On the fastest growing firms list

A Bridge of Allan-based company has featured in a table which ranks Britain’s fastest-growing businesses.

The Castle View group of companies manage 150 leisure facilities for more than 50 local authorities and were in the news earlier this year when they bid to take over Stirling Council’s sports and physical activity services.

Castle View has its head office in Steuart Road, Bridge of Allan, and also has a division making own-brand pizzas for supermarkets and another providing catering management software for NHS trusts and local authorities.

The company was one of eight Scottish firms to win places in the Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 league table. It was highlighted among the “ones to recognise” last year.

According to the latest table, Castle View is ranked 83 in the table and enjoyed a 66 per cent annual profit growth over the last three years. Latest profits were £10 million and the company has a workforce of 4746.

Part of Castle View is Sport and Leisure Management Ltd which was set up in 1987 and partners local authorities in the running of leisure centres. Following a tendering process, SLM was in February named preferred bidder to take on the 25year, £25 million contract to take over the services currently run by Active Stirling, including The Peak. However, following a backlash from local people and trades unionists, Stirling councillors decided not to award the contract to SLM .

They instead extended Active Stirling’s contract to the end of November pending the setting up of a Stirling-based not-for-profit charitable trust to run the facilities.

Castle View appear in the Sunday Times BDO list with companies from around the UK, including gym operator PureGym which has an outlet in Stirling.

Annual growth of around 45 per cent has usually been enough to get firms into the table but in the latest survey, the minimum rate of profit growth to secure a place rose to 57 per cent.