipment provider
94.42% £14.3m £1.9m 43 2003 Reading


Handles the supply and maintenance of scanners and x-ray machines to hospitals Medical staff in seven NHS hospitals across Britain can focus more on patient care and less on managing equipment thanks to Asteral. The Reading company supplies, finances, and manages hospital technology such as x-ray machines and scanners, and also provides maintenance and staff. Founded in 2003 by director Stephen Hodgson, the company is in the final stages of a contract to design, install and maintain the medical and diagnostic equipment for an entire acute care hospital that is due to open next year in Peterborough. The company is owned by the investment firm Brook Henderson Group, which provided start-up funding.

Sales 2009 Sales 2006 Staff 2009 Founded Location

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† audited accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

10

Companies with female founders
17 companies on this year’s Fast Track 100 league table have female founders or co-founders. They include fashion retailers NET-A-PORTER.com (No 92) and Cath Kidston (No 86), along with training course provider Lifetime (No 69), and the companies below.

Zaha Hadid's (No 67) hydrogen-powered Z-CAR

67

Architect
CAGR§

Zaha hadid
67.43% £26.2m £5.6m 241 1980 Central London

Designs include the Z.CAR, a hydrogen-powered, three-wheeled automobile Known for its avant-garde designs, this London firm of architects was founded in 1980 by Zaha Hadid. In 1994 she became the first woman to win the Pritzker prize for architecture, and in 2006 she was given her own retrospective at New York’s Guggenheim Museum. The company’s projects have included the Serpentine Pavilion Gallery and the Mind Zone at theMillennium Dome, and it is now designing the aquatic centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games. In 2000 the company appointed the renowned architect Patrik Schumacher as a partner, and it has recently won big commissions in theMiddle East, one of them to design a performing arts centre in Abu Dhabi.

Sales 2008 Sales 2005 Staff 2008 Founded Location

68

Book publisher
CAGR§ Sales 20089 Sales 2005 Staff 2008 Founded Location

Igloo books
67.36% £7.7m £1.6m 32 2003 Northampton

Publishes around 250 titles each year from baby nutrition guides to gardening handbooks It may not be a household name, but Igloo Books is behind many of the children’s and adult novelty books sold in discount retailers such as TJ Hughes, PoundStretcher, The Works and Asda. The Northampton company prints some 25m books each year from children’s activity books to cookbooks and adult gift books, and generates more than half its sales abroad, mainly in America, mainland Europe and Australasia. Directors and co-founders John Styring and Tracey Lewis have kept the company growing even as customers such as Woolworth’s closed down.

82

Go Ape
CAGR§ Sales 2008 Sales 2005 Staff 2008 Founded Location

Adventure course operator
60.19% £8.5m £2.1m 198 2002 Suffolk

Says that nearly 2m customers have completed a course Humans can release their inner ape for a day with this Suffolk company that has 22 tree-top adventure courses across Britain. Go Ape was founded in 2002 by Tristram and Rebecca Mayhew after a holiday in the Auvergne National Forest in France. The duo now claim that nearly 2m customers have completed their courses, typically in groups including stag and hen parties and corporate away days. Because of the recession, the company delayed opening one site earlier this year and scrapped plans for a course in Glasgow but it is still planning to expand into America and Australia next year.

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† audited accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

11

Companies with green credentials
Many of the companies on this year’s Fast Track 100 boast green credentials. These include voltage optimisation technology provider PowerPerfector (No 33), which distributes Japanese technology that cuts energy use and carbon emissions by up to 20%. Also included are renewable energy consultancy PMSS (No 71), recycler Universal Recycling (No 63), Cycle to Work-scheme administrator Cyclescheme (No 1), baby food producer Ella's Kitchen (No 9), and mobile phone recycler Eazyfone (No 5).
PMSS (No 71) provides advice and other services to renewable-energy projects.

5

Eazyfone
CAGR§ Sales 2009 Sales 2006 Staff 2009 Founded Location

Mobile phone recycler
176.69% £36.2m £1.7m* 124 2001 Cheshire


Says it recycles up to 200,000 phones per month through its Envirofone website If you have an old mobile phone handset tucked away in a drawer somewhere, you may want to sell it to this online reseller under its Envirofone brand, Eazyfone buys mobile phones from individuals and sells them to customers in mainland Europe and the Far East. The Cheshire company claims to buy up to 200,000 mobile phone handsets a month. It also works with charities and schools to recycle old handsets. The Company was founded by father and son Cos and Peter Petrondas in 2001, and is now run by chief executive Nicholas Brown.

33

PowerPerfector
CAGR§ Sales 2008 Sales 2005 Staff 2008 Founded Location

Energy-saving device distributor
97.21% £11.6m £1.5m 26 2004 Central London

Says its technology can save clients an average of 13% in electricity costs Businesses that use the Japanese technology supplied by PowerPerfector can cut their carbon emissions and electricity bills by 13% on average, according to the London company. Its units allow electrical equipment to work at its optimal voltage, maximising energy efficiency. The company’s first UK installation was for Tesco in 2001, and today it has about 1,500 units throughout the country, with customers such as Land Registry, Sainsbury’s and government bodies.

71

PMSS
CAGR§

Renewable energy consultancy
65.97% £6.0m† £1.3m 65 1994 Romsey

Claims to have provided expertise to more than 1,000 renewable energy projects PMSS says it has provided its consultancy and support services to more than 1,000 renewable-energy projects across the globe. Founded when the sector was in its infancy, the Hampshire-based company helps with the development, engineering and construction of onshore and offshore wind farms as well as wave and tidal, biomass and solar energy projects. Its clients include project developers, wind turbine makers and investors, and it is currently working on projects including one of the world’s largest offshore wind farm in the Thames estuary. Founders Alan Chivers and Robert Waddington worked on some of Britain’s first wind energy projects before starting the company in 1994.
* annualised figure † audited accounts not filed at Companies House

Sales 2009 Sales 2006 Staff 2009 Founded Location

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

12

Companies using new media to reach customers
Some companies on the Fast Track 100 have demonstrated a commitment to going above and beyond customer service to engage and retain customers, often taking advantage of the internet to generate interest and feedback for products. Nutritional supplement provider Myprotein.co.uk (No 21) has an online presence on Facebook and Myspace. Organic baby food producer Ella’s Kitchen (No 9) encourages customers to send in photos of their babies to post on the company website. Gourmet pie maker Higgidy Pies (No 46) offers customers the chance to register online to become pie tasters and name new products.
Camilla Stephens, founder of Higgidy Pies (No 46)

9

Ellas Kitchen
CAGR§ Sales 2009 Sales 2006 Staff 2009 Founded Location

Baby food producer
156.16% £8.3m* £491,000* 10 2005 Henley

Its 30 products include flavours such as butternut squash, apple and prune Struggling to get his young daughter to eat vegetables drove Paul Lindley to create Ella’s Kitchen. The company aims to make healthy eating easy for both children and parents, using only organic produce with no additives or preservatives. The business was launched in 2006 with two flavours of kids’ lunch-box fruit smoothies sold in Sainsbury’s, but today the company sells 30 products in flavour combinations such as butternut squash, carrots, apple and prune.

21

Myprotein.co.uk
CAGR§ Sales 2009 Sales 2006 Staff 2009 Founded Location

Sports nutrition supplier
125.82% £9.8m 50 2004 Manchester


Supplies sports nutrition to the current winner of Britain's Strongest Man competition Anyone who wants nutritional supplements to improve their sporting performance may go to Myprotein.co.uk. The Manchester company makes and distributes protein powders and drinks, performance and recovery aids as well as vitamins and minerals. Its hundreds of products include high-protein flapjacks and green tea extract powder. Founder Oliver Cookson says buying ingredients in bulk and passing the savings on to customers has kept business booming – the company says it ships more than 5,000 orders each week.

£848,000

46

Pie maker
CAGR§

higgidy Pies
85.68% £5.6m† £872,000 106 2003 West Sussex

Sells its British quiches to a café in France Giving one of Britain’s staple foods a makeover is th mission of Higgidy Pies, whose hand-made pies and quiches come in flavours such as Moroccan vegetable with feta and smoked salmon with pesto. Founder Camilla Stephens developed food products for the Seattle Coffee Company and Starbucks before founding the business in 2003. In 2006 she won a contest to supply the Sainsbury’s supermarket chain. Today the company produces 65,000 pies and quiches each week and sells them through retailers such as Booths and Waitrose. The company is doubling its pie production facilities to keep up with growing demand.

Sales 2009 Sales 2006 Staff 2009 Founded Location

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† audited accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

13

Companies with staying power
Fast Track 100 companies are typically young and dynamic. There are 29 companies from last year’s Fast Track 100 league table which make a second appearance this year. Nine make a third consecutive appearance, and online fashion retailer NET-A-PORTER.com (No 92) would have appeared four consecutive years, except that in 2007 it was classified as a Tech Track 100 company. There are also three companies that reappeared on this year’s Fast Track 100, having not featured since the 2007 league table: Financial services provider Richmond Group (No 62), wine exchange operator Liv-ex (No 59), and media agency AdConnection (No 85).

Silver Cross (No 36) have appeared on three consecutive league tables

Companies on consecutive Fast Track 100 league tables since 2006
le £0 s 20 00 08 s /0 9 Sa le £0 s 2 00 00 s 5/0 6 St af f2 00 8/ 09 Fo un de Co d m m en t
81,546 28,840 †17,484 87,626 †20,450 21,258 6,478 2,334 19,623 *1,036 376 59 41 472 345 2000 2003 1877 2002 2000 Has raised more than £10m in funding since 2000 Acts as primary supplier of finance staff to Alliance Boots, Coca-Cola and Lloyds Founded in 1877, now sells to retailers and direct to public on its own website Recently opened offices in Singapore and Australia Is moving into student letting, with a contract signed to manage 1,000 student units Client list includes 1,500 IT contractors and 1,100 limited companies Supplies 1,200 beds in 54 care homes, including one in Jersey Operates globally, including in America, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kazakhstan Says it is one of Shop Direct's top selling brands Group comprises 15 companies with services including oilwell decommissioning 7,259 7,942 2,626 8,691 *67,139 1,363 1,303 38 191 1,595 2000 1996 1997 1996 1989 31,834 †14,782 †37,952 309,154

n

06

07

08

09

tiv ny ity

tio

HQ

Co

Ac

Sa

le pa s g

nk

nk

nk

nk

m

§ ro

20

20

20

20

pa

lo

ca

w
56.54 64.51 95.67 64.67 170.25 91.63 58.85 77.89 63.45 66.37

Ra

Ra

Ra

Ra

42

(n/a) 10 12 16 18

65 49 3 52 7

92 74 36 73 8

NET-A-PORTER.com Online fashion retailer Investigo Recruitment consultancy Silver Cross Pram maker Integrated Subsea Services Offshore services provider Paladin Group Property services provider Danbro Payroll services provider Maria Mallaband Care Group Care home operator Global Resourcing IT recruitment consultancy henleys Clothing Fashion wholesaler Acteon Offshore services provider

Central London Central London Skipton, Yorkshire Aberdeen Bath

30 65 67 73 88

31 59 32 80 57

40 89 54 76 70

Blackpool Leeds Bromley, Kent Manchester Norwich

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† audited accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

Sa

th

†51,080

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

14

METhODOLOGY
Qualification
The companies on the Fast Track 100 league table must meet the following criteria: • • • • • • • • • Unquoted Registered in the UK Non-subsidiary, independent Not a technology company Annualised sales of at least £250,000 in the base year (2005 or 2006) Annualised sales of at least £5m in their latest year (2008 or 2009) Year-on-year sales growth from penultimate to latest year, and a forecast of growth in sales in the next year More than 25 trading weeks in the base and final years No outstanding court judgements exceeding £10,000

Research approach
The research was conducted primarily between 1 August and 1 November 2009. The final 100 companies are ranked by average annual growth in sales over three years, either 2005 to 2008 or 2006 to 2009, depending on their latest available accounts. Companies were selected from a database of more than 1.5m private UK companies after extensive database and telephone research.

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

15

2009 FAST TRACK 100 LEAGUE TAbLE
ea re Sa nd le sg % pa row § t h Sa le £0 s 2 00 00 8/ 09 Sa l £0 es 2 00 00 5/ 06 St af f2 00 8/ Fo 09 un de d Co m m en t
347.91 219.92 202.15 189.80 176.69 173.60 170.65 170.25 156.16 155.76 153.52 148.78 144.85 139.65 139.35 133.97 131.41 131.22 128.00 127.03 125.82 125.60 118.22 115.01 111.32
†22,748 *253

2 Ra 00 nk 9 2 Co 00 8 m p Ac an tiv y ity

ca tio

n

Ra nk

lo

HQ

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 47 7

Cyclescheme Bike scheme administrator Gio-Goi Wholesale fashion label Empiric Solutions Recruitment consultancy Oxygen Insurance broker Eazyfone Mobile phone recycler Mattressman Mattress retailer I-Paye Payroll services provider Paladin Group Property services provider Ella’s Kitchen Baby food producer Catering Academy Contract catering provider Genuine Solutions Telecoms product reseller Getting Personal Online gift retailer Rize Recruitment Telecoms recruitment consultancy Life build Solutions Building contractor Your Golf Travel Golf travel agency Team24 Medical recruitment consultancy Redrock Consulting Recruitment consultancy Alliance Surgical Medical surgery group State Oil Petroleum wholesaler Low Cost Travel Group Travel operator Myprotein.co.uk Sports nutrition supplier Moonpig.com Online gift retailer Miroma Media barter company E-Resourcing IT recruitment consultancy Next Ventures Recruitment consultancy

Bath Central London Central London Central London Cheshire Norwich Merseyside Bath Henley Staffordshire Surrey Cheshire Islington Buckinghamshire Central London Surrey Bristol Birmingham Weybridge West Sussex Manchester Central London Central London Epsom Central London

Fin

Feb 09 Mar 09 Aug 09 Dec 08 Aug 09 Mar 08 Mar 09 Mar 09 Jun 09 Dec 08 Jan 09 May 09 Mar 09 Dec 08 Dec 08 Apr 09 Mar 08 Mar 09 Feb 09 Oct 08 Sep 09 Apr 09 Jun 09 Jun 09 Dec 08

an

cia

ly

27 34 14 177 125 44 42 345 10 593 64 29 19 15 52 52 21 29 14 72 50 65 14 14 25

2005 1988 2005 2004 2001 2004 2005 2000 2005 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 1999 2004 2004 1999 2003 2005 2001

New client Rolls-Royce bought £1.2m of bikes for employees in one month Brand featured in an MTV show with Pete Doherty modeling its clothes Has around 50 core investment and asset management clients including ING and Fortis Has arranged cancellation insurance for Madonna and U2 concerts Says it recycles up to 200,000 phones per month through its Envirofone website Says it stocks 5,000 bed frames and 3,000 mattresses at any given time Has around 2,000 clients, many of whom are contractors working abroad Is moving into student letting, with a contract signed to manage 1,000 student units Its 30 products include flavours such as butternut squash, apple and prune Its clients include the Health Protection Agency, the University of Bolton and the YMCA Supplies mobile phone accessories to 800 independent retailers in 24 countries Founders met at antenatal classes Says it has placed Colombian workers in Afghanistan, and Filipinos in Madagascar Recently completed a £2.5m project for Pinewood Studios opened by the Queen Its call-centre staff are mostly keen golfers who advise travellers on best golfing deals Claims to place more than 1,000 doctors and nurses a week Clients include Orange, Motorola and Alcatel-Lucent 450 NHS consultants are shareholders in the business Claims to be the fourth-largest independent oil importer in the UK Has booked holidays for 1.2m people this year Supplies sports nutrition to the current winner of Britain’s Strongest Man competition Says it will sell 10m of its personalised greeting cards this year Launched an office in Singapore this year Customers include the NHS, Logica and Toyota 75% of its sales are currently generated overseas

18,811 8,962 17,021
†36,246

575 325 699
*1,711

8,680 67,401
†20,450

*424

3,400
*1,036

*8,260 14,305 6,258
†6,282

*491

*855

*384

408
*570

8,370 15,002 7,415 13,401 *15,372 5,895
†147,199

*1,090

*541

*1,046

*1,240

*477

12,419 4,336 848 1,821 1,949 567
*879

50,732 †9,764 20,906
†20,257

5,641 8,292

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† audited accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

16

2009 FAST TRACK 100 LEAGUE TAbLE
ea re Sa nd le sg % pa row § t h Sa le £0 s 2 00 00 8/ 09 Sa l £0 es 2 00 00 5/ 06 St af f2 00 8/ Fo 09 un de d Co m m en t
110.53 110.19 104.09 103.00 102.94 100.62 99.52 97.21 97.02 96.22 95.67 94.87 94.42 92.87 91.63 91.04 88.99 87.73 87.54 86.58 85.68 82.36 82.11 80.81 80.60 9,377
†7,914

2 Ra 00 nk 9 2 Co 00 8 m p Ac an tiv y ity

ca tio

n

Ra nk

lo

HQ

26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

13

Interim Partners Recruitment consultancy Kite Consulting Group IT recruitment consultancy Olive Catering Contract caterer Global Energy Group Energy services provider Fine Green Associates Recruitment consultancy ONEPOST Postal managment advisor AM PM Cash and carry wholesaler PowerPerfector Energy-saving device distributor Chesterfield Poultry Halal poultry seller Directline holidays Online travel operator

Harrogate Central London Warwickshire Aberdeen Manchester Bristol Scunthorpe Central London Derbyshire Croydon Skipton Bristol Reading Sunderland Blackpool Tunbridge Wells Twickenham North West London Leeds Huddersfield West Sussex Central London Central London Merseyside North London

Fin

Dec 08 Aug 09 Dec 08 Mar 08 Jun 09 Jun 09 Aug 08 Dec 08 Jun 08 Oct 08 Dec 08 Dec 08 Mar 09 Jul 08 Mar 09 Jul 08 Mar 09 Aug 08 Oct 08 Apr 09 Sep 09 Dec 08 May 09 Mar 09 Dec 08

an

cia

ly

1,005 852 1,085 11,274
*1,299

17 20 368 425 18 44 12 26 86 61 41 100 43 40 1363 20 32 237 12 15 106 88 21 12 15

2003 2005 2004 2005 2005 2005 2004 2004 1999 1993 1877 2004 2003 2003 2000 2002 1998 2004 2001 2001 2003 2001 2003 2004 2003

Launched a mid-market recruitment division in September Clients include Balfour Beatty, Barclays and Aviva Recently won contracts with Heinz and Capital One Has hired two Olympic biathlete skiers to lead staff development Supplies non-clinical management staff to the NHS and private healthcare organisations Its 230 clients include the National Trust and the British Red Cross Cash and carry chain started in an old sewing machine factory with £5,000 of stock Says its technology can save clients an average of 13% in electricity costs Processes up to 120,000 halal chickens each week Has developed software that can tailor holidays to customers’ requirements Founded in 1877, now sells to retailers and direct to public on its own website Company's 2008 Christmas party raised £44,000 to start a charitable foundation Handles the supply and maintenance of scanners and x-ray machines to hospitals Helps improve business efficiency at Imperial College Hospital and JCB Client list includes 1,500 IT contractors and 1,100 limited companies Has recently formed strategic partnerships with companies in Switzerland and Germany Founded to manage change arising from the introduction of the euro Has acquired more than 20 petrol stations in the past three years Became the official energy drink for Glastonbury this year Sells about 500 stoves and fireplaces each month from its websites Sells its British quiches to a café in France Has offices in London, Berlin, Helsinki and New York Sells 250 product lines through stores including John Lewis and House of Fraser Claims to sell more than 400 tonnes of frozen chicken products each month Is one of Britain’s largest importers of Polish and Eastern European food

9,225 94,309 10,861
†28,415

3,519
*671

5,332 11,557 17,487 11,398
†17,484

1,507 2,286 1,509 2,334 1,850 1,943 1,059 7,259 1,473 3,720
*18,425

3 4 29

Silver Cross Pram maker jjFOx Recruitment consultancy Asteral Medical equipment provider N A C holdings Business consultancy

†13,691

†14,277

7,598
†51,080

31 19 22

Danbro Payroll services provider hobson Prior Recruitment consultancy ea Consulting Group Business management consultancy Motor Fuel Fuel retailer boost Drinks Energy drink maker Stores Direct Heating products retailer higgidy Pies Pie maker Fjord Digital design consultancy Joseph Joseph Household goods supplier SFC (Wholesale) Fried chicken wholesaler Dimark Ethnic food distributor

10,267 25,111 121,905 9,654
†8,224

1,464 1,266 872 1,095 1,072 2,117 862

†5,586

†6,641

†6,477

12,511 5,077

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† audited accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

17

2009 FAST TRACK 100 LEAGUE TAbLE
ea re Sa nd le sg % pa row § t h Sa le £0 s 2 00 00 8/ 09 Sa l £0 es 2 00 00 5/ 06 St af f2 00 8/ Fo 09 un de d Co m m en t
80.59 79.17 78.86 77.89 77.79 77.57 76.74 76.43 75.70 74.27 74.23 71.96 71.48 70.87 70.35 70.14 67.43 67.36 66.40 66.37 65.97 65.10 64.67 64.51 63.63
*12,857

2 Ra 00 nk 9 2 Co 00 8 m p Ac an tiv y ity

ca tio

n

Ra nk

lo

HQ

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 52 49 57 18 62 12 32 5 15

Easi-Drive Accident Management Accident services provider Practicus Interim management consultancy World First Foreign exchange broker Global Resourcing IT recruitment consultancy The book Depository Online book retailer Oliver James Associates Recruitment consultancy Amber Taverns Pub operator Allen Lane Public sector recruitment consultancy Liv-ex Wine exchange operator People Source Consulting IT recruitment consultancy Toppesfield Road surfacer Richmond Group Financial services provider Universal Recycling Metal waste recycler bLU 3 (UK) Infrastructure services provider Opti-cal Survey Equipment Survey equipment supplier Mayday healthcare Medical recruitment consultancy Zaha hadid Architecture firm Igloo books Book publisher Lifetime Employee training provider Acteon Offshore services provider PMSS Renewable energy consultancy McKinney Rogers Business performance consultancy Integrated Subsea Services Offshore services provider Investigo Recruitment consultancy Timothy James Consulting Recruitment consultancy

Manchester Henley Southwest London Bromley Gloucester Central London Preston Central London Southwest London Bristol Ipswich Bournemouth South Yorkshire Croydon Reading Central London Central London Northampton Bristol Norwich Romsey Central London Aberdeen Central London Bristol

Fin

Mar 08 Dec 08 Jan 09 Dec 08 Jun 09 Dec 08 Jan 09 May 09 Dec 08 Mar 09 May 08 Mar 09 Oct 08 Mar 08 Aug 09 Sep 08 Apr 08 Mar 08 Mar 09 Dec 08 Mar 09 Apr 09 Sep 08 Jun 09 Oct 08

an

cia

ly

2,183 5,786 975 2,626 10,929 1,248
*1,271

96 49 54 38 39 24 10 19 21 22 33 372 72 77 17 55 241 32 157 1595 65 59 472 59 30

2001 2004 2004 1997 2004 2002 2005 2004 1999 2002 2004 1999 1976 2004 2002 2003 1980 2003 1997 1989 1994 1999 2002 2003 2003

Says its customers drive 1m miles a year in the replacement vehicles it provides Opened offices in Amsterdam and Australia earlier this year Its most popular currencies traded are euros and dollars Operates globally, including in America, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kazakhstan Founder was part of the team that launched Amazon in Britain Places around 20 candidates each month with blue-chip insurance firms Purchased 23 pubs from the administrators in April, saving around 100 jobs Clients include Ofsted and the London Business School Produces an index ranking the world's top 100 wines for investment Claims to have clients in every industry sector Recently completed a £1m resurfacing project on behalf of Transport for London Staff, customers and company raised £150,000 for local charities A renewable fuel power plant now provides a third of all its electricity requirements Clients include Tesco, Transport for London and EDF Energy Supplies equipment to projects including the London 2012 Olympics and Crossrail Claims its offices have not closed in five and a half years Designs include the Z.CAR, a hydrogenpowered, three-wheeled automobile Publishes about 250 titles each year from baby nutrition guides to gardening books Founder worked as a teacher and aerobics instructor before setting up the business Group comprises 15 companies with services including oilwell decommissioning Claims to have provided expertise to more than 1,000 renewable energy projects Stint in the Royal Marines led founder to adapt military principles to the business Recently opened offices in Singapore and Australia Acts as primary supplier of finance staff to Alliance Boots, Coca-Cola and Lloyds Candidates placed typically earn salaries of between £80,00 and £100,000

33,274 5,579 14,782 61,421 6,986 7,019
†23,644

4,305 5,005 1,224
*1,994

27,145 6,480 10,549
†36,301

7,139 9,447 2,863 1,019 6,033 5,588 1,649 2,126
*67,139

47,637 14,283
†5,039

29,710 26,231 7,728
†9,793

309,154
†5,963

1,304 2,454 19,623 6,478 1,239

†11,042

87,626 28,840 5,428

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† audited accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

18

2009 FAST TRACK 100 LEAGUE TAbLE
ea re Sa nd le sg % pa row § t h Sa le £0 s 2 00 00 8/ 09 Sa l £0 es 2 00 00 5/ 06 St af f2 00 8/ Fo 09 un de d Co m m en t
63.45 63.41 62.52 61.86 67.35 60.25 60.19 59.84 59.65 59.56 59.46 59.16 59.02 58.85 58.66 58.00 56.54 56.47 56.09 55.71 55.16 54.60 53.30 53.29 52.92
†37,952

2 Ra 00 nk 9 2 Co 00 8 m p Ac an tiv y ity

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76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

80 44

henleys Clothing Fashion wholesaler holiday Taxis Airport transfer provider MSS Group Facilities management consultancy

Manchester West Sussex Cardiff Coventry Cheltenham Milton Keynes Suffolk Preston Cheshire Wimbledon Central London Manchester Dundee Leeds Birmingham Essex Central London Bedford Central London Central London Hertfordshire Blackpool South Wales Swindon Central London

Fin

Mar 09 Dec 08 Mar 09 Dec 08 Mar 09 Mar 08 Dec 08 Jun 08 Dec 08 Mar 09 Mar 09 May 09 Apr 09 Apr 08 Dec 08 Jun 08 Jan 09 Mar 08 Dec 08 Dec 08 Jun 09 Dec 08 Jan 09 May 09 Mar 08

an

cia

ly

8,691 2,805
*1,716

191 48 287 22 400 155 198 388 47 18 275 102 530 1303 21 240 376 55 27 413 287 3119 50 21 73

1996 2002 2005 2000 1999 2000 2002 2000 1998 2001 1993 2003 2005 1996 2001 2003 2000 2005 1967 2000 2004 1976 2000 1991 1997

Says it is one of Shop Direct's top selling brands Founder set up company after Thomas Cook made him redundant Its clients include Superdrug, Rockwool and Scottish Power Says it supplies 85% of British fire authorities with its smoke alarms Flies crews to and from drilling platforms in the North Sea Recently acquired a training company to enable it to train its own staff Says that nearly 2m customers have completed a course Recent openings include restaurants at Liverpool airport Recently launched a Spiderman duvet set New clients include Grosvenor Casinos and Trinidad and Tobago's tourist board Recently published a book of sewing projects designed for use with its fabric patterns Claims to have a network of more than 16,000 linguists around the world Founder appeared on Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire this year Supplies 1,200 beds in 54 care homes, including one in Jersey Says it supplies mobile phones to one in every four British police officers Started in a converted warehouse by a group of engineering graduates Has raised more than £10m in funding since 2000 Provides financial assistance to help continental dentists relocate to Britain Distributes books from publishers such as the World Bank and Stanford University Press Claims it sold more than 300,000 croissants and 70,000 strawberry tartlettes last year Recently opened two stores in America, and will have franchises in Dubai and Kuwait Claims that more than 1.5m shoppers enter its stores each week Clients inclue the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office and the Welsh Assembly Company was founded in the managing director’s spare bedroom Furnished more than 100 apartments in Cyprus this year

12,238 7,367 9,368
†81,005

67

Sprue Aegis Safety products manufacturer bond Aviation Group Helicopter operator PJ Care Care home operator

2,209 17,283 1,215 2,063 2,606 5,115 3,602 7,718 1,552 3,167 7,942 1,782 1,876 21,258 1,338 1,439 5,006 5,833
*69,259

5,002 8,479 10,643 20,813
†14,633

71 70

Go Ape Adventure course operator Fast & Fresh Restaurants Subway sandwich franchiser Character World Licensed textile manufacturer AdConnection Media agency Cath Kidston Fashion retailer

31,294 6,257
†12,734

23 37 59

Applied Language Solutions Translation service provider balhousie Care Group Care home operator Maria Mallaband Care Group Care home operator Voice Mobile Mobile phone reseller

31,834 7,120 7,399 81,546 5,125 5,472 18,901
†21,788

8 65

Manpower Direct Security services provider NET-A-PORTER.com Online fashion retailer Denticare Dental practice operator Eurospan Book distributor Paul Bakery and patisserie

1

hotel Chocolat Stores Chocolate retailer b&M Retail Discount retailer CMC Partnership Business management consultancy Outsource UK Recruitment consultancy David Phillips Furniture Furniture retailer

255,922 13,262 18,234
†12,273

3,681 5,062 3,432

§ compound annual growth rate between 2005/06 and 2008/09

* annualised figure

† audited accounts not filed at Companies House

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

19

AbOUT ThE SPONSORS
Fast Track would particularly like to thank the title sponsor of Fast Track 100, the Virgin Group, and our media partner, The Sunday Times, for their support through all 13 years. We would also like to thank HSBC for its sixth year of sponsorship, and KPMG and Royal Mail for their second years of sponsorship.

Virgin is the title sponsor of Fast Track 100. Virgin was founded in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson. The group now has more than 200 branded companies worldwide in sectors spanning airlines, trains, mobile phones, financial services and fitness clubs, as well as sustainable technologies.
Sir Richard branson President

Sir Richard branson is president of Virgin Group. He is currently growing Virgin's international business and Virgin Unite, the Group's not-for-profit entrepreneurial foundation. www.virgin.com

The Sunday Times is the media sponsor. The Sunday Times is Britain's leading Sunday broadsheet newspaper, attracting three million readers every week. It is the leading business newspaper with a business readership of over 500,000, three times more than its nearest rival The Sunday Telegraph.
John Waples Business editor

John Waples is the business editor. He was previously deputy business editor and city editor, and has been at the paper for 14 years. www.timesonline.co.uk

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

20

HSBC is a main sponsor. hSbC bank is a principal member of the HSBC Group, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations with around 9,500 offices in 85 countries and territories. Steve Price is head of commercial Banking having joined HSBC in July 2008. He previously spent 24 years at Barclays, most recently as Head of Commercial Banking. www.hsbc.co.uk/business

Steve Price Head of Commercial Banking

KPMG is a main sponsor. KPMG is the global network of professional services firms whose aim is to turn knowledge into value for the benefit of its clients, its people and its communities. In the UK, KPMG LLP operates from 22 offices with more than 11,000 partners and staff.
Malcolm Edge Head of the UK National Market

Malcolm Edge is UK Head of National Markets. His client base ranges from FTSE 100 clients, to successful entrepreneurs where he deals with both corporate and personal matters and acts as trusted advisor. www.kpmg.co.uk

Royal Mail is a main sponsor. Royal Mail can help a business grow by finding it new customers, retaining the ones it has, and helping it to save time and money. Royal Mail has thousands of ideas, products and services designed to help businesses grow.
Tim Rivett Head of Small Business

Tim Rivett is head of small business. He has been at Royal Mail for seven years, and is primarily involved with new product development and working with the small business community. www.royalmail.com/growth

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

21

bACKGROUND
About the authors
Dr hamish Stevenson Hamish owns and runs Fast Track, which he founded in 1997, after securing cornerstone sponsorship from Sir Richard Branson. He works closely with sponsors, leading entrepreneurs and media partners; and retains an associate fellowship at Green Templeton College, Oxford University.

Julia Paolitto Julia is responsible for researching companies and managing the Fast Track 100 research. She has a background in journalism and publishing from the US, and has undertaken freelance work for management consultancy firms. She recently completed her doctoral degree in English at Oxford University.

Eva Gronbech Eva is responsible for managing the Fast Track research. Prior to joining Fast Track in 1999, she worked for companies such as Kuwait Petroleum and Maersk Line. She has a masters in politics from Oxford University, and a degree in business from Copenhagen Business School.

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

Fast Track 100 Research Report 2009

22

About Fast Track
Fast Track 100 is compiled by Fast Track, the UK's leading networking events and research company, which ranks Britain’s top-performing private companies. It has compiled league tables in partnership with The Sunday Times for the last thirteen years. Fast Track’s annual league tables, awards events and dinners provide an opportunity for private companies to raise their profile, and for entrepreneurs and directors to network and meet our sponsors. Fast Track publishes five other annual league tables ranking Britain's top-performing private companies, on different criteria:
The Fast Track team

 Tech Track 100, with title sponsor Microsoft, ranks Britain’s private tech (TMT) companies with the fastest-growing sales.  Profit Track 100, with title sponsor PricewaterhouseCoopers, ranks Britain’s private companies with the fastest-growing profits.  buyout Track 100, with title sponsor Deloitte, ranks Britain’s private equity-backed companies with the fastest-growing profits.  Top Track 250, with title sponsor HSBC, ranks Britain’s biggest mid-market companies by their latest sales.  Top Track 100, with title sponsor Deloitte, ranks Britain’s biggest private companies by their latest sales. Fast Track is based in Oxford with 17 full-time staff and a network of freelance researchers.

CONTACT DETAILS
Fast Track Angel Court 81 St Clements Oxford OX4 1AW Tel: Fax: Email: Web: 01865 297 100 01865 297 001 [email protected] www.fasttrack.co.uk

© 2009 Fast Track 100

www.fasttrack.co.uk

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