How do I find fast-growing UK companies from public records?
Combine records that show money, people and space: new charges, funding rounds, significant hires and new sites. No single record proves growth, but two or three together make a sound reason to call.
Written from Lockley's index and the sources below, updated 21 October 2026.
You find fast-growing UK companies by looking for several dated public records on the same company, rather than one. A company that has registered a new charge, posted a run of significant roles and applied for a new site is spending money, adding people and adding space, which is what growth looks like on paper. Any one of those on its own is weaker evidence.
The four records that point to growth
Money in: a funding round or a new charge. A new charge registered at Companies House means a lender has taken security over company assets, often for a loan or asset finance, and companies usually borrow to invest. A funding round shows investors have put money in. In the week to 20 October 2026 Lockley's index recorded 2,062 new charges and 430 funding rounds.
People in: significant roles posted, and above all first-of-function hires, where a company hires its first person in a function. The index recorded 508 significant roles and 121 first-of-function hires in the same week.
Space: new sites on planning registers. A company applying for premises is committing to a location for years. The index recorded 71 new sites that week.
Leadership: director changes filed at Companies House. These are the noisiest of the four, as 31,634 were filed that week and most are routine. A new managing director or finance director at a company that is also hiring and borrowing is more telling than the change alone.
Growth records and what each does and does not show
A simple method
Start with a sector you sell into and pick the signal closest to your product. A finance broker starts from charges, a recruiter from roles, a facilities supplier from new sites.
Then look for a second record on the same company within the last 90 days. Search the company on the Companies House register to read the charge and officer history, and check the company's own site for news.
Finally, write the reason to call in one sentence that cites the record: 'I saw you registered a new charge on 8 October and are advertising for a finance manager.' That is specific, checkable and tied to a date. Stale records lose force quickly, so work the freshest first.
Be careful with size. A charge or a hire at a company with two employees means something different from the same record at a company with two hundred. Use filed accounts and the website to judge scale before you call.
Where Lockley fits
Lockley reads these registers every night and gives a small B2B sales team a short list of companies to call each morning, each with the public record that says why now. Each finding links to the record it came from so you can check it. You can do the same by hand, but it takes time to run every register daily.
Questions
What is the best single sign that a UK company is growing?
There is no single best sign. A first-of-function hire is often the most specific, but it is stronger when paired with a charge, funding round or new site.
Where can I see charges for free?
On the Companies House register, under the Charges tab of a company's page.
How recent should a signal be?
The fresher the better. Aim for the last few weeks and treat anything over 90 days as background.
Does a new charge mean a company is in trouble?
Not necessarily. Charges are common for ordinary lending and asset finance. Read the charge to see who the lender is and what it covers.
Can small companies be fast-growing?
Yes, but size matters when reading a record, so check accounts and the website for scale.
See which of these companies are worth calling for your business, with the source for each.
Start the research