Fastest-growing Yorkshire businesses in the spotlight

BRITAIN’S fastest-growing businesses have been awarded places on the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100, including eight homegrown Yorkshire companies.

Though the total number of Yorkshire companies was down from 11 last year, five of the entrants were new to the list, which is in its 19th year.

Combined, the Fast Track list estimated that the companies combined have sales of £360m, and employ 1,400 staff.

Heck! Food, a North Yorkshire-based new entrant to the list came in at an impressive number four in the rankings by sales.

The company was founded by former pig farmers Debbie and Andrew Heck, who launched the original Debbie & Andrew sausage range 15 years ago before selling their interests in thebusiness. They have handed over the reins of Heck! to their children.

Son Jamie Keeble said it was “incredible” to be ranked fourth, “It’s almost four years since we started HECK and from the outset we’ve had an uncompromising approach to the food we make and ingredients we use.

“We’ll be continuing to develop fresh and exciting ideas to bring to the supermarket shelves.”

Heck! products are stocked at retailers such as Tesco, Asda and Morrisons, and sales have grown 159% a year to £5.7m this year.

High Street TV, another North Yorkshire company, was founded in 2008 by entrepreneurs, Andrew Malcher and Jim Coleman/The company promotes products on its own television channel and sells them online, through call centres and retailers such as Tesco and Boots. Sales reached £46.4m last year.

Rotherham-based Instantprint, which recently celebrated earning the Guinness World Record for the largest business card ever made were also on the list, as were Dewsbury’s Pet Brands and specialist recruiters Hallam Medical.

Recruitment agency, Transline, which reported reaching £200m in turnover last week, was also included, as were Pure Gym and another homegrown budget gym chain, Xercise4Less.

Chief operating officer of Xercise4Less Jon Wright, (pictured) said “The success of Xercise4Less has come from starting small and evolving. Our organic business model is tried and tested to ensure we can adapt and flex to stay ahead of the game.

“We’re a very ambitious brand and our rapid expansion has outperformed our biggest competitors.”

The league table and awards programme is sponsored by Virgin, Barclays, BDO and BGF, and is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events company.