Businesses have had much to contend with over the last year. From supply chain issues and rising energy prices to soaring interest rates and fewer tax breaks, it’s not exactly an environment that is conducive to growth. But some businesses have successfully navigated these challenges and done so exceptionally well. For this week’s Business Leader Top 12, which forms part of our North Focus month, we looked at the top fastest-growing businesses in the North of England*.
*The fastest-growing businesses are listed from top to bottom and growth rates are taken from The Sunday Times Hundred 2023
Castore
With a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of more than 285% over the past three years, premium sports retailer Castore is the second fastest-growing business in Britain and the fastest-growing in the North of England. The Manchester-headquartered firm was founded by the Beahon brothers and since being launched in 2015, has forged partnerships with a wealth of high-profile sports teams and stars, including Andy Murray, Newcastle United F.C. and more recently, Red Bull Racing.
Having forged several other key partnerships already this year, the firm is already achieving its ambition of having a British sportswear brand compete on the global stage.
Bayford Group
Headquartered in Bramham, on the outskirts of Leeds, the Bayford Group consists of several companies spread across the energy, property and hospitality industries, although energy has always been at the core of the business since it was first founded by four soldiers back in 1919. Its property developments include The Bowcliffe Hall Estate, whilst the group has invested in EV infrastructure and tech of late.
Britain’s third-fastest-growing business in 2023, the Bayford Group achieved sales of £194.6m and grew 268%.
Power Sheds
Founded in 2019 by Jack Sutcliffe and Simon Hobson, Power Sheds manufactures high-quality garden buildings including sheds, cabins and summerhouses in a range of sizes and designs to suit a wealth of customer requirements. The award-winning, Bradford-based manufacturer also partners with several installers for customers that also require installation services. Growing 144% and taking its sales to £15.5m, Power Sheds is currently one of the fastest-growing manufacturers in Britain.
Double Eleven
Video game developer and publisher Double Eleven achieved 126.6% growth, meaning the Middlesbrough-based firm is the fastest-growing company in the northeast of England. Founded in 2009 by former Rockstar Games developers Lee Hutchinson and Matt Shepcar, the titles Double Eleven have worked on include Fallout 76, Minecraft Dungeons, Rust and LittleBigPlanet. The video games studio, which has offices in the UK and Malaysia, recently announced it had tripled the size of its after welcoming its 300th employee.
myenergi
myenergi is an award-winning designer and manufacturer of renewable energy products. Founded by Lee Sutton and Jordan Brompton in 2016, the green tech specialist has grown its workforce to more than 400 and sold more than half a million products worldwide since its inception. Headquartered in Stallingborough, northeast Lincolnshire, myenergi has featured in the Sunday Times Hundred for the past two years: sales of £67.2m and growth of 126.46% ensured they came in at number 26 overall and number five in the North of England on the 2023 edition.
CRAFTD London
Although the company name suggests otherwise, men’s jewellery brand CRAFTD London is based in Liverpool. Sitting at number 28 on the list of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies, the jewellery brand that aims to fill the gap between quality jewellery and unnecessary markups achieved sales of £18.4m and growth of just over 121%.
Founded by Alex Cannon and Danny Buck, CRAFTD has supporters in more than 100 countries, who have come to trust the brand for the quality of its pieces.
Represent
Represent is a luxury streetwear brand for men. Founded in Bolton by brothers George and Mike Heaton in 2011, the men’s apparel brand prides itself on its excellent craftsmanship and is on a mission to build the best brand in the world. Currently stocked in 41 countries worldwide, Represent has grown 96.57% and achieved sales of £48.6m, meaning the fashion retailer is certainly on the right path to fulfilling that aim.
Fruugo
Cumbria-based online marketplace Fruugo provides access to retailers based all over the world but allows its customers to buy from them using their own language and currency without the need to calculate exchange rates or shipping costs. With over 10,000,000 products and 20,000 brands available for purchase, Fruugo has come a long way since it was first founded in 2006. The online marketplace has had a CAGR of 89.94% over the past three years, with sales hitting £65.5m.
Vuba
Consisting of an award-winning team of investors, manufacturers and pioneers, Vuba develops, manufactures and supplies resin-bound systems to customers nationally and across the world. Founded in 2009, the resin specialist has spent more than a decade formulating its innovative products from its Beverley HQ, although the firm also has a distribution centre located in Bridgwater, Somerset. Having achieved a CAGR of just under 86% over the past three years along with sales of £9.6m, the manufacturer sits comfortably as the ninth-fastest growing business in the North of England.
North Property Group
North Property Group was founded in 2017 by Oli Banks and Tim Coen who have more than 20 years of experience between them. The independently owned sales, lettings and property agency operates from multiple offices across Leeds and Manchester, offers a full lifecycle of services to its clients, and has sold more than 1,400 properties since its inception. The property expert has also grown very quickly over the past few years, having achieved a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 84.26%.
grüum
Stockport-based grüum has grown just under 84% over the past three years and taken its sales revenue to £5.6m. Founded by four friends who were fed up with the lack of skin and hair care products that both men and women could use, the grüum range is designed for everyone using only quality, natural ingredients and sold at a fair price. The firm recently took a majority stake in Everly Wellness, the personalised vitamin and supplement supplier, so could be set for further growth in the year ahead.
Bed Kingdom
Bed Kingdom, the one-stop-shop for comfortable and stylish beds, mattresses and furniture, began life as a university project and just a £400 investment in 2011, but today has 12,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) and has grown its sales revenue to £12.4m. Achieving a CAGR of just over 76% in the past three years, Bed Kingdom is aiming to breach the £20m turnover mark by the end of 2023, so it looks like there are more prosperous times ahead for company founder Ashley Hainsworth.
The post Who are the fastest-growing businesses in the North of England? appeared first on Business Leader.