The Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 league table ranks Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing sales over their latest three years. It is compiled by Fast Track and published in The Sunday Times each December, with an awards event the following May, and alumni dinners during the year.
The closing date for nominations for the 2020 league table is 25 September, with publication on 6 December 2020.
Fast Track 100 entry criteria
The closing date for nominations for the 2020 league table is 25 September, with publication on 6 December.
- UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
- Sales of at least £250,000 in the base year (2016 or 2017)
- Sales of at least £5m in the latest year (2019 or 2020)
- Ten or more employees in the latest year (2019 or 2020)
- Operating profit of at least £500k in the latest year (2019 or 2020)
- Year-on-year sales growth in the latest year from 2018 to 2019, or 2019 to 2020, plus forecast (or actual) sales growth
- Trading weeks in the base and latest years have to exceed 25
- Recruitment firms, payroll services providers, energy firms and media agencies are required to have gross profits of at least £5m. Sales for recruitment and payroll firms are the total amount invoiced to clients; media agencies’ sales are net of advertising spend on behalf of clients
- Companies that do not meet all the criteria can still be considered for our Ones to Watch programme, particularly if they forecast good sales growth
Exclusions
- Technology companies (which appear on Tech Track 100), LLPs, pure property and financial trading companies, and companies with sales of over £500m
- Companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies
- We reserve the right to change the qualification criteria set out above and to make exceptions. This is not a competition; the compiler’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into
Thanks to @UBS for supporting #ProfitTrack100 for 18 years, celebrating the UK’s private companies with the fastest-growing profits
Many thanks to @SantanderUK for supporting #ProfitTrack100 for a second year, recognising the private companies with the fastest-growing profits
Our thanks to @BDOaccountant for supporting #ProfitTrack100 for 7 years, recognising the UK’s private companies with the fastest-growing profits
Past @BDOaccountant #ProfitTrack100 companies include @krispykremeUK, @moneycouk and @wagamama_uk. Help us find 2020’s profit stars:
UK tech start-ups raised a record £10.1bn from investors in 2019, growing faster than the US & China. #TechTrack100 star @Checkout raised $230m in May, while @monzo @babylonhealth & @CMRSurgical raised substantial sums & are now unicorns valued at $1bn+
From services and construction, to retail and wholesale, we’re hunting for 2020’s @BDOaccountant #ProfitTrack100 companies
.@TheTimes’ Tempus column says “@Ocado will deliver for investors”, in an insightful piece highlighting the success of @OcadoSolutions – its AI-driven logistics business, which is partnering with major supermarkets worldwide #TechTrack100 #TopTrack250
https://t.co/YzpBekqemG
2019’s @BDOaccountant #ProfitTrack100 league table companies achieved profit growth of 78% a year over their last three years of accounts, to a total of £840m in 2017/18. We’re seeking 2020’s stars:
.@BrewDog opens alcohol-free bar in London offering 15 taps of non-alcoholic craft beer on draught @VirginAtlantic #FastTrack100 @BrewDogJames @MartinDickie https://t.co/VS9T9JkOjA
“We are striving to be the Nike or Adidas of the reusable world” James Butterfield and Tim Bouscarle, founders of @ST_Business #FastTrack100 No. 1 company @Chillysbottles, on how they’re saving the planet one bottle at a time @VirginAtlantic #FastTrack100 https://t.co/vTegKF5EFk
Types of company
Total sales
£5m - £100mProfits
up to £10mAverage 3 year sales growth
45% - 200% paStaff
10 - 2,000Over the past 23 years our sponsorship has produced great results introducing Virgin to many inspiring entrepreneurs Sir Richard Branson, Virgin
The best of the best entrepreneurs celebrated, which inspires and powers British business Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL, co-founder & chairman, Cobra Beer
Fast Track have given Wattbike a new level of credibility and risen our profile Richard Baker, managing director, Wattbike
Being part of Fast Track turbo charges your business Cecile Reinaud, founder & managing director, Séraphine
Fast Track brought us to the attention of the market and since then we've gone from a private business to private equity-backed and on to a successful float Tom Joule, founder & chief brand officer, Joules
Fast Track celebrates the very best of Britain's entrepreneurial businesses and helps promote and propel them to new levels Matt Isaacs, founding partner & executive chairman, Essence
Fast Track has been instrumental in developing brand kudos for our business Steven Ades, finance director, AerFin
Alumni success stories
Featured in 1997 with sales of £17m; floated in 1998 and sold in 2016 to SoftBank for £24bn
First featured in 1997 with sales of £65m; agreed a £3.8bn merger with Dixons in 2014
First featured on Fast Track 100 in 2011 with sales of £6.7m; floated in 2014 and is now worth £2.3bn
Sponsors
