Five Scottish companies tipped for scale up growth

A greater challenge has been, and remains, the need to create the right environment for those businesses to scale - to help more of the country’s most promising, ambitious start-ups grow into large, globally competitive companies.

The tail end of last year saw the publication of a high-level study that shed some light on this scaling-up conundrum, setting out a series of priorities for business and government.

The report - entitled “Scaling Scotland: Building the Engine for the Next 50 Years of Prosperity” and led by former Skyscanner executive Shane Corstorphine - argued that by closing the scale-up gap, the country could gain more than 100,000 high-value jobs and unlock some £20 billion in additional annual revenues.

The study said Scotland must address four “mutually reinforcing pillars” - around business capability, talent, funding and market expansion and internationalisation - to break through the scale-up barriers and unlock long-term growth. A further recommendation is to commission a “national growth culture report” to set out a ten-to-20-year strategy to support the creation of world-leading businesses, intellectual property and leaders.

Given the need for political intervention, it will likely take some time for the report’s proposals to translate into action, and, in turn, produce quantifiable results, but there can be little doubt that Scotland’s scale-up community is central to driving national prosperity.

Recent figures suggest that the country’s scale-up business population may have declined for three consecutive years.

The Scaleup Report by tech platform Vestd is based on data from the Office for National Statistics and assesses year-on-year changes in the scale-up ecosystem. The study’s latest findings indicate that the number of scale-ups in Scotland dipped by almost 1 per cent in the last year to 8,720 - a continuous downward trend since a previous peak in 2023, according to Vestd.

It’s timely, then, that our own Scale Up 75 ranking highlights the achievements of the fastest-growing, independently owned and managed companies headquartered in Scotland.

Kingdom Bathrooms & Tiles is a Kirkcaldy-based company that does exactly what it says on the tin - supplying and installing quality bath and shower rooms, covering all of Fife and the surrounding areas. The family-run firm’s showroom houses a range of full-size bathroom settings and displays, while its computer-aided design software works with the majority of manufacturers and distributors, allowing it to show most of the items currently on display within a customer’s own bathroom design. The firm holds one of our highest growth scores.

Alexander Wines is a wine wholesaler and importer based in Glasgow that can offer a carefully curated portfolio of wines from around the world. The firm, which was founded by Fraser Alexander and has an estimated turnover of more than £2m, delivers its products to bars, restaurants and wine shops across the country. A few years back, AW joined the Dunns Food and Drink Family. Dunns is one of Scotland’s best-known food and drink suppliers, with a history dating back to 1875.

Sharkey is headquartered near Edinburgh and is an established provider of construction services that operates throughout the UK. It delivers new-build, fit-out and refurbishment projects across the commercial, hotel & leisure, education and retail sectors, alongside projects secured through its partnership engagement on major public sector frameworks. Among the major office projects undertaken by the firm is the fit-out of chip developer Cirrus Logic’s Quartermile base in Edinburgh, to house hundreds of workstations, meeting rooms, laboratory space, gym and restaurant.

GroGreen, which holds a top 20 ranking and one of the highest growth scores, has flourished over the years to become a key operator in the turf and amenity sector. The firm has built up a leading team of specialists including former golf course managers, landscape contractors and manufacturing industry specialists. Its manufacturing partners span a range of products from grass seed and fertilisers to safety clothing. Golf courses, football pitches, bowling greens and racecourses are among the areas the company works in.

Wallace Vets has grown from a single practice into a multi-site team caring for pets across the Dundee and Angus area. Building on the success of its original Carnousite practice, the business expanded into Broughty Ferry and Arbroath. Since its doors first opened, the firm has invested heavily in state-of-the-art facilities and in-house diagnostics, while bolstering its skills base. It offers a fixed price promise on most surgical procedures, while clients can also spread the costs of preventative treatments through one of its pet care plans.