A mobile company that's on the move

Carphone Warehouse, a mobile phone company run by a 31-year-old and advised by Ernest Saunders, the disgraced former Guinness chairman, is Britain's fastest-growing privately-owned business, writes Nigel Cope.

According to the 1996 survey compiled by the Independent's sister paper, the Independent on Sunday, and the accountants Price Waterhouse, Carphone Warehouse has achieved compound annual sales growth of more than 90 per cent over five years and last year notched up total turnover of pounds 37m. Charles Dunstone, the company's founder, now has 60 shops and 144 staff. From a pounds 6,000 investment in 1989, his majority stake is worth pounds 10m.

Second place in the growth survey went to Parragon Book Service, a publishing group which sells general interest books to supermarkets. Third was Phase Services of Bedfordshire, which makes components for mobile phone base stations.

Well known names to appear in the list of growing private business include Peoples Phone, Majestic Wine, London's advertising newspaper Loot and Pet Plan, the insurance company founded by Patsy Bloom.