A few years ago, taking charge of a darts retailer wasn\u2019t the obvious career move.<\/p>\n
Craig Heenigan had built his career in telecoms before joining Darts Corner in 2021.<\/p>\n
Friends questioned why he was swapping a blue-chip industry for a niche sporting business based in Bolton.<\/p>\n
Then Luke Littler happened. The teenage phenomenon accelerated a surge that was already building. Packed Premier League arenas became the norm, television audiences climbed and a new generation picked up darts for the first time. For Darts Corner, it created an opportunity to think much bigger.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I arrived, people thought I\u2019d lost the plot,\u201d Craig says. \u201cEighteen months later they were asking whether I\u2019d somehow seen it coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
The business, founded in 2005 as one of the first online darts retailers, had already become a market leader. Private equity backing gave it the opportunity to modernise the operation, replacing paper-based warehouse processes with new systems and building the foundations for international growth. Revenue has since climbed from around \u00a311m to \u00a325m, with plans to reach \u00a332m this year alone.<\/p>\n
The group, which is now backed by Ethos Partners, has separated its house brand Mission from the Darts retail business, allowing each to pursue its own strategy.<\/p>\n
Mission designs and supplies its own equipment to more than 300 retailers worldwide and sponsors some of the sport\u2019s brightest emerging talent, while Darts Corner continues to position itself as the home of every major darts brand.<\/p>\n
That distinction matters as the business looks overseas. The UK remains its largest market, but Europe and North America are becoming increasingly important. The recent launch of the Professional Darts Corporation on ESPN in the United States is another sign that darts is finding a global audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be a \u00a3100m group,\u201d Craig says. \u201cThat means growing the retailer, growing the Mission brand and taking both of them into more markets.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is an ambitious target, but one that feels increasingly realistic. After all, a business that once sold darts from a simple online catalogue is now helping shape where the sport goes next.<\/p>\n
The High Growth 50 celebrates the ambitious businesses driving growth across the North of England. It is produced by strategic marketing communications agency MC2 in partnership with the London Stock Exchange, HSBC UK, Shore Capital and Growth Flag.<\/p>\n