Two health club chains have been ranked in the top 15 of the fastest growing private companies in the UK, according to the latest Sunday Times PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100 league table.

Next Generation Clubs is the highest placed health and fitness club in the table, at 13th. Companies are ranked by profit growth over a three year period and Next Generation has boosted its profits by 104 per cent a year, from £960,000 in 2001 to £8.2m in 2004, thanks to its membership quadrupling since 2000.

Ranked 15th is Richard Branson’s Virgin Active chain, which has reported annual profit growth of almost 102 per cent a year. Latest draft profits are estimated at approximately £31m.

Next Generation and Virgin Active were the only two health club chains to appear on the league table’s top 100.

Photograph: Virgin Active