BRIGHT SPARKS · BATTLES

Battles

Three or more rivals in one arena, ranked on the accounts they file. Who is biggest, who keeps the most of every £100, who is growing and who pays best.

52 arenas, from gyms and burger chains to challenger banks and holiday parks. Every figure comes from Companies House, and every company links to its full profile.

Budget 24-hour gyms

No frills, no contracts, no mercy for the weakest

PureGym · The Gym Group · JD Gyms

GYMS3 COMPANIES

London's premium gyms

Premium prices, premium pressure: someone is running out of breath

Third Space · Gymbox · 1Rebel · Equinox · Barry's

GYMS5 COMPANIES

Health clubs

One makes a splash. Another is left treading water.

David Lloyd · Virgin Active · Nuffield Health · Bannatyne

GYMS4 COMPANIES

Steak restaurants

Rare talent on the menu, but somebody is getting grilled

Hawksmoor · Goodman · Flat Iron · Blacklock

RESTAURANTS4 COMPANIES

Burger chains

Top of the stack, or flipped?

Five Guys · Byron · Honest Burgers · GBK

RESTAURANTS4 COMPANIES

Pizza chains

The winner takes the biggest slice. The rest get the crusts.

Domino's · Pizza Hut · PizzaExpress

RESTAURANTS3 COMPANIES

Coffee chains

Full of beans, or feeling the grind?

Costa · Starbucks · Caffè Nero

COFFEE3 COMPANIES

Protein brands

Bulking up or cutting back: the accounts don't lie

MyProtein · Huel · Bulk · Grenade

CONSUMER BRANDS4 COMPANIES

British activewear

Leggings on, gloves off

Gymshark · Castore · Tala · Represent

CONSUMER BRANDS4 COMPANIES

UK holiday parks

Making waves or washed out: the great British staycation showdown

Center Parcs · Butlin's · Haven

LEISURE3 COMPANIES

UK holiday airlines

Flying high, or stuck in a holding pattern?

easyJet · Jet2 · TUI

TRAVEL3 COMPANIES

Challenger banks

The upstarts came for the high street. Not all of them are banking the win.

Monzo · Starling Bank · Revolut · Zopa · Atom Bank · OakNorth

FINANCE6 COMPANIES

Delivery apps

One delivers the goods. Another is left waiting at the door.

Deliveroo · Uber Eats · Just Eat

DELIVERY3 COMPANIES

Supermarkets

Unexpected item in the bagging area: a loser

Tesco · Asda · Aldi · Lidl · Waitrose

SUPERMARKETS5 COMPANIES

Energy suppliers

Full power, or running on empty?

British Gas · Octopus Energy · OVO Energy

ENERGY3 COMPANIES

UK AI companies

Some algorithms win. Some need a reboot.

Google DeepMind · Synthesia · Stability AI · Graphcore · Darktrace · Quantexa · Faculty · Tractable · PolyAI · Luminance · Cleo · Oxa

AI12 COMPANIES

Water companies

In the flow, or in deep water?

Thames Water · Severn Trent · United Utilities · Anglian Water · Yorkshire Water · Southern Water · Wessex Water · South West Water · Welsh Water · Northumbrian Water

UTILITIES10 COMPANIES

Housebuilders

Building an empire, or on shaky foundations?

Barratt Redrow · Persimmon · Taylor Wimpey · Bellway · Vistry · Crest Nicholson · Bloor Homes · Miller Homes

PROPERTY8 COMPANIES

Broadband and mobile

The strongest signal wins. Dropped connections lose.

BT · EE · Vodafone · Virgin Media O2 · Sky · TalkTalk · Hyperoptic · Community Fibre · CityFibre

TELECOMS9 COMPANIES

UK airports

Cleared for take-off, or grounded?

Heathrow · Gatwick · Manchester Airports Group · Edinburgh Airport · Birmingham Airport · Bristol Airport · Luton Airport

TRAVEL7 COMPANIES

Train operators

On track or hitting the buffers: the railway ranking

Avanti West Coast · LNER · GWR · Southeastern · Northern

TRAVEL5 COMPANIES

Pub groups

Last orders: one of these is calling time on the rest

Wetherspoons · Greene King · Stonegate · Mitchells & Butlers · Marston's · Young's · Fuller's · Admiral Taverns

DRINK8 COMPANIES

Cinema chains

Blockbuster, or straight to streaming?

Cineworld · Odeon · Vue · Everyman · Picturehouse · Showcase

LEISURE6 COMPANIES

Vet groups

Top dog, or in the doghouse?

Medivet · IVC Evidensia · CVS Group · VetPartners · Pets at Home

PETS5 COMPANIES

Parking companies

Pole position for one. A clamp for another.

ParkingEye · Euro Car Parks · Q-Park

MOTORING3 COMPANIES

Ferry operators

Riding the waves, or taking on water?

P&O Ferries · DFDS · Stena Line · Condor Ferries

TRAVEL4 COMPANIES

Bookmakers

Place your bets: who has backed the winner, and who has lost their shirt?

Paddy Power and Betfair · Sky Bet · Ladbrokes Coral · Betfred · Bet365 · William Hill

BETTING6 COMPANIES

F1 teams

Lights out and away we go: chequered flag, or stuck in the pits?

McLaren · Williams Racing · Mercedes F1 · Red Bull Racing · Aston Martin F1 · Alpine F1 · Haas F1

MOTORSPORT7 COMPANIES

Property and car portals

Location, location, domination

Rightmove · Zoopla · Autotrader

PROPERTY3 COMPANIES

Festivals

Headliner, or second stage?

Festival Republic · Glastonbury · Edinburgh Festival Fringe · Manchester International Festival

LEISURE4 COMPANIES

DIY and trade

Nailed it, or coming unstuck?

Screwfix · Toolstation · Wickes · B&Q

RETAIL4 COMPANIES

Online travel

Dream destination, or lost in transit?

On the Beach · Hostelworld · Jet2 · easyJet

TRAVEL4 COMPANIES

UK coffee roasters

Roasted, ground and ranked

Taylors of Harrogate · Rave Coffee · Pact Coffee · Grind · Origin Coffee

COFFEE5 COMPANIES

High street bakeries

Rise and shine: one is on a roll, another is going stale

Greggs · Gail's · Paul · Wenzel's · Birds Bakery · Warrens Bakery

FOOD TO GO6 COMPANIES

Food-to-go chains

Grab and go, or left on the shelf?

Pret A Manger · Leon · Itsu · Wasabi

FOOD TO GO4 COMPANIES

London's restaurant groups

Many tables, one question: whose empire is paying its way?

Caprice Holdings · Zuma · Dishoom · The Ivy Collection · Gordon Ramsay Restaurants · Birley Clubs · JKS Restaurants

RESTAURANTS7 COMPANIES

Mayfair's restaurants

The hottest table in town. And the one that lost its reservation.

Nobu · Hakkasan · La Petite Maison · Amazonico · Coya · Gymkhana

RESTAURANTS6 COMPANIES

London's luxury hotels

Five stars each. Only one checks out on top.

Claridge's · The Connaught · The Berkeley · The Savoy · The Dorchester · The Ritz · The Lanesborough · Raffles London · Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park · Chiltern Firehouse

TRAVEL10 COMPANIES

London's Michelin-starred restaurants

The stars are on the door. Are they on the balance sheet?

Gymkhana · Trishna · Kitchen Table · Sabor · St. JOHN · River Café

RESTAURANTS6 COMPANIES

Championship golf venues

Fairways and five-star suites. Who makes the cut?

Gleneagles · Celtic Manor · The Belfry · Galgorm · Trump Turnberry · Wentworth Club · Foxhills · JCB Golf and Country Club · Walton Heath · Centurion Club

GOLF10 COMPANIES

UK race circuits

Pole position, or stuck in the gravel?

Silverstone · MotorSport Vision · Goodwood Road Racing

MOTORSPORT3 COMPANIES

Racecourses

Odds-on favourite, or a non-runner?

Ascot · Chester Racecourse · Goodwood Racecourse · Newbury Racecourse · Ayr Racecourse

RACING5 COMPANIES

Indoor snow slopes

Fresh powder, or running out of snow?

SnowCentres · SnowDome · Snozone

LEISURE3 COMPANIES

Competitive socialising venues

Darts, golf and ping pong with a bar attached. Who's scoring?

Flight Club · Topgolf · Puttshack · Electric Shuffle · Bounce · Swingers

LEISURE6 COMPANIES

Theatres

Full houses, or empty seats?

LW Theatres · Delfont Mackintosh Theatres · Royal Opera House · National Theatre

LEISURE4 COMPANIES

Visitor attractions

Queues round the block, or tumbleweed?

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London · Drayton Manor · Eden Project · Titanic Belfast · The View from The Shard

TRAVEL5 COMPANIES

Museum trading arms

The companies behind the gift shops, cafés and licensing. Which one takes the most?

Royal Collection Trust shops · Tate shops · Historic Royal Palaces shops · Kew shops · V&A shops · British Museum shops · English Heritage shops · Science Museum shops · National Gallery shops

RETAIL9 COMPANIES

Independent museums and galleries

Priceless collections. What do the accounts say?

Royal Academy of Arts · London Transport Museum · Design Museum · Serpentine · Jorvik Viking Centre · Black Country Living Museum · Horniman Museum · Beaulieu · Bletchley Park · The Postal Museum · Brooklands Museum · Dulwich Picture Gallery · Mary Rose Museum

LEISURE13 COMPANIES

Zoos

Conservation charities with a ticket office. Who's thriving?

London Zoo and Whipsnade (ZSL) · Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park (RZSS) · Chester Zoo · Port Lympne and Howletts · Twycross Zoo · Marwell Zoo · Bristol Zoo Project · Banham Zoo

LEISURE8 COMPANIES

Safari and wildlife parks

Drive-through lions and bottom lines.

West Midland Safari Park · Yorkshire Wildlife Park · Blair Drummond Safari Park · Folly Farm · Drusillas Park

LEISURE5 COMPANIES

Hundred's teams

A hundred balls, and a new set of owners.

Birmingham Phoenix · Sunrisers Leeds · Southern Brave · Manchester Super Giants

CRICKET4 COMPANIES

National museums and galleries

Free to enter, not free to run. Who pays the bills?

British Museum · Natural History Museum · Science Museum Group · V&A · Tate · National Gallery · National Portrait Gallery · Royal Museums Greenwich · Imperial War Museums · National Museums Liverpool · Royal Armouries · Wallace Collection · Sir John Soane's Museum · National Museums Scotland · National Galleries of Scotland · Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales · National Museums NI

LEISURE17 INSTITUTIONS