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.
The closing date for nominations for the 2021 league table is 1 October, with publication on 5 December 2021.
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
If you missed last week’s 12th Sunday Times #HSBCIntTrack200 it will be republished in the tablet edition on Sunday, ranking Britain’s 200 mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing overseas sales and highlighting how they have responded to the pandemic and #Brexit.
Sipcom, which featured on #SageTechTrack100 in 2020, has been acquired by Content+Cloud, which appeared in 2016. Led by founder Daniel Allen, Sipcom saw sales rise 57% a year to £12.5m in 2020.
ATG, the online auction firm, has risen in value from £600m to £800m following its IPO this week. Now led by John-Paul Savant, it was a #BDOProfitTrack100 Ones to Watch in 2014 with profits of £3.3m. Our 22nd annual Profit Track 100 is out on 11th April. https://t.co/xhV7C2ozbj
Our E-commerce Top 10, supported by @dhlexpressuk, is for e-commerce companies on this year’s ST_Business #IntTrack200. Congrats to:
@gethuel
@bullionbypost
@ohpolly
@Chillysbottles
@TimeWS100
@oneretailgroup
@sweatybetty (pic)
@Gymshark
@MakeupRVLTN
@ProCookUK
60% of @ST_Business #HSBCIntTrack200 companies said Brexit has had no / neutral impact on their business; 33% reported a negative impact. Our free 32-page research report provides key insights into Britain’s private companies with the fastest-growing international sales
@HSBC_UK
The 12th annual Sunday Times #HSBCIntTrack200 was published yesterday, ranking Britain’s 200 mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales. Click to read the latest supplement: https://t.co/tB3B4SagRl https://t.co/PsS0cwHDS8
Trade with Europe might be trickier but the case for overseas expansion remains, writes Ian Wilson, chief executive UK & Ireland of our main sponsor DHL Express, in our 12th annual #IntTrack200 league table supplement, published yesterday in ST_Business.
@dhlexpressuk
Firms are showing leadership in sustainability as they grow their international sales, writes Jane Galvin in our 12th annual #HSBCIntTrack200 league table supplement, published yesterday in @ST_Business, with title sponsorship for a 12th year from @HSBC_UK. Click through to read.
The Covid crisis has knocked confidence but exporters remain optimistic, writes Amanda Murphy in our 12th annual #HSBCIntTrack200 league table supplement, published yesterday in The Sunday Times, with title sponsorship for a 12th year from @HSBC_UK. Click to read.
@ST_Business
Our 12th annual Sunday Times #HSBCIntTrack200 was published yesterday, ranking Britain’s 200 mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales and highlighting how they have adapted to the pandemic and #Brexit. Click to read our news report:
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
