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 September, and alumni dinners during the year.
Fast Track 100 entry criteria
The closing date for nominations for the 2021 league table is 1 October, with publication on 5 December.
- UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
- Sales of at least £250,000 in the base year (2017 or 2018)
- Sales of at least £5m in the latest year (2020 or 2021)
- Year-on-year sales growth in the latest year from 2019 to 2020, or 2020 to 2021
- Ten or more employees in the latest year (2020 or 2021)
- Operating profit of at least £500,000 in the latest year (2020 or 2021)
- 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 represent 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 10 Fast Track 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
Last week’s 22nd Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 will be republished in the tablet edition on Sunday, ranking Britain’s 100 private firms with the fastest-growing profits. They achieved average profit growth of 33% to 133% a year – largely before #Covid19 struck.
@bdoaccountant
Our #BDOProfitTrack100 is the final league table to be published by Fast Track. Hamish Stevenson, our founder, has decided to close the company at the end of June after hosting its final virtual events, including our 24th annual Fast Track 100 awards in May. Click for more.
More than three quarters (78) of #BDOProfitTrack100 companies sell internationally, with key markets including the US and Europe. Our free 29-page research report provides insights into Britain’s private companies with the fastest-growing profits.
@bdoaccountant
As Covid restrictions ease, UK firms are being offered support for growth, writes Stuart Lisle, senior tax partner at @bdoaccountant, in our 22nd annual #BDOProfitTrack100 supplement. Published yesterday in The Sunday Times, with title sponsorship for an eighth year from BDO.
Businesses are adjusting to the impact of #Covid19 and see potential for expansion, writes Tim Hinton, head of corporate and commercial banking at Santander UK, in our 22nd annual #ProfitTrack100 league table supplement, published yesterday in The Sunday Times.
@santanderukbiz
Capital, contracts and customers will flow to good citizen companies, writes Giles Nicholas, managing director at @UBS Wealth Management, in our Sunday Times #ProfitTrack100 supplement. It was published yesterday with @ST_Business, with main sponsorship for a 19th year from UBS.
Our Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 was published yesterday, ranking Britain’s private firms with the fastest-growing profits, with average operating profit growth of 59% a year – largely before #Covid19 struck – to combined profits of £931m, on sales of £8.7bn.
Click for more:
Congrats to companies ranked 91-100 on our Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 ranking of Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing profits including: @CG_Fry @GlobalMerch @_KidsPlanet @tenthrevgroup
@Uinsure_adviser @BromptonBicycle @SimarcoL
Congrats to those ranked 81-90 on our Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 ranking of Britain’s 100 private firms with the fastest-growing profits: Corinthian Brands @RSKGroup @AtlasFMUK @GHBLtd @FlyACC @and_partnership @GroundControlGC @CanaganPetFood @globus_group @cooperturnerltd
Congrats to those ranked 71-80 on our Sunday Times #BDOProfitTrack100 ranking of Britain’s 100 private firms with the fastest-growing profits: @aspenpumpsgroup @Nexus_uw @PeldonRose @smartergardener @ExcelRedstone TMC Pharma @HPL_Motors @Edge_Worldwide @PHrarebooks Pets Corner
Types of company
Total sales
£5m - £100mProfits
up to £10mAverage 3 year sales growth
40% - 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, co-founder, 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 is being sold by SoftBank to Nvidia for £31bn
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 £2.8bn
Sponsors
