Rapid UK Business Expansion
Sunday Times 100 Ranks UK's Fastest-Growing Private Firms, Showing Job and Sales Expansion
The Sunday Times 100 ranks Britain’s fastest-growing privately owned companies by sustained sales growth over three years, and this year’s topline picture shows rapid expansion alongside job creation: the top 100 firms increased sales by about 108% annually to roughly £4 billion and employed around 13,700 people, with thousands of additional hires planned. The North West stood out outside London, placing 14 companies on the list, including Stockport beauty retailer P Louise, which reported sharply rising revenues alongside high three-year growth. In Wales, four firms made the ranking led by Ty Nant, whose mineral-water growth was boosted by acquisitions, while other entrants included de Novo Solutions, Hair Syrup, and Litelok, each credited with strong multi-year sales performance. In the events sector, Lemon Lane, a female-founded agency ranked 67th in the 2026 edition, has grown from a pandemic-era idea into a live, virtual, and hybrid experiences provider without taking external investment. The list also reflects growth across consumer brands, with jewelry names such as stainless-steel direct-to-consumer D. Louise and designer-led Tilly Sveaas both placing in the top 100. In the southeast, West Sussex’s Viewture was named the region’s fastest-growing private company, working with high-profile influencers and highlighting a broader trend toward consumer brands dominating the fastest-growing entries.
Key Points
The Sunday Times 100 reports a record 33 of the 100 businesses have female founders, co-founders or chief executives, and says the cohort “created 8,900 new jobs in the last three years,” with plans for roughly “4,200 additional roles” in the next 12 months.
Ty Nant’s Welsh lead was supported by named acquisition activity: the mineral-water group “acquir[ed] Strathmore Water from AG Barr” and previously (in 2024) acquired Fonthill Water and Decantae Mineral Water from Primo Water Corporation; Ty Nant is ranked 43rd with 91.8% growth and sales “more than doubling to £18.1m” in the year to March.
Lemon Lane’s recognition is tied to its co-founders and their external investment stance: founded in 2020 by Jade Howgrave-Graham, Lucy Francis and Rachel Capell, it expanded from a pandemic-era idea “without external investment,” and co-founder Jade Howgrave-Graham said, “To be recognised (in The Sunday Times 100) is both incredibly exciting and a real affirmation of what we’ve been building over the past five years.”
D. Louise’s consumer-brand push included a move into wholesale: the stainless-steel direct-to-consumer jeweller appointed “former Swarovski head of monobrand Matt Lowman as head of wholesale” (announced in February) to develop its wholesale channel and support the next phase of growth.
For the south-east top spot, Viewture’s growth included a fundraising detail and client roster: Viewture, founded by David Page (2020), “raised a reported £80 million in equity and debt” from investors including “Bolt Ventures” (David Blitzer’s family office), and the Sunday Times note says its client roster includes the Sidemen collective and “others include gaming YouTuber Ali-A.”
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