Cheshire is home to two of the three fastest growing companies in the North West, according to Insider's Growth 100 rankings, while a host of private-equity backed businesses in the county also make the cut.

Assist Recruitment UK, a Bolton-registered business specialising in the retail, logistics, manufacturing and industrial sectors, was number one in the Growth 100 with an average annual growth rate of 122 per cent, just ahead of Runcorn-based engineering services provider Engenda (103.4 per cent) and Sandbach-based payroll services specialist Safeguard World International (92.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, a host of private equity-backed businesses in the county make Insider's annual list in 2016.

They include Inflexion-backed Mobica in ninth (73.3 per cent), Gresham-backed IESA in 20th (58.2 per cent), KKR-backed The Hut in 26th (48.7 per cent), and Equistone-backed Fircroft Engineering Services in 55th (33.7 per cent). Mobica is based in Wilmslow, while IESA operates out of Warrington, The Hut is run from Northwich, and Fircroft Engineering Services is registered in Warrington.

Other high-profile Cheshire companies to make the cut include Knutsford-based Mere Golf & Country Club in 35th (42 per cent) and Daresbury-based Adept4 in 43rd (38.1 per cent).

Insider's Growth 100 ranks the 100 fastest-growing companies with a registered office in the region. Their turnover for five years, as submitted to Companies House, is used to calculate an average percentage gain over a four-year period.

Companies are only considered if they have positive growth in the most recent year, a turnover of more than £1m in the first year, and turnover figures for each of the last five years.

To read the full list, profiles of some of the top-performing companies, and a full explanation of how the rankings were compiled, check out the February 2016 edition of the North West Business Insider magazine.