VS Series
PureGym v The Gym Group
The budget gym giants: no contracts, no frills, no mercy
PureGym leads on 5 of the five measures that matter most: turnover, pre-tax profit, profit margin, growth and net assets. PureGym is the biggest by turnover at £464m, against £245m at The Gym Group. PureGym keeps more of every £100 it takes, £18.68 as pre-tax profit.
The year ends are close enough to compare like for like. The Gym Group files group accounts that include subsidiaries; PureGym files for a single company, which flatters the group on size.
Accounts compared: PureGym to Dec 2025 · The Gym Group to Dec 2025
Who they are
PureGym
Pure Gym Limited · 06690189PureGym runs gyms that members join for access to gym equipment and training space.In brief: gym chain · affordable memberships · no pools or cafés · started in LeedsFull profile →The Gym Group
The Gym Group PLC · 08528493The Gym Group runs low-cost gyms across the UK, open 24 hours a day with no-contract membership.In brief: low-cost gyms · 24/7 opening · no-contract membership · listedFull profile →The Numbers
| # | Company | Turnover | Change | Pre-tax profit | Margin | Employees | Pay per head | Turnover per head | Net assets | Bank and cash | Accounts to | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PureGymPure Gym Limited | £464m | +11.4% | £87m | 18.7% | 4,067 | £23,000 | £114,000 | £782m | £48m | Dec 2025 | Single company |
| 2 | The Gym GroupThe Gym Group PLC | £245m | +8.2% | £7m | 3.0% | 1,924 | £31,000 | £127,000 | £142m | £3m | Dec 2025 | Group |
Ranked by turnover. Click any column to sort. The leader on each measure is highlighted. Movements are against each company's own prior year. Pre-tax profit is filed except where marked (est.).
Category winners
The Takeaway
- PureGym converts the most of its turnover. Of every £100, £18.68 reaches pre-tax profit, against £3.02 at The Gym Group.
- PureGym is the largest on the top line, £464m of turnover, 1.9x The Gym Group's £245m.
- PureGym is growing fastest, turnover +11.4% on its own prior year.
- PureGym is the biggest employer with 4,067 people; The Gym Group pays the most per head, an average staff cost of about £31,000.
- PureGym has the largest balance sheet, net assets of £782m.
Who keeps the most of every £100 of sales?
PureGym keeps the most: £18.68 of every £100 of turnover becomes pre-tax profit. The Gym Group keeps the least, £3.02.
Financing bites hardest at PureGym: £10.40 of every £100 goes on interest.
Every profit figure here is the one the company filed.
The chart splits each company's turnover into £100: what goes on people, on interest and on everything else, and what is left as profit.
Out of every £100 of turnover
Each column is £100 of that company's own turnover, so companies of any size compare on one scale; the figures are pounds out of each £100, not millions. Companies run from the best margin to the worst. Payroll is staff costs, financing is interest paid, other running costs are everything else, and profit is pre-tax profit, filed or estimated as marked in the table. A loss is not an extra cost: it is the part of the costs that runs past the £100 line, marked with a red bracket. Hover over any segment for its figure.
Who is the biggest, and does the comparison hold?
By turnover the order is PureGym (£464m), The Gym Group (£245m).
By headcount, PureGym leads with 4,067 employees.
The accounting periods all end in the same month. The bases differ: group accounts include the businesses a company owns, single-company accounts do not.
Turnover on the latest filing
Who is growing fastest?
PureGym grew fastest, turnover +11.4% on its own prior year, ahead of The Gym Group (+8.2%).
Turnover change on each company's own prior year
Who employs the most, who pays the most, and who brings in the most per head?
PureGym employs the most, 4,067 people, against 1,924 at The Gym Group.
The Gym Group has the highest average staff cost, about £31,000 a head; PureGym the lowest, about £23,000.
The Gym Group brings in the most turnover per employee, about £127,000, against £114,000 at PureGym. It says as much about the business model as the workforce: a marketplace or a wholesaler needs far fewer people per pound than a restaurant or a gym.
Who owns each one?
Ownership as recorded on the Companies House register of people with significant control, in the bands the register uses.
Held by Gym Bidco Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control in the 75% to 100% band. 3 outstanding charges on the register.
Who owns PureGym →
The Gym Group PLC · 08528493Owned by its shareholders
Listed on the London Stock Exchange, so no single controller appears on the register.
Who owns The Gym Group →
What does the full ledger show?
| Measure | PureGym | The Gym Group |
|---|---|---|
| Registered name | PURE GYM LIMITED | THE GYM GROUP PLC |
| Company number | 06690189 | 08528493 |
| Incorporated | 2008 | 2013 |
| Accounts filed | 6 June 2026 | 16 May 2026 |
| Turnover, prior year | £416m | £226m |
| Pre-tax profit, prior year | £79m | £3m |
| Staff costs | £92m | £59m |
| Payroll share of turnover | 19.9% | 24.0% |
| Employees, prior year | 3,734 | 1,837 |
| Dividends paid | n/d | n/d |
| Charges outstanding | 3 | 0 |
A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d; a zero in a filing is treated as not disclosed. Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, above that to the nearest million.
PureGym v The Gym Group: common questions
Who is the biggest of PureGym or The Gym Group?
PureGym, with turnover of £464m in the year to December 2025.
Which makes the most profit?
PureGym: £87m pre-tax in the year to December 2025.
Which employs the most people?
PureGym, with 4,067 employees in its latest accounts.
PureGym or The Gym Group: which is bigger?
PureGym, with turnover of £464m against £245m at The Gym Group on their latest filings. On margin, PureGym keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →
Where do these figures come from?
Each company's latest accounts filed at Companies House. Each links to its full Spark Intel profile, which names the filing it comes from.