Scotland’s 50 fastest-growing firms double in size – Daily Business

Dylan Jones-Evans, centre, with founders of Dfyne

Scotland’s 50 fastest-growing independent businesses have more than doubled in size in just two years, according to the 2026 UK Fast Growth Index, published in partnership with UBS.

Combined turnover across the Scotland Fast Growth 50 rose from £854 million in 2023 to £1.92 billion in 2025, an increase of 125% and more than £1bn of new economic activity.

Seventeen Scottish firms also feature in the UK Top 200.

Topping the Scottish list is DFYNE, the Glasgow activewear brand launched on a credit card with a £5,800 limit.

It grew its turnover from £15.1 million to £148.6m, an increase of 884%. That makes DFYNE both Scotland’s fastest-growing company and the UK’s fastest-growing large firm, with turnover above £100m.

It now designs activewear for customers worldwide from a 21,000 sq ft headquarters in Glasgow and employs well over 100 people.

Close behind are Real Property Scotland (492%), the Glasgow property investment group that has acquired more than £108m of property for clients in two years, and Aurora Energy Services (472%).

Aurora serves oil and gas and renewables from North Sea platforms to US wind farms, and runs the Highlands’ first accredited wind industry training centre.

UK Fast Growth Index Scotland Category Winners (growth 2023-25)

Overall and consumer products: DFYNE, Glasgow – 884%

Financial services: Real Property Scotland, Glasgow – 492%

Manufacturing and engineering: Aurora Energy Services, Aberdeen – 472%

Professional services: Jack Ryan, Glasgow – 424%

Technology and digital: GoFibre, Edinburgh – 384%

Construction and building services: Energy Pig, Glasgow – 316%

Green: Lowmac Alloys, Ayr – 297%

Business to business services: CodeBase, Edinburgh – 233%

Retail and wholesale: Simple Online Healthcare, Glasgow – 173%

Food and drink: Duncan Farms, Turriff – 141%

Profit-led: Knight Property Group, Aberdeen – 116%

Consumer services: Kincare Health Solutions, Edinburgh – 112%

Large firm (UK winner): DFYNE, Glasgow – 884%

Growth across the country

Glasgow leads with 18 firms in the Scotland 50, followed by Edinburgh with 11, while Aberdeen and the North-East account for eight. Fast-growth firms are also thriving in Ayr, Irvine, Prestwick, Bathgate, Dalkeith, Aviemore, Oban and Lockerbie.

The list spans every sector of the economy from traditional Scottish industries such as whisky cask investment, cashmere, shortbread and luxury handbags to technology sectors such as full fibre broadband and medical devices.

Four firms have received Sustainable Growth Awards for appearing on the Index for three consecutive years: Energy Pig, Utopi, McConnell and Union Technical.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, founder of the UK Fast Growth Index and visiting professor at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at Strathclyde University, said: “Scotland’s fastest-growing firms have had an exceptional two years, more than doubling in size and adding over £1 billion to the Scottish economy. DFYNE’s story, from a £5,800 credit card to a business turning over almost £150 million, is one of the most remarkable on this year’s Index.

“What stands out is the breadth of that success. From fibre broadband in the Borders to wind energy training in Inverness, and from cashmere on the Royal Mile to shortbread in Huntly, these businesses show that entrepreneurial ambition is thriving in every part of Scotland and every sector of its economy. Many are also sustaining their growth year after year and the task now is to help more of them grow into the large, independent Scottish companies of the future.”

The Scotland Fast Growth 50

1. DFYNE (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 884.2%
Scotland’s fastest-growing company, the UK’s fastest-growing large firm and the UK’s fastest-growing activewear brand. Launched on a credit card with a £5,800 limit, DFYNE now designs activewear for men and women, from leggings and sports bras to tracksuits, for customers worldwide. DFYNE is the third business its founder has launched, and the brand operates from a 21,000 sq ft headquarters in Glasgow, employing over 100 people.

2. Real Property Scotland (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 492.4%
Scotland’s fastest-growing financial services firm and the UK’s fastest-growing property investment company. Real Property Scotland helps investors build property portfolios by sourcing genuine below-market-value deals, with finance, refurbishment and auctions all in-house. The Glasgow group has acquired more than £108 million of property for clients in two years. Its directors invest their own capital and personally own more than 350 properties.

3. Aurora Energy Services (Aberdeen) – Growth 2023-25: 471.7%
Scotland’s fastest-growing manufacturing and engineering firm and the UK’s fastest-growing energy services company. From North Sea platforms to US wind farms, Aurora Energy Services provides inspection, repair, fabrication, engineering and training across oil and gas and renewables. Its Inverness site houses the Highlands’ first accredited wind industry training centre and is part of the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport consortium.

4. Jack Ryan (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 423.5%
Scotland’s fastest-growing professional services firm and the UK’s fastest-growing media agency. Jack Ryan uses behavioural science to plan and buy media that changes behaviour, for clients including the NHS, SSE and the British Council. A certified B Corporation, the agency operates from Glasgow, London and Belfast. It is reported to be the only agency headquartered outside London with the IAB’s Gold Standard certification.

5. GoFibre (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 384.2%
Scotland’s fastest-growing technology firm and female-founded business, Edinburgh’s fastest-growing company and the UK’s fastest-growing broadband provider. Born in the Borders, GoFibre builds full fibre broadband for rural communities across Scotland and northern England, now reaching more than 130,000 homes and businesses. It also funds local charities through its GoFurther Fund and plans to reach around 250,000 premises by 2028.

6. Energy Pig (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 315.6%
Scotland’s fastest-growing construction and building services firm, the UK’s fastest-growing home retrofit company and a three-year Sustainable Growth Award winner. Energy Pig installs insulation, heating, heat pumps and solar panels in Scottish homes to cut bills and tackle fuel poverty. A delivery partner for Octopus Energy, ScottishPower and EDF, it has installed more than 15,000 energy-saving products and has grown into an eight-figure business without significant outside investment.

7. Lowmac Alloys (Ayr) – Growth 2023-25: 297.4%
Scotland’s fastest-growing green firm and the UK’s fastest-growing waste management company. Established in 1973, Lowmac Alloys provides skip hire, trade waste, hazardous waste and scrap metal recycling across Ayrshire and beyond. A family-run business with more than 50 years of waste management experience, it runs a material recovery line and a secure shredding facility where customers can watch their documents destroyed.

8. CodeBase (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 232.9%
Scotland’s fastest-growing business-to-business services firm and the UK’s fastest-growing tech ecosystem organisation. More than 500 startups and scaleups supported by CodeBase have collectively raised over £4 billion and the Edinburgh-born organisation offers tech founders workspace, education and community across hubs from Inverness to Dumfries. It began in Edinburgh’s former municipal buildings beneath the castle and became the UK’s largest tech incubator.

9. Utopi (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 230.0%
The UK’s fastest-growing smart building technology company and a three-year Sustainable Growth Award winner. Utopi’s smart sensors track temperature, air quality, noise and more in rental and student housing, helping landlords save energy and spot problems early. More than 100,000 of the Glasgow firm’s devices now operate across thirteen countries and its clients include Vita Student, Moda Living and Lloyds Banking Group.

10. RUA Life Sciences (Irvine) – Growth 2023-25: 204.5%
The UK’s fastest-growing medical device company, RUA Life Sciences is developing polymer heart valves and vascular grafts using Elast-Eon, a long-lasting polymer suited for use inside the body. The Irvine company also manufactures devices for other medical firms. It serves customers across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa.

11. Argonaut Capital (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 202.9%
Formed in 2005, Argonaut Capital is the UK’s fastest-growing fund manager and manages long/short and long-only equity strategies for institutions, wealth managers and family offices, with partners investing their own money alongside clients.

12. Plexus Holdings (Aberdeen) – Growth 2023-25: 200.0%
The UK’s fastest-growing wellhead engineering company, Plexus Holdings has patented POS-GRIP, a friction-grip technology that seals oil and gas wellheads by deforming one metal tube against another. The Aberdeen company’s equipment has been used in hundreds of wells for operators including Shell and Centrica and has signed agreements with Cactus Wellhead in the US to extend the reach of its technology.

13. Surplus Property Solutions (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 190.6%
The UK’s fastest-growing lease liability specialist. Surplus Property Solutions specialises in unwanted leases, taking property liabilities off companies such as Morrisons, B&Q and Whitbread. The Glasgow firm resolves them through surrenders, re-lettings and redevelopment.

14. Simple Online Healthcare (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 173.3%
Scotland’s fastest-growing retail and wholesale firm and digital healthcare company. Founded in 2015 by two community pharmacists, Simple Online Healthcare runs online pharmacy and clinic services in the UK, Germany, Australia, and Denmark. In the UK it trades as Simple Online Pharmacy, delivering medicines direct to patients’ doors and was one of the first providers of weight loss medications in the UK.

15. Speyside Capital (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 164.3%
The UK’s fastest-growing whisky investment manager, Speyside Capital turns Scotch whisky casks into an investment asset, building and managing cask portfolios for wealth managers, family offices and private clients. The Glasgow firm also advises distilleries on deals and expansion and believes whisky deserves the same governance and long-term stewardship as any other investment.

16. Smartly Energy (Prestwick) – Growth 2023-25: 163.9%
Scotland’s fastest-growing solar company, Smartly Energy designs bespoke solar, battery and heat pump systems for homes and businesses across the UK, including roofs made entirely of solar panels. Certified carbon neutral, it plants a tree for every panel it installs and has brought AquaFlow to the UK, a valve that can cut water bills by up to 30 per cent.

17. Duncan Farms (Turriff) – Growth 2023-25: 140.6%
Scotland’s fastest-growing food and drink firm and the UK’s fastest-growing egg producer, every Duncan’s egg carries a code that shoppers can enter online to trace it back to the farm it came from. The Turriff family business produces free-range and organic eggs from Aberdeenshire for customers across the UK and it is known for its focus on traceability and hen welfare.

18. Highland Broadband (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 136.7%
The fastest-growing broadband provider in the Scottish Highlands which started with a single East Lothian village. Highland Broadband now builds full-fibre networks for rural communities and small towns across Scotland, and its packages offer equally fast upload and download speeds, ideal for working from home. It is extending gigabit broadband to tens of thousands more premises across Scotland.

19. McConnell (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 135.2%
The UK’s fastest-growing cladding remediation contractor and a three-year Sustainable Growth Award winner. Working for property owners since 1929, McConnell refurbishes, maintains and retrofits buildings for councils and housing associations across the UK. Current work includes a £388 million programme for Southern Housing. It runs specialist in-house divisions for roofing, replacement cladding and protective coatings.

20. CSG Hotels and Apartments (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 127.0%
The UK’s fastest-growing hotel group. CSG Hotels and Apartments now offers 50 luxury serviced apartments in the Edinburgh Grand, the former Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters on St Andrew Square. The Chris Stewart Group business specialises in reviving historic buildings and developed Edinburgh’s first Motel One, on Market Street.

21. Toolden (Ellon) – Growth 2023-25: 126.0%
The UK’s fastest-growing tool retailer, Toolden’s Kit Builder lets tradespeople design their own tool kit online from more than 60,000 products by Milwaukee, DeWalt and Makita. The Ellon retailer grew from a van sales team serving tradespeople across Scotland and has since bought its premises in Ellon as a permanent base for further growth.

22. Knight Property Group (Aberdeen) – Growth 2023-25: 116.1%
Scotland’s fastest-growing profit-led firm and the UK’s fastest-growing commercial property developer. Since 1987, Knight Property Group has developed speculative and pre-let commercial properties across Scotland, from business parks to city-centre offices. The Aberdeen developer also partners with landowners to deliver projects jointly and its developments include Langlands Commercial Park in East Kilbride.

23. M&D Green (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 115.8%
The UK’s fastest-growing community pharmacy chain and from a single premises opened by Martin Green in 1996, M&D Green has grown to 42 branches across Scotland, from Ayrshire to Tayside. Its app and a Just Eat partnership bring prescriptions and pharmacy essentials to customers’ fingertips and aims to become Scotland’s number one community pharmacy, working closely with the NHS.

24. Strathberry (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 112.7%
Husband and wife Guy and Leeanne Hundleby set up the UK’s fastest-growing luxury handbag brand in Edinburgh in 2013. Its handbags, recognisable by their signature bar closure, now sell in more than 100 countries, with North America its largest market and has stores in London’s Burlington Arcade, King’s Road and Covent Garden.

25. Kincare Health Solutions (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 112.5%
Scotland’s fastest-growing consumer services firm and the UK’s fastest-growing home care provider. Founded by Joyce and Moreblessing Mudzungudzi, Kincare Health Solutions provides home care and supported living across Scotland, from daily help to live-in and end-of-life care. The Edinburgh provider puts independence at the heart of its support and, regulated by the Care Inspectorate, it supports people living with dementia and physical disabilities.

26. Paysend (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 108.8%
The UK’s fastest-growing international money transfer company, Paysend has more than eight million people using it to send money to over 180 countries, often card-to-card in seconds at a fixed, transparent price. Co-founded in 2017 by Ronnie Millar, it now serves businesses as well as individuals and a partnership with TelevisaUnivision helps it reach Hispanic communities sending money to Latin America.

27. Westpoint Homes (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 105.5%
Scotland’s fastest-growing housebuilder, no two Westpoint homes are designed the same, as each development is created for its location. The Glasgow housebuilder has spent 40 years reviving sites from a Gorbals mill to a Langside convent, with 750 more homes planned.

28. ESWL (Westhill) – Growth 2023-25: 104.3%
The UK’s fastest-growing energy sector procurement company, ESWL keeps critical energy operations running by sourcing equipment and materials for clients in more than 30 countries. The Westhill procurement specialist also supports the construction, marine, nuclear and renewables sectors and it has moved into a 12,000 sq ft base in Westhill, around five times larger than its former premises.

29. Golfclubs4cash (Loanhead) – Growth 2023-25: 100.9%
The UK’s fastest-growing second-hand golf retailer. When co-owner Murray Winton’s golf clubs were stolen, he started buying used ones, and Golfclubs4cash was born. The Loanhead firm is now Europe’s biggest second-hand golf retailer, with more than 30,000 clubs in stock, refurbishing clubs bought from golfers, keeping equipment in use for longer.

30. Union Technical (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 98.5%
A three-year Sustainable Growth Award winner, Union Technical makes thousands of homes warmer by installing insulation, solar panels, batteries and heat pumps for homeowners and social landlords. The Glasgow firm even helped save sheltered homes in New Scone from demolition through a full retrofit. MCS registered, it offers a 25-year performance guarantee on its solar systems.

31. Wildland (Aviemore) – Growth 2023-25: 96.6%
The UK’s fastest-growing conservation tourism business. A 200-year plan to restore the Scottish Highlands drives Wildland, founded by Anders and Anne Holch Povlsen. Its hospitality properties, from Aldourie Castle on Loch Ness to Kinloch Lodge in Sutherland, help fund rewilding across 220,000 acres and opened Hope Lodge on the north coast in 2026, its most ambitious hospitality project yet.

32. A1 Automotive (Bathgate) – Growth 2023-25: 95.8%
The UK’s fastest-growing vehicle logistics company, with 85 car transporters and storage for 2,500 vehicles in Bathgate, A1 Automotive moves and prepares vehicles for manufacturers including Ford, Kia and Volvo and delivers across the UK mainland seven days a week. It runs a transporter workshop in Consett that also services other operators’ fleets.

33. Penta Capital (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 93.8%
The UK’s fastest-growing private equity firm. Since 1999, Penta Capital has backed mid-market businesses with between £5 million and £200 million of equity, partnering with entrepreneurs through buy-outs and growth investments. The Glasgow-registered firm focuses on sectors it knows well. It looks for strong management teams with a leading position in a niche market.

34. Kiltane (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 93.1%
The UK’s fastest-growing cashmere brand. Just steps from Edinburgh Castle, Kiltane’s flagship Royal Mile store sells pure cashmere knitwear, scarves and accessories to visitors from around the world and the family business describes its products as “sensory souvenirs”. It operates stores in Edinburgh and across the UK, and sells online worldwide.

35. JWF Group (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 92.3%
The UK’s fastest-growing industrial instrumentation specialist, JWF helps industry measure what matters, supplying and calibrating flow, pressure and temperature instruments from partners such as ABB and WIKA. The Glasgow firm’s data team also helps clients prove progress towards net zero and offers steam flow surveys using the world’s only portable clamp-on ultrasonic meter for steam.

36. Procast (Hamilton) – Growth 2023-25: 90.5%
South Lanarkshire’s fastest-growing company, Procast Group retrofits homes and public buildings to cut carbon and tackle fuel poverty, working with housing associations and government across the UK. The Hamilton contractor recently completed £2.5 million of RAAC remediation at Ravenswood Primary in Cumbernauld and has joined Heat Network Scotland to support the decarbonisation of heat.

37. The Explorer Group (Dalkeith) – Growth 2023-25: 90.2%
The UK’s fastest-growing multi-brand franchise operator which started with one Starbucks in 2014, The Explorer Group now runs 26 across Scotland’s east coast, alongside M&S Food stores, Regus offices and Townhouse nail salons. The Dalkeith business has created more than 1,000 local jobs and opened its first M&S Food store in Glasgow’s Battlefield in 2023.

38. George Leslie (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 85.3%
Scotland’s fastest-growing civil engineering contractor and for more than 60 years, George Leslie has built Scotland’s water, marine, power and renewables infrastructure. The Barrhead civil engineering firm is a major delivery partner for Scottish Water and works with ferry operators and ports. It has worked on Glasgow’s major infrastructure, including deep sewer projects in the city centre.

39. Malcolm Allan Housebuilders (Kintore) – Growth 2023-25: 85.2%
Aberdeen’s fastest-growing housebuilder. Traditional building methods and attention to detail have shaped Malcolm Allan’s homes across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire for more than 50 years. The family-run housebuilder from Kintore has developments under way in Inverurie and every home it builds is registered with the NHBC.

40. Allied Vehicles Group (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 82.0%
The UK’s fastest-growing accessible vehicle manufacturer. Wheelchair users across the UK and Europe travel in cars, taxis and minibuses re-engineered by Allied Vehicles Group. Founded in Glasgow in 1993, it now employs more than 680 people and is leading work on accessible electric vehicles and supports a wide range of disability charities and organisations.

41. Dean’s of Huntly (Huntly) – Growth 2023-25: 81.3%
The UK’s fastest-growing shortbread maker. In 1975, Helen Dean baked shortbread in her Huntly kitchen to raise funds for the local pipe band and her recipe is still used today by the family business, which now exports shortbread and cheese bites as far as Japan and Australia. It is seeing rising demand in export markets including Australia, China, Japan and the US.

42. The Fishouse (Oban) – Growth 2023-25: 81.2%
The UK’s fastest-growing seafood restaurant located on Oban’s Railway Pier, the Waterfront Fishouse has served locally caught West Coast seafood for nearly three decades. Its menu of small sharing plates invites diners to gather round the table and enjoy views across the harbour, serving lunch and dinner on the waterfront.

43. Dacoll Group (Livingston) – Growth 2023-25: 80.4%
A family business since 1969, running IT across hundreds of retail outlets and thousands of desktops for police forces, government and the NHS. From police forces to more than 700 retail outlets, Dacoll keeps organisations’ IT running through managed services, infrastructure and electrical contracting. Technology-agnostic, it works from five UK offices and chooses the best solution for each client.

44. AKP Group (East Kilbride) – Growth 2023-25: 79.7%
Building Pride is the ethos behind AKP, an East Kilbride contractor delivering construction, refurbishment and fit-out projects since 1990. Around 70 per cent of its clients come back to work with it again and it holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and Constructionline Gold.

45. Pelazi (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 79.6%
The UK’s fastest-growing Asian grocery distributor, delivering fresh meat and produce, authentic Asian groceries, drinks and the latest gadgets. The Edinburgh distributor works directly with farmers, manufacturers and authorised suppliers to offer genuine products at fair prices and its fresh food range covers hand-selected meats, vegetables and fruit.

46. J Smart & Co (Edinburgh) – Growth 2023-25: 79.2%
A PLC that has shaped Edinburgh for more than 70 years as builder, housebuilder and commercial landlord, employing its own tradespeople. Unusually for a contractor, J Smart employs its own skilled tradespeople for most of its work, giving it close control over quality. The Edinburgh family business has built homes, offices and public works across Scotland for more than 70 years, originally building public housing in Leith in the 1960s.

47. McLean’s Coaches (Airdrie) – Growth 2023-25: 75.8%
The UK’s fastest-growing coach operator and school runs, private hire and Scottish Citylink services keep McLean’s Coaches on the road across Scotland. The Airdrie operator runs a modern, high-quality fleet and is growing its team of professional drivers and its mix of contracted and private work keeps its coaches busy seven days a week.

48. Beeks Financial Cloud (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 75.3%
The UK’s fastest-growing financial markets cloud provider. Seven stock exchanges worldwide, including Johannesburg, use Beeks Financial Cloud’s Exchange Cloud to offer trading infrastructure to their customers. Founded in Glasgow in 2011, it builds secure, high-speed cloud systems for financial markets. It is consistently winning business with Tier 1 financial institutions.

49. Affordable Golf (Glasgow) – Growth 2023-25: 72.6%
The UK’s fastest-growing golf retail and coaching business, Affordable Golf’s mission is to make golf affordable for everyone. Founded by Mark Taylor, the Glasgow retailer sells online and through five stores in central Scotland, each with PGA professionals offering lessons and custom fitting. It stocks leading brands including TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist and FootJoy.

50. Hazelberry Developments (Lockerbie) – Growth 2023-25: 71.2%
The UK’s fastest-growing aggregates supplier and from Carlisle Airport’s upgrade to local farms, Grange Quarry has supplied aggregates and ready-mixed concrete across Dumfriesshire and North Cumbria since 2000. The Lockerbie family business tracks its fleet in real time to deliver on schedule, holds ISO 9001 and 14001 accreditation and is a member of the Concrete Society.

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