A fashion brand founded by two former footballers is the fastest-growing company in the North West, this year’s have revealed.

CAPO, based in Accrington in Lancashire, topped the North West rankings in the title’s annual list of the Ƶ’s fastest-growing private firms.

Some 18 of the companies on the list are based in the North West. Other high-ranking firms include Liverpool sportswear brand Montirex, Manchester fashion brand Adanola and Warrington-based dental care provider 21D Clinical.

CAPO was founded in 2017 by Dan Wilkins, 32, and Adam Morning, 38, who came up with the idea while they were both semi-professional football players for Ashton United.

They started off selling hats and their range has now grown to encompass everything from overshirts to trainers.

In November last year, CAPO became the official footwear partner at Blackburb Rovers, where Mr Wilkins had spent eight years as an academy player.

Announcing the deal, he said: “It was special to take my mum back all of these years later to see CAPO’s name up in the lights rather than mine like I had once dreamed! We are local lads and a business, supported by our friends and family who work with us.

“Football is a core part of both mine and the co-founder Adam’s background and lives, it’s actually how we both met while playing non-league football.

“It is the beautiful game that goes way beyond just a game and we would like to think we go way beyond just a clothing brand!”

The Sunday Times 100 and will be available as a supplement with the print edition of the paper this Sunday (June 29). It is sponsored by Barclays Private Bank and supported by professional services firm S&W, Singer Capital Markets and Oracle NetSuite.

The second-highest North West firm in the list is and has rapidly become one of the region’s biggest clothing brands.

Jon Yeomans, business editor of The Sunday Times, said the latest list “demonstrates the remarkable entrepreneurial spirit thriving across Britain”. And he added: “It’s inspiring to see how these businesses are not only achieving phenomenal growth, but also creating thousands of new jobs and opportunities."

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NW rank Ƶ rank Company name Activity HQ location Annual sales growth over 3 years Latest sales £m
1 7 CAPO Fashion brand Accrington 192.00% £12.5*
2 18 Montirex Sportswear brand Liverpool 144.03% £76.7*
3 24 21D Clinical Dental care provider Warrington 129.24% £14.9*
4 25 Adanola Fashion brand Manchester 127.56% £84.4*
5 27 Ordo Oral care products Altrincham 121.69% £12.0*
6 30 Apprentify Recruitment and training consultancy Cheshire 117.20% £14.0
7 33 Vesper Technologies IT hardware reseller Stockport 111.21% £142.2*
8 36 Six Stories Bridalwear retailer Manchester 110.64% £10.0*
9 37 P. Louise Beauty products retailer Stockport 109.70% £71.0*
10 44 FutureMeds Clinical trial site management Liverpool 96.73% £27.0*
11 45 Open Partners Advertising agency Manchester 96.18% £50.6
12 60 Panache Cruises Cruise holidays retailer Chorley 81.03% £34.9*
13 61 REFY Beauty Beauty products retailer Manchester 80.96% £40.4
14 74 Car.co.uk Low value car marketplace Preston 71.50% £22.7*
15 77 Think Hire Off-grid energy provider Oldham 67.68% £9.5*
16 84 Sports Tours International Tour operator Manchester 63.17% £33.3*
17 86 Club L London Fashion brand Manchester 62.06% £67.0*
18 96 The Lakeland Climbing Centre Indoor climbing walls operator Cumbria 57.68% £9.5