Amidst a slowly growing economy, the frontrunners of this year’s Sunday Times 100 companies are accelerating at full throttle. Securing a spot on our annual list of Britain’s fastest-growing private firms has never been more competitive. This year, businesses needed to demonstrate an incredible 62 percent average rise in revenues over three years to qualify.

Such impressive growth would have ranked a company at No. 80 last year; this year, AYBL, an athleisure brand based in Redditch and a former No. 1, appears at No. 100 with a 61.89 percent annual growth rate, boosting its annual sales to £38.8 million.

AYBL’s products were notably worn by Victoria Thomas Bowen, 25, when she covered Reform UK leader Nigel Farage with a McDonald’s banana milkshake in Clacton this June. More importantly, AYBL and the other 99 companies have created 10,000 new jobs in the past three years, increasing their collective workforce to 13,670. They plan to add 3,800 more jobs in the next 12 months alone.

• View the complete list of companies in this year’s Sunday Times 100 with interviews, profiles, and more.

The fried-chicken chain Wingstop UK (No. 38), popular among rappers like Central Cee, Stormzy, and AJ Tracey, aims to create 1,000 jobs as it expands nationwide. Future Prime Ministers might want to align themselves with favorites too.

The top Sunday Times 100 collectively generated £2.9 billion in sales, an enormous increase of £2.6 billion over the past three years. With more jobs slated, that turnover is expected to climb further.

Despite tough trading conditions for many businesses, the performance of this year’s elite 100 companies stands out significantly. They have managed to overcome challenges like higher wage bills, skills shortages, and inconsistent consumer demands to achieve their success.

Jeremy Clarkson supports Hawkstone (No. 24), Britain’s fastest-growing beer brand, though he knows the pub trade, crucial for his brewery, faces ongoing hurdles. His attempt to sustain operations at his 1,000-acre Diddly Squat farm is documented in the Clarkson’s Farm series on Amazon Prime Video.

Clarkson’s media presence may have boosted Hawkstone’s sales, but most founders of this year’s companies had to find other breakthrough strategies. Castore, a Manchester-based sportswear brand founded by brothers Tom and Phil Beahon, ages 34 and 31, ranks No. 34 and has secured deals with high-profile sports teams. Recently, Premier League club Everton signed a deal with Castore for kits and official merchandise. Akula Living (No. 85), a Wetherby furniture maker, caters to prestigious clients like cruise lines Carnival, Holland America, and Princess. Founder Tim Appleton, 56, delivered 22,000 custom pieces to Dubai’s luxury Atlantis The Royal hotel, which features 44 rooms with private infinity pools.

• Discover what it takes to make The Sunday Times 100.

This year’s list also features innovative inventors. Alan Rock, 65, established Warwick-based Moasure (No. 40) in 2014, creating a handheld tool for tracking distance and height, utilized by building contractors for measuring large outdoor spaces. The team at Nottingham consultancy Bigspark (No. 48) created MyNara, a smartphone app to discreetly capture evidence for domestic abuse victims, in addition to their IT consultancy work.

Bigspark’s founders Shaine Ismail, 48, Chris Finlayson, 38, and Richard Hay, 47, previously worked at NatWest before venturing into entrepreneurship in 2019. Switching from a successful banking career to the entrepreneurial landscape can be challenging. Allica Bank CEO Richard Davies, leader of this year’s No. 1 company, recounts being headhunted from Barclays for OakNorth acquisition before founding Allica. “It seemed risky, yet something I would regret not doing,” the 45-year-old recalls.

• Discover the hottest new UK start-ups with founders under 35.

Britain’s financial sector isn’t the only talent pool. Former special forces members Louis Tinsley and Anthony Stazicker, both 40, founded Poole-based high-performance clothing brand Thrudark (No. 61). Emma Parkinson, 36, who founded Sheffield steel stockholder International Energy Products (No. 37) in 2017, transitioned from engineering recruitment to entrepreneurship due to financial insecurity.

• Learn about companies that survived Covid.

International Energy Products is one of 25 female-founded companies this year, down from a record 28 last year. Female founders include Ama Amo-Agyei, 27, of hair and skincare brand Plantmade (No. 29); Aneisha Soobroyen, 36, co-founder of pet food brand Scrumbles (No. 45); and Sonia Murton, 55, CEO of property maintenance group Westbury (No. 90).

The path to success is rarely easy. Entrepreneurs like Hyrum Cook, 31, founder of Manchester’s Adanola (No. 7), have faced tough times. Before Covid, Cook almost shuttered Adanola due to poor sales but rebounded with the viral success of the Ultimate Leggings during the at-home workout craze.

• Read more: the full list of companies on this year’s Sunday Times 100

1. Allica Bank

▲ 536.98% Fintech Britain’s fastest-growing business aids others by offering loans, cards, and accounts, led by CEO Richard Davies to £191 million sales in 2023

2. Clive Henry Group

▲ 264.50% Healthcare recruitment and consultancy This company is the fourth ST 100 business started by former South Bromsgrove High School alumni; Liam Molesworth and Sam Alsop-Hall reached £20 million in sales last year [link to school feature]

3. Rheal

▲ 243.02% Food supplement brand Charlotte Ali, living with coeliac disease, and her husband, Sean, began making natural ‘superfoods’ in 2017. In 2023, sales hit £19.8 million

4. Trip

▲ 224.75% Drinks and supplements brand Husband-and-wife Olivia Ferdi and Daniel Khoury launched this cannabidiol-infused drinks brand in 2019, reaching £20 million in sales by February

5. Ancient + Brave

▲ 222.51% Health supplements brand Former media lawyer Kate Prince started the firm in 2018, consuming collagen and MCT oil for personal health improvements, achieving £10.2 million in sales in 2023

6. Pentalec

▲ 218.73% Building services contractor The electrification of Britain’s energy network has driven this company’s growth. Led by John Hatt and Sam Stageman, sales hit £9.3 million by February

7. Adanola

▲ 201.52% Fashion brand Co-founder Hyrum Cook grew this athleisure brand to £57.4 million sales by March; this month, he appointed Niran Chana as CEO

8. Heroes

▲ 201.43% Baby and youth consumer products Three brothers founded this company in 2020, acquiring niche brands on Amazon Marketplace. In 2023, they raised £200 million from investors, and sales reached £82.2 million

9. Purdy & Figg

▲ 187.76% Consumer cleaning product Counter Clean is one of this brand’s bestsellers, with all products made using natural ingredients at its Hertfordshire facility. Sales hit £18.3 million by March

10. Liqueo

▲ 186.35% Management consultancy Founded by Andrew Proud, Richard Over, and CEO Stephan Williams, the firm advises asset and wealth managers on operations. They achieved £19 million in sales last year