Missguided and Zeus lead the way in Fast Track rankings

A high-flying fashion website and an entrepreneurial corporate finance business from Manchester have been ranked in the top 10 private companies with the fastest-growing sales over last three years.

Missguided (5th) and Zeus Capital (9th) are among 10 North West businesses featured in the 18th annual Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 league table, published this weekend.

The 10 jointly employ more than 1,250 staff and have achieved combined sales of £225m.

Missguided was founded by 32-year-old Nitin Passi, it offers celebrity-inspired fashion to women aged between 16 and 35, and is endorsed by former Pussycat Doll and X-Factor judge Nicole Sherzinger.  Its sales have grown an average of 191% a year to £51m this year.

Award-winning corporate finance firm Zeus, based at King Street, has had a stellar year on the back of leading a host of big-ticket AIM floats, including Conviviality Retail and Boohoo. Over the last three years income has surged 153% to £25.9m.

Also making the top 20 are Eccles-based LSE Retail Group, which sells lighting and light bulbs to lighting retailers and wholesalers, (15th) and Knutsford based leisure sector entrepreneurs Tim Bacon and Jeremy Roberts, whose Alchemist Bar and Restaurant business makes number 19 in the list.

The Fast Track 100 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.

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said: “This year’s Fast Track 100 is packed full of examples of entrepreneurs taking on many different challenges head-on.

“Their success is based on real team spirit and it is this togetherness, above and beyond any other factor, that sets great businesses apart from also-rans. The Fast Track 100 are testament to that spirit of creativity and camaraderie.”

The full regional list is below: