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.
59 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
London's premium gyms
Premium prices, premium pressure: someone is running out of breath
Third Space · Gymbox · 1Rebel · Equinox · Barry's
Health clubs
One makes a splash. Another is left treading water.
David Lloyd · Virgin Active · Nuffield Health · Bannatyne
Steak restaurants
Rare talent on the menu, but somebody is getting grilled
Hawksmoor · Goodman · Flat Iron · Blacklock
Burger chains
Top of the stack, or flipped?
Five Guys · Byron · Honest Burgers · GBK
Pizza chains
The winner takes the biggest slice. The rest get the crusts.
Domino's · PizzaExpress · Pizza Pilgrims
Coffee chains
Full of beans, or feeling the grind?
Costa · Starbucks · Caffè Nero
Protein brands
Bulking up or cutting back: the accounts don't lie
MyProtein · Huel · Bulk · Grenade
British activewear
Leggings on, gloves off
Gymshark · Castore · Tala · Represent
Craft brewers
Top of the taps, or gone flat?
BrewDog · Beavertown · Thornbridge · Tiny Rebel · Northern Monk
UK holiday parks
Making waves or washed out: the great British staycation showdown
Center Parcs · Butlin's · Haven
UK airlines
From long-haul flag carriers to island hoppers. Who flies at a profit?
British Airways · Virgin Atlantic · easyJet · Jet2 · TUI · Wizz Air UK · Ryanair UK · Loganair
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
Delivery apps
One delivers the goods. Another is left waiting at the door.
Deliveroo · Uber Eats · Just Eat
Supermarkets
Unexpected item in the bagging area: a loser
Tesco · Asda · Aldi · Lidl · Waitrose · Sainsbury's · Morrisons · Iceland · Ocado · Farmfoods
Energy suppliers
Full power, or running on empty?
British Gas · Octopus Energy · OVO Energy · E.ON Next · EDF · ScottishPower · So Energy · Utility Warehouse
UK AI companies
Some algorithms win. Some need a reboot.
Google DeepMind · Wayve · Synthesia · Stability AI · Graphcore · Darktrace · Quantexa · Faculty · Tractable · PolyAI · Luminance · Cleo · Oxa
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
Housebuilders
Building an empire, or on shaky foundations?
Barratt Redrow · Persimmon · Taylor Wimpey · Bellway · Berkeley · Vistry · Crest Nicholson · Bloor Homes · Miller Homes
Broadband and mobile
The strongest signal wins. Dropped connections lose.
BT · EE · Vodafone · Three · Virgin Media O2 · Sky · TalkTalk · Hyperoptic · Community Fibre · CityFibre
UK airports
Cleared for take-off, or grounded?
Heathrow · Gatwick · Manchester Airports Group · Edinburgh Airport · Birmingham Airport · Bristol Airport · Luton Airport
Train operators
On track or hitting the buffers: the railway ranking
Avanti West Coast · LNER · GWR · Southeastern · Northern
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
Cinema chains
Blockbuster, or straight to streaming?
Cineworld · Odeon · Vue · Everyman · Picturehouse · Showcase
Vet groups
Top dog, or in the doghouse?
Medivet · IVC Evidensia · CVS Group · VetPartners · Pets at Home
Parking companies
Pole position for one. A clamp for another.
ParkingEye · Euro Car Parks · Q-Park
Ferry operators
Riding the waves, or taking on water?
P&O Ferries · DFDS · Stena Line · Condor Ferries
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
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
Property and car portals
Location, location, domination
Rightmove · Zoopla · Autotrader
Festivals
Headliner, or second stage?
Festival Republic · Glastonbury · Edinburgh Festival Fringe · Manchester International Festival
DIY and trade
Nailed it, or coming unstuck?
Screwfix · Toolstation · Wickes · B&Q
Sports agencies
Signing the big deals, or warming the bench?
Wasserman · CAA Stellar · Unique Sports Management
Online travel
Dream destination, or lost in transit?
On the Beach · Hostelworld · Jet2 · easyJet
UK coffee roasters
Roasted, ground and ranked
Taylors of Harrogate · Rave Coffee · Pact Coffee · Grind · Origin Coffee
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-go chains
Grab and go, or left on the shelf?
Pret A Manger · Leon · Itsu · Wasabi
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
Mayfair's restaurants
The hottest table in town. And the one that lost its reservation.
Nobu · Hakkasan · La Petite Maison · Amazonico · Coya · Gymkhana
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
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
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
UK race circuits
Pole position, or stuck in the gravel?
Silverstone · MotorSport Vision · Goodwood Road Racing
Racecourses
Odds-on favourite, or a non-runner?
Ascot · Chester Racecourse · Goodwood Racecourse · Newbury Racecourse · Ayr Racecourse
Indoor snow slopes
Fresh powder, or running out of snow?
SnowCentres · SnowDome · Snozone
Competitive socialising venues
Darts, golf and ping pong with a bar attached. Who's scoring?
Flight Club · Topgolf · Puttshack · Electric Shuffle · Bounce · Swingers
Theatres
Full houses, or empty seats?
LW Theatres · Delfont Mackintosh Theatres · Royal Opera House · National Theatre
Visitor attractions
Queues round the block, or tumbleweed?
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London · Drayton Manor · Eden Project · Titanic Belfast · The View from The Shard
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
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
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
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
Hundred's teams
A hundred balls, and a new set of owners.
Birmingham Phoenix · Sunrisers Leeds · Southern Brave · Manchester Super Giants
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
Family brewers
Centuries in the business. Who still brews a profit?
Hall & Woodhouse · St Austell · Thwaites · Adnams · Timothy Taylor · Harvey's
Parcel carriers
Billions of parcels, thin margins. Who makes money delivering them?
Royal Mail · Evri · DPD · Yodel · Amazon UK
British car makers
Built in Britain. Who turns cars into profit?
JLR · Nissan UK · Toyota UK · MINI Plant Oxford · Bentley · Rolls-Royce Motor Cars · Aston Martin · McLaren Automotive
High street banks
The banks most of Britain uses. Who makes the most from it?
Lloyds Bank · NatWest · Barclays UK · HSBC UK · Santander UK · TSB · Metro Bank
High street fashion
Fast fashion, big racks, thin margins: who dresses the high street at a profit?
Next · Primark · H&M · Zara UK · TK Maxx · ASOS · River Island · Matalan · New Look