The Hot 100 2013

Where would you meet Led Zeppelin’s first sound man and the UK’s first sushi business together in the same place

That’s right, Phil Dudderidge’s audio business and Dong Kim’s Wasabi chain both feature in this year’s ranking of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies, measured by a testing four-year average annual growth in (profitable) sales turnover.

Anyone interested in Britain’s medium-term economic prosperity should study the 2013 ranking carefully. Business leaders will find a wealth of insight about where seams of business opportunity lie.

For the past 15 years, and now published with Investec, Real Business has produced its Hot 100 ranking, based on company information provided by Jordans. This year’s Hot 100 project is also supported by media partner, the Independent.

• Read the full analysis, sector and geographical breakdowns.
• Watch the video announcement of the Hot 100.
• Read about the Hot 100 history: 1997 £2013

Okay, some of our 100 companies have been in the right place at the right time. Commodity prices have boosted gold traders; government subsidies have favoured solar energy providers; financial services is a well established source of growth in the UK.

But entrepreneurship is always partly about good luck and timing. Dig more deeply, and you discover some eternal truths about market positioning and brilliant management within the Investec Hot 100. IT services is a long-term boom sector, but it is also hyper-competitive. What our Hot 100 IT companies do is endlessly strive to ‘stay relevant” in a changing market.

As businesses grow, it’s all too easy to become detached from your marketplace and your own people. It’s notable how many of our 100 talk about keeping the customer as the focus in their business. And, of the millions of words ever penned about the importance of people in business, are there any wiser than Sun Mark founder Dr Rami Ranger: ?look after your staff. Money doesn’t make money; people make money.

The Hot 100 2013

1. Potensial
2. Alternergy
3. Baird Investments
4. Smartway
5. Liberty Group Investments
6. ActivTrades
7. Troy Asset Management
8. Perspective Financial Group
9. Miroma International
10. Parabis
11. Ekwienox
12. World First UK
13. The Real Return Group
14. ANS Group
15. State Oil
16. Ruffer Management
17. Waxman Group
18. Arrowedge
19. GCI Telecom Group
20. Chain Reaction Cycles
21. Echo Sourcing
22. Forelle Estates Holdings
23. Kelway
24. Ceuta Healthcare
25. Hughes and Salvidge
26. Focusrite Audio Engineering
27. Firesource
28. Seetec Business Technology Centre
29. Severn & Wye Smokery
30. Test Equipment Asset Management
31. Europa Support Service
32. Sun Mark
33. Wasabi
34. AH Worth and Company
35. British Harlequin
36. Longfield Chemicals
37. Cornwall Holdings
38. Zonal Retail Data Systems
39. Moortown Construction
40. TBA
41. Durbin
42. AWC Industries
43. Bet365 Group
44. ITMSoil Group
45. UKFast.net
46. Aston Manor Brewery
47. Holyhead Boatyard
48. Vital Holdings
49. Westbridge Food Group
50. Kingdom Security
51. Appsense Holdings
52. Neptune Investment Management
53. S. Sacker
54. Gamesys
55. 99p Stores
56. Gaia Technologies
57. Maple Syrup Media
58. Cameron Mackintosh
59. Fircroft Engineering Services
60. The ID Group
61. D.H. Mansfield
62. Winvic Group
63. Innovise
64. Octopus Capital
65. Control Circle
66. Crabco
67. MedTrade Products
68. Melrob
69. Speciality Drinks
70. The Reflex Group
71. Baas Construction
72. Thunderhead
73. Minster Law Group
74. Benefit Express
75. Lighthouse Healthcare
76. Boost Drinks
77. Acora Holdings
78. Fine & Rare Wines
79. Portgrade
80. Exponential-e
81. Investigo
82. Hills Prospect
83. Polar Group
84. Lexington Catering
85. Freeworld Trading
86. Argus Media
87. Sertec
88. Cuddy Demolition & Dismantling
89. Buckingham Group Contracting
90. Colchester Global Investors
91. Sinemaster Motor Factors
92. G. OBrien & Sons
93. Amorartis
94. Corpacq
95. Opus Energy Group
96. The SAS Group of Companies
97. Softcat
98. Tyler Capital
99. Phipps & Company
100. City & Country Group