Victoria Beckham crowned most successful entrepreneur in UK

Victoria Beckham has been named the UK's most successful entrepreneur of 2014, based on strong sales, the number of jobs she has created, and her estimated wealth overall.

The former Spice Girl's firm turned over £30m last year, a rise of 2,900pc in the last five years.

"It is her finely tuned business acumen that wins her the top spot," said Philip Beresford, who compiled the list for business magazine Management Today. The list of Britain's top 100 entrepreneurs is ranked by turnover growth and job creation in the last five years, using data from Companies House, combined with the entrepreneur's wealth overall.

Fresh from the opening of its first shop in London's Mayfair, Victoria Beckham's fashion operation has grown from £1m turnover to £30m since launching five years ago, and staff numbers are up from three to 100 in the same period.

Victoria Beckham, who is worth £210m, has become a "supremely talented entrepreneur in the fashion business," Management Today concluded.

"She's got a real business, some design talent and some business nous," said Andrew Saunders, the magazine's deputy editor. "She gets a lot of stick for being a celeb fashionista but I don't think that's fair. She has built something real out of her own celebrity which is quite a contemporary story. She deserves to be celebrated."

The 40-year-old beat names including Amit & Meeta Patel, founders of pharmaceutical group Auden Mckenzie, Julian Dunkerton of clothing chain Supergroup and Tony Pidgley, founder of housebuilding firm Berkeley Group. In second place, Amit & Meeta Patel's business Auden Mckenzie turned over £52m in its latest annual accounts, a rise of 373pc in the last five years. The firm employs 79 people in the UK.