Lancashire firms on fastest growing list

An Accrington fashion brand and a Preston car sales firm have been named in a prestigious list of the fastest growing private companies in the country.

The annual Sunday Times 100 rankings identifies and celebrates Britain’s 100 leading entrepreneurial businesses and showcases the people behind these most dynamic private companies.

CAPO is ranked fifth in the North West and 37th in the top 100 with £14.2m in its latest sales figures, which have seen a rise of 99.44 per cent in the last three years up from £7.9m.

Adam Morning, joint founder and chief executive of CAPO, said: “To be named the UK’s 37th fastest-growing private company is a real milestone for everyone at CAPO.

“We set out to build a brand that delivers high end quality at an accessible price, and that focus has resonated with customers and partners alike.”

Dan Wilkins, joint founder, added: “Our growth has been driven by three things. First, a relentless focus on product and getting the fundamentals right on fit, fabric and value across our core range.

“Second, a model that pairs a strong direct-to-consumer business with rapid wholesale expansion through partners such as ASOS, Next, Footasylum and Frasers Group.

“And the third thing is that we have a brilliant team who’ve scaled the business while keeping the brand’s identity intact.

“We’re ambitious about what comes next, and recognition like this sharpens our ambitions.”

Car.co.uk was listed as 12th in the region and 85th overall with sales of £26.6m to the end of November 2025 which has increased by 62.51 per cent in the last three years from £6.2m.

The Preston firm is a low car value marketplace, buying and selling low end and older vehicles.

Will Fletcher, founder of Car.co.uk, said: “We are really proud to be in the list again. It is a great achievement for the team for our team.

“We have put a lot of hard work to get to this point and a lot of luck but we are hoping to continue and develop what we offer.

“It is a massive market so there are plenty of opportunities to grow if we get it right.

“We are doing a lot in AI development and we see it as a route to grow.

“We spend a lot of money on technology and the system is automated and are really able to offer outstanding service which you can see on the TrustPilot reviews as we are the highest rated retailer in this space in the county.

“For example, if you wanted to sell your car today, we can pick it up today and we pay you today. It is things like that we have invested in from a technology perspective that make a real difference to the customer.”

 Car.co.uk has also received the King’s Award for Innovation. Will said: “We are honoured to be in that.”

The top 100 fastest-growing companies in the Sunday Time list have increased their sales by 108 per cent a year over the last three years to a combined £4bn in sales.

The list is published today online at thesundaytimes.com/100 and available as a supplement with the print edition of the newspaper on Sunday.