Duncan Bannatyne: Former Dragons’ Den star’s empire toasts record sales
The health club and hotels empire run by former Dragons’ Den star Duncan Bannatyne has posted record sales as its profits surged in 2024, it has been revealed.
The Bannatyne Group has reported a revenue of £149.6m for its latest financial year, up from the previous record of £138.9m which it achieved in 2023.
The Darlington-headquartered group’s pre-tax profit also jumped from £10.1m to £14.4m over the same period, according to new accounts filed with Companies House.
The Bannatyne Health Clubs chain began in 1997 with its first location in North Yorkshire.
Duncan Bannatyne was on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den from 2005 to 2015.
Revenue at the Bannatyne Health Club chain grew from £128.3m to £139m in 2024 while its pre-tax profit also went from £9.3m to £13.5m.
How does Duncan Bannatyne compare to rival Dragons’ Den stars
The results for Duncan Bannatyne’s empire come after City PM reported earlier this month that fellow former Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis saw losses at his group behind stationery retailer Ryman slashed in half.
The Cheshire-headquartered group posted a pre-tax loss of £1.49m for the year to 30 March, 2024.
The figure came after Ryman Group posted a pre-tax loss of £3.67m in the prior 12 months.
The results for Theo Paphitis’ business, which were due to be filed with Companies House by the end of 2024, also show Ryman’s turnover decreased from £111.6m to £108.9m.
In March, the first company that current Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett invested in when he joined the hit BBC One show was rescued after collapsing into administration.
Artisan cheese retailer Cheesegeek was snapped up by Scotland-based Albex Group for an undisclosed sum.
The news came after Steven Bartlett bought a five per cent stake in the London company for £150,000 in 2021.
A month earlier, City PM also reported that a company which was sold by Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones to DHL at the end of 2024 returned to the black before the deal was signed.
Brandpath Group, which was part of the PJ Investment Group, provides e-commerce businesses with global fulfilment services and works with the likes such as Google.
It was announced at the start of December 2024 that Peter Jones had sold a majority stake in the company to DHL Supply Chain for an undisclosed sum.
At the end of 2024 it was revealed that sales at Vitabiotics, the vitamins giant run by former Dragons’ Den star Tej Lalvani, jumped towards the £200m mark during its latest financial year as its profits also increased.
The London-headquartered business reported sales of £196.4m for 2023, according to accounts filed with Companies House long after the 30 September deadline.
The new total came after Vitabiotics posted a turnover of £174.2m in 2022.