Growth 500: Celebrating Britain’s fastest-growing businesses
A green agriculture company, a luxury tour guide, and a music promoter have been named as three of the 10 fastest-growing businesses in the UK, in a new list charting Britain’s hottest companies.
According to the newly launched Growth 500 – an index of fast-growing British businesses which claims to be the most comprehensive ever compiled – music promotions firm Marshall Arts is the fastest growing business in Britain.
The London-headquartered firm, founded by former civil engineer Barrie Marshall, has seen annual growth of 24,000 per cent over the past three years, with revenue surpassing £68m for the first time in 2024.
Among the other firms named in the Business Leader-run index’s top 10 are Matthew Vaughan’s vaunted production company Marv Studios, cyber defence firm Cyro Cyber, textile recycler Green Global, and no fewer than five travel agents – Wendy Wu Tours, On the Go Tours and business bespoke trip organiser Vosaio.
The index – curated by acclaimed compiler behind the Sunday Times Rich List Robert Watts – claims to offer “unprecedented analysis of the companies reshaping the UK economy” in a national celebration of the fastest growing businesses across every sector and every region of the UK.
Spearheaded by the business membership community Business Leader, the index aims to incorporate the full spectrum of UK enterprise, from businesses with turnovers starting at £3m to FTSE giants.
Richard Harpin, owner of Business Leader and founder of Homeserve and Growth Partner, said: “We’re on a mission to help mid-size businesses fast forward their business growth and realise their full potential.”
Business Leader is the UK’s only peer-to-peer membership community focused solely on medium-sized businesses.
Backed by a network of ambassadors who have built their own billion-pound businesses, Business Leader helps leaders scale and overcome growth barriers.
The list shines a spotlight on UK hotspots, with 14 of the listed enterprises based in Cambridge, while the Welsh town of Wrexham and Nottinghamshire’s Sutton-in-Ashfield each have three ranked companies.
Andy Gregory, chief executive of growth capital firm BGF: “The Growth 500 highlights the quality of UK businesses that are actively pursuing scale, even in tougher conditions.
“It also reflects the ambition we see across the country — which is why BGF is committing over £3bn to support British growth companies over the next five years, including at least £300m for
female-led scaleups.”
Robert Begbie, CEO of commercial & institutional banking at Natwest said: “As our report, The Critical Middle shows, the untapped potential of mid-market companies can be the engine of growth in the UK. Just a one per cent increase in this segment could add £35bn to our economy. It is right that we champion these companies and help them realise that potential.
Recognising their achievements and successes is a key part of this, and we look forward to seeing the fastest-growing businesses in the UK get deserved profile and recognition through the Growth 500 on 2 July.”
The Growth 500 will be launched at an event in the Walkie Talkie building’s iconic Sky Garden on 2 July.
https://businessleader.co.uk/our-mission
The Growth 500: The top five
- Marshall Arts: Barrie Marshall’s Marshall Arts has promoted shows for A-listers as diverse as Tina Turner, Sir Paul McCartney, The Kinks, and Otis Redding. But it wasn’t until after the pandemic that the business kicked into a new gear, thanks to tours like Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road. Revenues at the London-based firm have hit £68m, with annual growth topping 24,000 per cent in the past three years.
- Green Create: Operates sites across the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK that harness the methane-rich organic waste produced by farms. The waste can then be used to generate electricity or fertiliser for arable farms. Financial difficulties at one of its plants in Kent have not hampered its fast growth. An nual revenues at the firm have climbed to £30.1m an increase of 20,346 over the past three years.
- On the Tours: A chance encounter between Australian Scott Braidwood and British-born Jay Laksham while holidaying in Egypt would lead to the start of this B2C tour operator. Its first excursion took place in 1998, and with offices across Brisbane and Johannesburg, and operations in New Zealand, Canada and the US, the Antipodean venture has grown by 16,078 per cent since 2022, and hit revenue of £17.1m.
- Wendy Wu Tours: For years, Wendy Wu’s eponymous travel company concentrated on selling trips to Asia, but Covid sparked the firm to explore new markets and broaden its horizons. With painstakingly curated trips to the Middle East and Europe added to her portfolio, growth has skyrocketed, with revenue up over 19,431 per cent over three years, exceeding £28m.
- Green Global: This low-profile London outfit is billed as the UK’s largest textile recycling businesses. It collects more than 400m of unwanted garments a year from homes in England and Wales, and after sorting and cleaning at one of its four plants, donates them to those in need living in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. But recent growth has been driven by expansions into solar panel consultation and data centre provision, with revenues of nearly £7.7m in 2023-24 marking a 9,317 per cent rise.