Food and furniture make Fast Track 100

The health of the local business community has been highlighted with the publication of this year's Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100.
Heck co-founder Andrew Keeble with some of his fast-selling sausages. (S)Heck co-founder Andrew Keeble with some of his fast-selling sausages. (S)
Heck co-founder Andrew Keeble with some of his fast-selling sausages. (S)

Several local companies feature in the list, which ranks Britain’s 100 private companies by fastest-growing sales over their latest three years.

Heck Food, the high-end sausage-maker based at Kirklington, six miles north of Ripon, with a whopping annual sales rise over three years of 92.48 per cent. The firm, which employs 85 people at its new £3.5m “Sausage World” factory, racked up £17.6m in sales.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Naughtone, which designes and manufacturers stylish furniture, claimed 39th spot on the list, with a 69.28 per cent annual rise in sales. Employing 34 people from its Knaresborough base, it notched up £15.2m in sales, some of them to Google’s San Francisco offices.

Sales director Matt Welsh said: “We’re extremely excited to have been recognised in such a highly regarded and broadly distributed publication as the Sunday Times. Our placement is testament to the dedication of the whole naughtone team across our global sites, and their dedication to growing the business.”

Pure Gym, which was founded in Grewelthorpe but is now based in Leeds, made 94th place.

With sales approaching £4m, Filmore & Union was the only Yorkshire company to be included in the Fast Track Ones to Watch for 2018.

The Wetherby-based chain of 14 healthy eateries was also shortlisted in the menu innovation category of the Casual Dining Awards 2018.

Related topics: