Businesses across the South East make The Sunday Times top 100 fastest growing companies list

Published by

Nicky Godding

Ancient and Brave

An East Sussex health supplements brand, a building services contractor from Gillingham in Kent, outdoor clothing brand from the New Forest and a young driver insurance brand from Surrey have made it into the Sunday Times top 20 fastest growing companies list.

Ancient + Brave, based in East Sussex, ranked at 5 in the listing, with a reported annual sales growth over three years of an impressive 222.51 per cent.

Found Kate Prince was a media lawyer. She founded the firm in 2018 after taking collagen and MCT oil to improve her health. The brand has grown to a team of 50 based. Its products are now stocked in stores including Selfridges and Harrods and across 22 countries. Turnover was £10.2 million in 2023

Gillingham-based building services contractor Pentalec, was ranked next to Ancient + Brave at number 6, with sales growth over the same period of more than 218 per cent.

Other companies across the region in the top 100 include:

No 14: Sustainable outdoor clothing brand Passenger, the New Forest

No 18: My First – young driver insurance, Surrey

James Noble CEO and Founder says: "Insurance can be really complicated, there are numerous things to consider:

Excess, telematics devices, fully comp vs third party – You have lots of questions and no one to talk to – most people go down the route of an automated comparison website but then are left to choose a policy based purely on price order, not what actually caters for their needs.

At MyFirst you, your parents or whoever it is, can talk to one of our experts and they will spend the time ensuring that the policy is tailored to you and you understand exactly what you are buying."

No 20: DBSJ – Interior fit out contractor, Canterbury, Kent

No 29: Plantmade – Hair and skincard brand, Reading

No 41: Ison Travel, Travel management, Woking

No 43: G2 Survey, Survey equipment supplier, Reading

No 53, Vizst Technology, IT services, Poole

No 61: ThruDark, Outdoor clothing brand, Poole

Louis – Co-founder – Former Special Forces (SBS) says: “We have spent the majority of our military careers within United Kingdom special forces. In this time we’ve endured some of the world’s most arduous environments in extremely demanding circumstances.

"ThruDark was born out of our constant requirement for the best clothing and equipment to assist us in this ‘Endeavour Through Adversity’.

"The brand name ‘Thru-Dark’ represents the endurance through difficult situations experienced not only by ourselves and our colleagues but to all those who encounter hardship in their own lives.”

No 63: Must Have Ideas, household products retailer, Snodland, Kent

No 76: QuoStar, It services, Bournemouth

No 90: Westbury Property Maintenance, Sidcup, Kent

No 91: Muve, conveyancing services, Richmond, Surrey

No 95: Energy Efficient Solutions, energy-saving products and services, Bracknell

Paul Daly, CEO of EES Group said: “We are honoured to be recognised as one of The Times 100 fastest-growing private companies. This achievement is a testament to our unwavering commitment to sustainable solutions and customer-centric approach. We look forward to continuing to drive innovation and growth in the renewable energy sector.”

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.