HCM Issue 1 2025

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WMaking magic

Successful operators are harnessing the power and passion of their people to deliver exceptional member experiences, while also attracting the next generation into the sector

e’re in a market where there’s always a danger consumers will struggle to differentiate between operators.

With their similar equipment, timetables and technology, customers can sometimes find it hard to tell them apart, ultimately making commoditisation more likely.

When this happens, the most obvious tool is to differentiate on price, but this is risky in a market with fixed costs and largely fixed pricing structures.

For some operators, however, the secret to success is deploying their people to be the point of difference.

In this issue of HCM , we plunge into the complex world of company culture (page 42) and examine how leaders in the sector are powering their organisations by dedicating energy to creating world-class cultures.

Sondre Gravir, CEO of SATS told us: “I truly believe culture is by far the most important driver for our performance...as members’ experience defines our success... Leadership is about empowering our club staff to deliver extraordinary experiences.”

Neil Randall, CEO of Urban Gym Group, agrees, saying “Culture is mission-critical for Urban Gym Group and we believe it to be the most important factor for the success of our company... How staff deal with customers, interact and support each other and other stakeholders ultimately determines the magic that one company has and the other does not.”

Jetts’ CEO, Elaine Jobson, sees culture as being so vital she’s written a book about it called High Performance through Happy People (www.hcmmag.com/elainejobson).

When she started her career in the sector, 30 years ago, many companies had toxic cultures and prioritised performance and growth at any cost.

Jobson challenges this as the best approach, talking about building a culture as a competitive defence and treating the member journey as falling in love.

It’s not surprising that in a poll of top companies globally, leaders attributed 30 per cent of their

Young people are interested in joining our sector, but they want positive lives and they want to be well paid and mentored

profits to their company culture, highlighting how vital this endeavour is to success.

There are still a few operators in the sector with toxic cultures, but thankfully, as the industry matures, their numbers are diminishing and we’re moving into an era where industry leaders are more skilful in this area.

On page 80 we consider current recruitment challenges and the message is clear. Young people are interested in joining our sector, but want to work in a positive culture and to be well paid and mentored. The future success of our industry will depend on getting this right.

Liz

Terry,

editor lizterry@leisuremedia.com

SATS sees company culture as fundamental to success

PHOTO: SATS

CONTENTS

Uniting the world of fitness

14 Gilly McArthur

05 Editor’s Letter

Investment in great facilities is essential to the success of the sector, but nurturing a positive culture is what ultimately makes a winning organisation says Liz Terry

12 HCM Forum

Angela Brown explains Freedom Leisure’s decarbonisation commitments and Tash Fleming is delivering swimming for people with disabilities through WeSwim

14 HCM people

Gilly McArthur

The climber and ice swimmer talks about the benefits of wild swimming and how health club operators can inspire members to harness the power of nature

20 HCM people

Dr Davina Deniszczyc

Nuffield and Manchester Metropolitan University are partnering to deliver medical interventions in a fitness setting

26 HCM news

McKinsey releases new workplace wellness report, Everyone Active partners with Oliver Patrick and KA Leisure moves into preventative health

34 Interview

Juan del Río

The CEO of VivaGym has new backers committed to fast tracking the growth of the business within the Iberian market and further afield. He talks to Kate Cracknell

42 Everyone’s talking about

Company culture

Positive company culture can add commercial value and a competitive advantage, as Kath Hudson discovers

54 Life Lessons

Dan Summerson

The MD of Everlast Gyms learned valuable lessons during his time at TRIB3, the boutique gym franchise he co-founded. He talks to Kath Hudson

58 Foward looking

Testosterone shots, GLP-1s and wellness

– HCM talks to industry leaders about their plans for 2025 and examines current opportunities, threats and trends

on the power of wild swimming PHOTO:

54 Dan Summerson shares his Life Lesson

74 Asset management

New digital platforms are making the management of health club and gym assets efficient and straightforward while optimising resources, reports Julie Cramer

80 Insight Future Talent

Group exercise is the engine room of the sector, relying on its talent to deliver. Abi Harris asks industry experts how we can engage the next generation of instructors

88 A new benchmark Trade body, UK Active, and its partners have launched The Active Standard, a consumer-facing quality marque for members, as Paul Crane explains

42 The power of company culture

94 Product innovation

Julie Cramer rounds up the latest health, fitness and wellness kit from leading suppliers

96 Reader services HCM Directory

If you’re in procurement, the HCM Directory is part of a network of resources designed for you that includes www.HCMmag.com/CompanyProfiles

98 Research The power of nature

Researchers at Concordia University in Edmonton in Canada are studying the impact of ‘noticing nature’ on mental health and finding it has an impact, even in cities

34 VivaGym CEO, Juan del Río

20 Nuffield’s Davina Deniszczyc

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CLUB GROWTH STARTS IN YOUR STUDIO

Scan to download Club Growth Guide: 7 key plays to a profitable studio.

Whether your facility is looking to acquire or retain members, or build an unbreakable community, a thriving studio holds the key to these goals. Your group training studio is a ready-made solution for driving new growth, with the ability deliver on retention, member acquisition and generating new revenue streams with programming.

By creating an irresistible group training environment, you’re laying the foundations for better engagement with members. A well-oiled group training experience compels members to return for the social bonds formed, leading them to tell their friends about it and creating a flywheel of momentum that recruits new members and in turn strengthens your community.

We’ve created a seven step plan to help your club create a strategy for its studio, identifying the key areas to focus on to start driving growth. By considering key member touchpoints ranging from capacity to marketing, the guide helps your facility identify areas for improvement, and crucially, shares how to start driving change. As well as actionable strategies, there’s world-leading operator insights to help inform your game plan. Are you ready to send studio numbers soaring and boost your bottom line?

HCM Forum

Fuel the debate about issues and opportunities across the industry. We’d love to hear from you. Write to forum@leisuremedia.com

We want to promote carbon literacy through our staff and

customer communications

Committing to carbon literacy accreditation

Angela

Brown, head of sustainability and environmental at Freedom Leisure

Freedom Leisure has become the first operator in the UK to be bronze carbon literacy accredited. We first engaged with this through the Carbon Literacy Sports Kit (www.carbonliteracy.com/sport) and have since acquired the licence to an accredited Carbon Literacy Course developed by Community Leisure UK (www.hcmmag.com/CLUKCL), specifically for charities working in public leisure and culture.

We recognise that success depends on everyone being actively involved and by equipping our colleagues

with the knowledge and skills to become carbon literate, we’re committed to empowering each of them to contribute meaningfully to our shared objectives.

Carbon Literate Organisations are accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project as being “culturally carbon literate” – maintaining a substantial proportion of the workforce as carbon literate and demonstrating its carbon literacy through its organisational behaviour.

Over 70 Freedom Leisure staff are already carbon literate-certified,

including our CEO and members of the senior leadership team. Through individual and group pledges submitted to the Carbon Literacy Project as part of the certification process, the actions committed – in education, energy and resource management and travel – have the potential to drive carbon savings beyond what would have been achieved otherwise.

With over 22 million visits to our venues each year we’re acutely aware of the impact on our client partner’s carbon footprint and we want to use this platform to promote carbon literacy through our staff and customer communications.

This accreditation is reinforcing to our partners that we’re serious about climate change, demonstrating our collective investment in reducing carbon emissions.

The actions taken and pledged by us all as part of this process will have an immediate impact, however it’s the maintenance of these and further actions that will reap the greatest rewards.

Angela Brown

PHOTO: FREEDOM LEISURE

Freedom Leisure has invested in sustainability

WeSwim is looking for support to enable swimming for people with disabilities

Making a bigger splash

Tash Fleming, founder, WeSwim

We’re a community-led, registered charity, dedicated to empowering swimmers with disabilities.

Our clubs provide essential opportunities for them to stay active, improve their mental wellbeing, and feel part of a supportive community.

2024 was a landmark year for WeSwim. We welcomed 222 new swimmers and expanded to two new locations in Vauxhall and Tottenham – parts of London where inclusive activities are often in scarce supply.

For many participants, our clubs are more than just swimming sessions, they’re lifelines – places where loneliness is replaced by friendship, confidence grows with every lap, and physical activity is adapted to meet individual needs.

For many participants, our clubs are more than just swimming sessions, they’re lifelines

However, providing these services comes with costs, such as pool hire, adaptive equipment and volunteer training.

The demand for accessible swimming opportunities continues to rise and sustaining these vital services requires ongoing support.

We don’t want to turn people away, but we can’t do it alone and we’re asking for help in keeping clubs running to ensure every Londoner with disabilities has the chance to swim.

Donations can be made online via www.hcmmag.com/weswim and every contribution will help sustain these vital services and bring the joy of swimming to even more people in 2025, when we plan to open three more clubs.

Operators interested in bringing WeSwim to their facilities or making a corporate donation are welcome to get in touch. Contact: tash@weswim.club

Tash Fleming

PHOTO: WE SWIM

PHOTO: WESWIM

HCM people

There’s a pulling back to how we really should be living – a bit more floating and a little less striving

Gilly McArthur

Outdoor professional and artist

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m an open water and cold water swimming coach, rock climber and outdoor professional. For more than 10 years I’ve been immersing myself in cold water and working with individuals, charities, organisations and luxury hotel brands to help people access cold water in nature. My specialism is helping absolute newcomers to enter the water safely and connect with nature in a meditative and calm way.

What got you into ice swimming?

After moving to the Lake District as a rock climber, I found myself standing on the shores of Windermere one cold autumn morning with a surfing wetsuit and took my first open water swim. The second day, after speaking to some swimmers, I decided to ditch the wetsuit. They told me that in those temperatures – around 11 or 12°C – wetsuits are a faff and that I would get used to the cold over time. I wasn’t sure, but after that first, short dip I swam through the winter without a wetsuit.

A few years ago, I decided to set myself a challenge

to swim every day in January, finding bodies of water up high to swim in. Many of these were frozen and required a huge element of personal risk assessment to access. They also required a lump hammer, sledgehammer and saw! A photographer friend and fellow ice swimmer captured my escapades and we raised money for mental health charities.

When you’re bobbing in an icy lake are you loving it or waiting for it to be over?

Loving it. It’s hard to explain until you do it. You just get used to the cold, the body adapts and you go from thinking it’s horrible to enjoying it and the cold just being a sensation rather than something you have to escape from. I love the green and blue and being part of a community.

What are your top tips for anyone taking a plunge?

The biggest one is to take it gently, go in slowly and when you take the plunge time it with an exhale, like a sigh, and don’t swim off until your breathing is under control.

McArthur is a climber, cold water swimming coach, author and artist

Cold water swimming has benefi ts for mental health

When we’re scared we hold our breath, tighten our hands, raise our shoulders, close our eyes and bow our heads which all signal to our brains that we’re frightened, so we need to do the opposite when we sink into the water. Stay in the body and be present, I ask people to feel into their body and their feet and to focus on their breath. It’s all about being in the moment, which is why it’s so beneficial. Definitely do not do the macho thing of running into the water and taking a dive. This can cause autonomic conflict – a cold shock response that can cause a gasp and the ingestion of water, which can be dangerous. How you get out is also important because you carry on cooling down for another 20 minutes, so it’s important to get dressed quickly, from the top down, as any wind can strip degrees off the skin temperature.

Tell us about Blue Mind Men

When I set it up in January 2022, women were more featured than men around cold water, so I

decided to change it up. I swam with different men and captured their stories on social media. In that month I swam with more than 150 men, raised money for men’s suicide charity, CALM and set up Blue Mind Men which is now almost three years old. Regardless of the weather, we now meet every Sunday and get into the water more often than not just having a small swim. Many men enjoy the feeling of that connection with themselves, the community and the cold water. There really is nothing better than hearing the chatter on the shore afterwards in this beautiful blue and green space.

What are the mental health benefits?

Cold water is a stressor on your body, but by leaning into the stress in a manageable way you teach your brain that you can do stressful things. This leaning into discomfort is very powerful so long as we’re doing it of our own volition, it’s beautiful not to strive and just be hugely present, much like when you meditate.

I’ve taken people into the water who are on strong medication and would never consider themselves to be swimmers. One year on they’re o all medication and truly blooming

Breaking the ice for an extra bracing dip

With the Blue Mind Men swimming group

PHOTO: GILLY MCARTHUR

Coupled with the community aspect and being in a green and blue space, this can hugely boost our mental wellbeing. Spending time in nature is also a great way to relieve depression and finding some stillness is quite magical.

I’ve taken people into the water who are on strong medication and would never consider themselves to be swimmers and I’ve seen them one year on, forming their own swim groups, off all medication and truly blooming.

Tell us about the evidence

I’m currently involved in a study led by the University of Portsmouth, with NHS Sussex and University of Oxford Extreme Environments Lab, looking at whether cold water can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Consult with an open water coach initially as open water swimming is classed as an adventure sport and there are dangers

There are 19 groups around the country who are swimming for eight weeks, and control groups who aren’t and then the impact on their mental health is being measured by researchers. We’re seeing amazing results.

My group of swimmers includes men and women ranging from 19 to early their 60s and they’re all baking cakes for each other, car sharing and meeting outside the swimming sessions.

The aim is to teach people to create groups themselves and it could also potentially result in widening access to water, opening up more swimming spots, such as at reservoirs, National Trust properties and lidos and also improving water quality.

McArthur lives in England’s Lake District

PHOTO:

Can the same benefits be gained indoors?

Swimming pools are important so people can learn to swim and then safely access open water. Also many open water swimmers I know use pools to get their distance swimming in, as outdoor swims tend to be more mellow. However, I don’t think the benefits are as good, because it’s not as hard and you don’t get the connection to the outdoors.

How can health club operators get involved?

Ideally they’d start by consulting with an open water coach, as open water swimming is classed as an adventure sport and there are dangers, including potentially having to rescue someone. It’s

important to swim in places where there’s a phone signal and make sure the body of water is safe.

Also be mindful about being in nature’s home. Leave it better. Don’t make fires or disturb nesting birds or beavers, take home litter and pick up what’s been left by other people.

The secret in all of this is to make it meaningful and impactful and give the clients the right tools to know how to safely do this for themselves. Placing mother nature at the centre of the experience is important, because within that there is a pulling back to how we really should be living – a bit more floating and a little less striving. l More: www.gillymcarthur.com

Wild swimming is gaining in popularity among people of all ages

PHOTO: JAMESKIRBY.ME.UK

We hope we can help people return to work, as we know exercise improves quality of life, wellbeing and longevity, as well as delivering wider societal benefits

Dr Davina Deniszczyc

Charity and medical director, Nuffield Health

Nuffield Health and Manchester Metropolitan University have partnered to deliver a medical intervention in a fitness environment, what does this involve?

We’re creating a scalable, fitness-led solution – delivered by our workforce of fitness professionals – which uses healthcare language within an evidence-based framework.

The fundamental aim is for the fitness sector to be seen as serious, safe and capable of delivering interventions with high standards and high effectiveness, which aren’t delivered by a doctor and aren’t in a hospital.

Man Met will measure the clinical outcomes and we’ll evolve the programmes in response to the results. We’ll be learning as we go and implementing what we’re learning. We’ll also be publishing our learnings – what works and what doesn’t.

Delivered by Nuffield Health, it will be free to access, allowing us to scale quickly. We hope we can help people return to work, as we know exercise improves quality of life, general wellbeing and longevity, as well as delivering wider societal benefits and relieving the burden on the NHS.

When will you start the programmes?

Man Met is assessing the data sets from Nuffield Health’s joint pain and Long COVID programmes, which have had around 40,000 participants since 2018. We’ve spent almost a year analysing and understanding those programmes: what’s working, what’s not and understanding workforce limitations and requirements.

The first site will be a community location in Platt Lane, Manchester, which has been selected because of the health inequalities locally. Some existing communitybased rehab sessions take place here and we’ll look to build on this, offering a programme that caters to the symptoms of multiple long-term conditions.

The intention is to go live in Q3. Following on from that, we have 10 Nuffield Health sites signposted for next year. Hopefully by the end of 2027, we’ll be supporting more than 20,000 patients a year who are living with long term conditions.

What will the programmes look like?

Based on the research and evidence base of where physical activity has the best benefit, we’re starting with cardiovascular and pulmonary problems, MSK issues and mental health.

There’s a concern among healthcare professionals about quality of delivery, potential patient risk and accountability for patient outcomes in the fitness industry

The way the programmes will be put together will follow the same format of our proven Joint Pain Programme and Long COVID Rehabilitation Programme covering a range of topics including goal setting and goal checking; emotional wellbeing; perceptions of pain; exercise and programming; healthy eating; sleep, rest and recovery; worrying less and acts of kindness to others.

We know from our success with the joint pain programme that peer-to-peer support and social interactions are really important to patients. We also know we need a healthcare triage and the programme has to be at least 12 weeks to see the benefit and ideally 24 weeks to have a long-term outcome.

It’s intended that the groups will meet twice a week and the 60-minute sessions will be based around four pillars of move, eat, sleep and think.

During their own time, participants will be encouraged to put what they’ve covered into practice, which might be tools to help improve sleep hygiene, advice around how to adapt their diet or ways to incorporate more movement into their day-to-day life.

Behaviour change techniques are built into the programmes and the educational sessions will cover both physical and mental strategies for dealing with symptoms.

What research have you done to establish need?

We have patient groups set up and general patient satisfaction surveys that run across all the free community rehabilitation programmes we run. There are also a lot of other organisations asking people with long term conditions what they want, including the Richmond Group, so we have some rich insights that allow us to co-design with patients.

We’re also collaborating with the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine at Man Met, which is trying to change the culture in terms of health professionals’ risk aversion to physical activity.

One of the common things we notice is a lack of confidence and some anxiety that symptoms will get worse with exercise. The vast majority of people we work with haven’t been into a fitness environment and we commonly hear: “I never thought this would be a place for someone like me.”

So we do a soft induction, building the relationship with the fitness professionals and then the other patients in a group. We find people really like the opportunity to speak to others like them, who are experiencing the same impacts on quality of life.

We find people don’t like being told about their condition – having lived with it for years they’re the experts. Goals also have to be personal to the individual, there has to be flexibility with

We know we need a healthcare triage and the programme has to be at least 12 weeks to see the benefit and ideally 24 weeks to have a long-term outcome

Participants in a Nuffield physical activity initiative

timings and days of the week and there’s also a big educational piece around understanding their body’s response to movement.

Will you share the programmes with other operators?

Yes, this work is being done as part of Nuffield Health charitable status and for the public benefit. Our collaboration can’t support the whole nation, so we’ve got to be thinking about how we can train others and what the model would look like when it’s not delivered in our sites or even inside a gym. Once we’ve set up a training infrastructure that can support all of our 110 sites, it will be easy to scale to others.

I’m really proud that Nuffield Health is already reaching so many people with significant impacts on quality of life that wouldn’t otherwise have set foot into the fitness sector, but with this collaboration I think it can really leapfrog.

We’re really keen to work with others because it’s collaboration that will give us scale. We need a clear framework to scale up.

What are the main challenges?

At some point, budget will have to be considered. Nuffield Health is gifting a good number of spaces, but once the places are filled we’ll need to think about how to scale more.

There’s also a cultural adoption aspect to work through to make sure we take healthcare with us. Traditionally there’s been a concern among healthcare professional over quality of delivery, potential patient risk and accountability for patient outcomes within the broader fitness industry, so we need to allay those fears so that this will come to be seen as a standard intervention in long-term condition care. l

Nuffield programme participants and rehab specialists

10 – 13 APR 25

The Gym Group reports strong results

The Gym Group has announced positive trading momentum continued through the second half of last year as it reported its annual results, with members, revenue and the number of clubs rising.

Revenue for the year ended 31 December 2024 increased by 11 per cent to £226.3 million, up from £204 million in 2023, with like-for-like revenue growing 7 per cent year on year.

Average members grew 4 per cent to 906,000 and average revenue

There is plenty more still to come as we execute our plan

Will Orr, CEO The Gym Group

The Gym Group is opening 50 sites from free cashflow in the next three years

per member per month was up 7 per cent to £20.81. The year closed with 891,000 members compared with 850,000 at 31 December 2023, an increase of 5 per cent.

“We expect to accelerate new site openings to 14-16 sites in 2025 and remain on track to deliver the target of around 50 sites over three years funded from free cashflow,” said CEO,

Will Orr. Orr says: “We’ve delivered strong progress and momentum in our Next Chapter growth plan, that will result in FY24 profits ahead of the top end of previous guidance. There is plenty more still to come as we execute our plan and we’re looking to 2025 with confidence.”

More: http://lei.sr/W8k2A_H

Crunch Fitness reveals it’s adding hot studios

Crunch Fitness, has unveiled a new gym design, Crunch 3.0 that gives the option of a dedicated hot studio offering heated group exercise classes such as yoga, barre, Pilates and HIIT, which

can positively impact joint pain, circulation, anxiety and heart health.

In line with the recovery trend a branded relaxation area is also part of the redesign, with Hyperice percussive and compression

equipment, red light therapy and infrared saunas, as well as a dedicated stretching area.

An enhanced HIITZone will be added, along with more free weights, resistance equipment, machines and Olympic lifting platforms.

“With Crunch 3.0, we’re continuing to make serious fitness fun and ensuring gym-goers feel good, physically, mentally, and emotionally,” Molly Long, chief operating officer.

“The new design will make it even more enjoyable for members to create community and embark on their fitness journey at Crunch. This legendary new layout combines innovation, curation, and motivation that will transform a member’s day.”

More: http://lei.sr/k3g8s_H

PHOTO:

PHOTO: THE GYM GROUP

PHOTO: THE GYM GROUP

Crunch Fitness built its brand on a fun approach to health and fitness

McKinsey releases workplace wellness report

Investing in employee health could create US$11.7 trillion in global economic value, according to a new report – Thriving workplaces: How employers can improve productivity and change lives – from the McKinsey Health Institute.

Produced in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and published for Davos 2025, the report says organisations that prioritise employee health and wellbeing see marked improvements in productivity, reduced absenteeism, lower healthcare costs and heightened employee engagement and retention. A healthy workforce is also more resilient and adaptable.

Research from the University of Oxford shows a direct correlation between employee wellbeing and an

organisation’s financial success. A onepoint increase in employee happiness scores was shown to be associated with between US$1.39 billion and US$2.29 billion increase in annual profits.

Wellbeing factors such as worklife balance and job satisfaction are proven to be as strong an incentive as salary, especially for Gen Z and those with lower mental health scores.

Investors are also increasingly paying attention to how companies manage employee health and wellbeing. Organisations listed on benchmarks such as the S&P 500 index are now assessed on job satisfaction, happiness, stress and purpose at work, as well as the more usual financial metrics.

More: http://lei.sr/j6J8G_H

ARC debuts on London social wellness

scene

The social wellness club movement that has taken the US East Coast by storm looks set to reshape London’s wellness scene with the launch of ARC, an urban wellness brand that blends connection, community and evidence-based wellness practices.

The brand’s flagship location will open in London’s Canary Wharf business district.

Facilities will include the UK’s largest sauna (created by Finnmark Sauna and big enough

We want to keep things democratic, the benefits are so profound I want to make them available to all

for up to 65 people), eight twoperson Brass Monkey ice baths, an amphitheatre-style lounge area – complete with a striking central wooden art installation – and mixed changing rooms.

The social bathhouse brand is the brainchild of Chris Miller, CEO and founder of White Rabbit Project: “I don’t think anyone in the UK has yet fully captured the communal aspect

of wellness. At ARC, we’ve crafted a large, community-focused space with class-based, science-backed programming to enhance connection.” ARC is breaking from the traditional membership model to ensure accessibility. Visitors will be able to choose between multi-class packages or one-off drop-in sessions.

More: http://lei.sr/6n9p7_H

Chris Miller

PHOTO: ARC

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/ MONKEY

McKinsey is quantifying the value of workplace wellness

ARC has a striking amphitheatre-style lounge area along with contrast therapy

Everlast Gyms acquires four Roko Health Clubs

Everlast Gyms has acquired four sites from Roko Health Clubs, in Chiswick, Gillingham, Nottingham and York.

Upgrades are planned to deliver a state-of-the-art experience, with the addition of padel courts under consideration. Dan Summerson, MD, says: “This acquisition marks an exciting milestone for Everlast Gyms as we continue to expand our fitness category and grow our presence across the UK.

“These premium gyms align with our vision to provide top-tier fitness experiences and we see significant potential to enhance and expand these sites in the future. With this addition, we’re not only growing our estate but also reinforcing our commitment to innovation and excellence in the fitness industry.”

Everlast Gyms is also rolling out modernisations across its existing estate. In the last few months the Leicester, Thurrock and Swindon locations have all benefited from the

Everlast Thurrock is one of the clubs to have benefited from an upgrade updates, including modernised group training studios, heavy strength zones and dedicated Hyrox training areas. Everlast Gyms plans to elevate its Cheltenham site in early 2025, while also expanding to key cities across the UK, including Liverpool and will open its first site in the Republic of Ireland later this year.

Summerson, says: “These developments further demonstrate Everlast Gyms’ commitment to raising the bar and delivering unparalleled fitness experiences.

● Turn to page 54 to read Dan Summerson’s Life Lessons

More: http://lei.sr/D8K9G_H

Jiu jitsu, gym and recovery create a novel mix at Arma

Anew, premium fitness concept opens in Clapham, London in Q2 called Arma, which will combine a Brazilian jiu jitsu academy with a fitness and recovery offering.

The privately-funded club is the brainchild of two businessmen and jiu jitsu enthusiasts, Jake Willis and Louis Steyn. Spanning four floors, the 6,500 square foot site will offer a café, retail space, a recovery area with plunge pool and sauna, two dojo mats for jiu jitsu; a strength and conditioning-focused gym and a co-working space for 50 people.

General manager, James Crew, says the team is aiming to innovate and redefine the traditional jiu jitsu academy, become the market leader in the new category and –longer term – expand globally.

World champion grappler, Ffion Davies, has been signed as head coach. “Ffion is the equivalent of having Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi at a football training academy,” says Crew. “She’s a great ambassador and will help to attract more women into the sport.”

Membership will be upwards of £230 per month, to include everything apart from the co-working space which will be offered as a bolt-on membership.

“A big goal of ours is to get more of the general population into jiu jitsu,” says Crew. “There will be an extensive kids programme, so we’ll be building some future world champions without a doubt.”

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PHOTO: ARMA

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The gym will offer training focused on improving performance on the mat

Women say life gets in the way of exercise

Insurance company, Vitality, has published a report into the exercise habits of British women, and explores the critical barriers preventing many from meeting physical activity guidelines.

Active Women, Healthy Lives: Understanding Barriers to Women’s Participation in Physical Activity, is based on input from 6,000 women from across the UK.

The report found that only 23 per cent of women engage in 30 minutes of exercise a week, or achieve 7,000 steps a day five or more times a week.

Eighty per cent of women cite time constraints as a barrier to exercise, whereas only 35 per cent of men give this as a reason for not exercising. Furthermore, 36 per cent of women

say they feel guilty taking time for themselves. While work, caregiving responsibilities and household chores are seen as non-negotiable, exercise is seen as a “nice to have.”

The three main barriers are a lack of motivation (82 per cent); a lack of enjoyment (65 per cent) and a fear of judgment about either physical ability or body image (62 per cent.)

The report says the narrative around exercise must change so women understand the health reasons for exercising and shift the perception that exercising is predominantly a weight management tool.

● HCM will debate this issue next month. Sign up for your copy at www.HCMmag.com/signup

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Vitality calls on the industry to do more to accommodate the needs of women

Xtreme Fitness Gyms on aggressive rollout

Polish fitness franchise business, Xtreme Fitness Gyms, has hit the milestone of 100 sites and is aiming to reach 500 locations in Poland in the next six years.

“We’ve just had our most successful year in terms of performance, franchise sales and openings and we’re now in a very dynamic scale phase of the business,” founder and chair, Lukasz Dojka, told HCM

Last year the mid-market franchisor opened 42 clubs. There are more than 60 planned for this year and the team is gearing up to target neighbouring countries, either by direct franchising or master franchising.

“We’re very much looking for speed,” says CEO, James Cotton. “The fitness franchise market in Eastern Europe is wide open, so we’re looking to occupy that space.”

Poland is a challenging market where several European operators have attempted to grow but have

ultimately withdrawn. As well as having a low penetration rate, of 8 to 9 per cent, it’s dominated by two aggregator-based companies, Benefit Systems and Medicover, which dictate the market. Xtreme Fitness Gyms is a homegrown company led by a Polish entrepreneur.

The offering is based on a traditional gym format with four

core areas – strength, cardio, group exercise and relaxation –and costs between £30 and £40 a month. Members can choose the services they want to use and prices vary accordingly.

Franchises cost 450,000 PLN (€106,000, £89,000, US$109,000).

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PHOTO: XTREME

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/OKSANA

Xtreme Fitness Gyms is aiming to grow inside and outside Poland

KA Leisure moves into preventative health

North Ayrshire charitable trust, KA Leisure, has launched a new programme to offer preventative healthcare to its community at an affordable price.

The Well and Good membership sets out to provide personalised support tailored for individual wellness journeys. The first part of the programme to launch is the Boost subscription that offers members comprehensive health checks to evaluate metrics such as BMI, body composition and blood pressure. AI-driven insights will be backed up by human expertise to provide a tailored fitness plan, including nutrition advice and mental wellness support. Users will have access to an app to support their wellness journey. There will also be perks, such as educational seminars and webinars.

KA Leisure CEO, Malcolm McPhail, (www.hcmmag.com/McPhail) says this is a promise to improve the lives of the community: “With the

KA Leisure’s Well and Good membership help people manage their health

launch of Well and Good, we’re doubling down on our commitment to support the people of North Ayrshire through affordable, innovative and holistic solutions.

“By offering our members health checks to understand key metrics such as BMI, body composition, blood pressure and cholesterol and

personalised support that blends human expertise with the power of AI and a cutting-edge app that puts wellness directly in their hands, we’re helping individuals take meaningful steps towards prioritising their health like never before.”

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Parkinson’s UK collaborates with BH Live

Social enterprise, BH Live, has teamed up with Parkinson’s UK to offer classes aimed at getting people living with the neurodegenerative condition active in a fun, sociable way.

Classes have been designed to challenge many of the problem areas associated with Parkinson’s, including balance, muscle strength and coordination. BH Live Active’s instructors have been specially trained to deliver classes for anyone living with a neurological condition.

Parkinson’s UK has awarded BH Live £1,500 from its Physical Activity Grants programme to run the classes at a subsidised rate. The organisation’s recent research shows that participating in regular highintensity exercise can have a positive

impact on the health of neurons. Research by Yale has shown that HIIT can slow down the neurodegenerative process of Parkinson’s and make the dopaminergic system grow healthier. Other benefits of regular physical activity can include increased confidence, better cognitive function, better sleep and reduced anxiety and fatigue.

Viv Galpin, health and wellbeing manager for BH Live, says: “We aim to help people manage and, in some cases, reduce the impact of their symptoms. We also hope the sessions will allow people to meet others who are sharing the same experience of living with Parkinson’s and get active in a fun and engaging way.”

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PHOTO: BH LIVE

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Exercise can slow down the progression of Parkinson’s

Everyone Active partners with Oliver Patrick

Everyone Active, has collaborated with wellbeing consultant, Oliver Patrick, to launch a new membership category called You+.

Aimed at the 85 per cent of people not currently using gyms, the You+ membership is a wellness offering designed to make an impact on people’s overall lives. It supports them around six pillars: movement, nutrition, sleep, recovery, social wellbeing and brain health.

All members receive a consultation during which their ‘Everyone Active Age’ is calculated in terms of their lifestyle habits, they’re then given a bespoke 12-week programme to follow, which is backed by science.

Duncan Jefford, Everyone Active’s regional director, says: “The You+ membership gives our

members the guidance to fully understand how simple changes result in life-changing effects.

“The increased demand for day-to-day wellness support was highlighted by the positive uptake of our Wellness membership launched in late 2023.

“Therefore, we’ve taken an even bigger step towards 360-degree wellness support and we believe You+ can deliver to those that have been neglected by the traditional fitness industry.”

The programme has taken 12 months and extensive research to design and staff have been upskilled to deliver it at all Everyone Active’s 240 facilities in the UK.

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CIMSPA teams up with the

Chartered institute, CIMSPA, has teamed up with the UK government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to promote career opportunities in the physical activity sector and help address staff shortages.

The partnership will involve CIMSPA creating resources and training on careers in the sector that help Job Centre work coaches and DWP employer engagement officers support job seekers to explore roles in the sector.

It will also provide DWP school advisers with access to careers guidance on opportunities available and – longer-term – make training opportunities available to DWP customers who want to start a career in the physical activity sector.

Links will be strengthened between local DWP leads and CIMSPA’s skills delivery team to enhance skills development and work opportunities in line with its place-based approach.

UK government

Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA said: “We see this collaboration – and crucially our alignment on the importance of place-based working to support local people and communities – as integral to supporting more great people to become part of our talented, dedicated workforce.

“We want to make more people aware that often the

practitioners that have the most impact on society are the ones that reflect the communities within which they work.

The sector employs close to 600,000 people and with high demand for people to fill vacant roles, the initiative is seen as part of the solution.

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PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/GROUND

PHOTO: OLIVER PATRICK

Oliver Patrick has advised on the creation of You+ by Everyone Active

CIMSPA announces partnership aimed at attracting more workers to the sector

JUAN DEL RÍO

What’s the VivaGym proposition?

VivaGym is a low-cost gym operator with a purpose: to improve as many people’s lives as possible by making exercise affordable and fun.

Our price point and our vast network make fitness accessible to many more people, including younger generations. We attract a high number of first-timers in a country with a low penetration rate and with it create social value at scale.

What we do didn’t exist before in Spain, where the market was always dominated by mid-market and premium models. Large clubs with broad offerings were great value for money for families, but not actually low-cost. In creating a low-cost proposition, we have driven accessibility at an individual level.

I describe VivaGym as an aspirational low-cost operator. The quality of our gyms is arguably the best in the category, from build to look and feel to equipment. They’re well located, with long opening hours and around 70 live group exercise classes a week. In our staffing model, we have found a balance between efficiency

and providing supervision. And all of this comes with no contract and the best price in the market, typically starting from €27.90 a month.

We drive meaning and purpose in other ways, too. From quality of construction to our ongoing quality of operation, we focus on sustainability. We also employ young people, giving many their first job, with secure long-term contracts and talent development at the heart of our culture.

Whether it’s our customers or our wider communities, our employees or our shareholders, we focus on creating value.

You joined in 2016. What’s happened since? My time at VivaGym so far can be broken down into three phases – the first saw steady organic growth until January 2018, when we

VivaGym is now backed by Providence Equity Partners

acquired Fitness Hut in Portugal. Our first venture in Portugal, this took us from 21 to 48 gyms. By the end of that year, we’d reached 63 gyms without any further acquisitions.

We initially expected to finish 2019 on 75–80 gyms after a smooth rate of organic openings, but in November we acquired Duet Fit’s 13 clubs in Barcelona to end the year on 91 gyms. We then added six gyms in Q1 2020 – four organic

Don’t let my white beard deceive you. I still feel young, full of energy and hugely engaged and committed

and two through the acquisition of Happy Gym in Majorca – to reach 97 gyms and were en route to reaching 120 by the end of that year.

Then COVID hit, marking the start of the second phase: a period of maintenance and patience. We went into COVID as market leader by number of members, which is the measure we focus on, but didn’t retain that status coming out the other side. We hadn’t grown, where others had.

In 2022 and 2023, we only grew from 97 to 104 gyms; when you’ve stopped your development pipeline, it takes a while to get it moving again. We then had no new openings in the first half of 2024 until we were acquired by Providence Equity Partners in June.

This marked the beginning of a huge acceleration in growth and an exciting third phase of my tenure at VivaGym.

In the second half of 2024, we grew from 104 gyms to 224 – 183 in Spain and 41 in Portugal – by acquiring 113 and opening five new gyms.

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VIVAGYM

VivaGym has taken on board best practice from Fitness Hut since acquisition

Those five new openings are evidence of the homework we’d done in preparation for our new investor and restarting our pipeline after the pandemic.

What brands have you acquired so far?

I already mentioned Fitness Hut, Duet Fit and Happy Gym, with Fitness Hut the first big step in our transformation. We’ve completed a further six acquisitions in 2024: 10 Smart Fit gyms, eight Macro Fit, four OneFit, 20 Fitup, one Fitness4all and the 70 clubs of Altafit.

Fitness Hut was a brand that had reshaped the manner of doing fitness in Portugal and we embraced learnings to enhance the value proposition at our Spanish clubs: its outstanding PT model and its functional gym floor group exercise space, for example. We were impressed by what its team had done so far.

As with all our acquisitions, though, we felt there were improvements we could bring to the business, from reviewing the cost structure and integrating our suite of technology to enhancing accountability through our culture of ‘management by commitment’.

The Altafit acquisition, completed in November 2024, is another transformational one. It allows us to deliver to so many more corners of Spain as there is very little overlap between our

VivaGym delivers Les Mills group exercise classes

and Portugal

Management by commitment is rooted in competence, commitment and ethical values. At every level of the business we share a dream of leadership for the right reasons

estates. Altafit’s assets are also good quality and benefit from a good management style, with a strong sense of purpose that permeates all the way down to the local teams.

The union of our two brands already enables us to bring a much stronger value proposition to the consumer than we could deliver separately. VivaGym will now bring its technology, sales and marketing expertise to enhance the commercial agenda at these clubs.

Do you rebrand the clubs you acquire?

In Portugal, we initially grew under the Fitness Hut brand, reaching 41 locations while we invested in the tech platform and aligning the member management system. By December 2024, they were all rebranded to VivaGym and are now operating under the VivaGym brand –and importantly, within the VivaGym culture.

I mentioned management by commitment before and this is central to our culture.

If you go back to ancient Greece, the aristocracy was expected to live by three principles: memory was about the ability and desire to learn; temperance was about self-control and doing the right thing; and honour was about the quest for perfection. Management by commitment is based on this. It’s rooted in competence and ethical values. At every level of the business, from the CEO to our club managers, we share a dream of leadership for the right reasons. We want to do the right things right and strive for quality of growth. If we’re ever faced with a choice between quantity and quality, we immediately dismiss the opportunity. We need both. The absence of quality simply doesn’t provide for the sustainability and ambition we have at VivaGym.

What’s your vision for VivaGym?

We have a vision of being market leader, but that doesn’t have to mean market dominance.

The company is currently a major player in Spain

VivaGym is looking at opportunities for international expansion

Juan del Río – a life

in retail

“My career has spanned seven countries and roles in health, food, leisure and fitness,” says VivaGym CEO Juan del Río. “Retail is in my blood.”

From his native country of Spain, in 2011 del Río’s international career path led him to Colombia, where he became CEO of Telepizza, growing it from 65 to 110 restaurants in just over two years. In 2013, he was headhunted to become CEO of BodyTech –the largest fitness chain in Chile, Peru and Colombia – where the new private equity owners tasked him with accelerating growth and formalising corporate governance. “I came to love the business of fitness,” he enthuses. Returning to Europe for postgraduate studies at Cambridge University, an academic career beckoned – until

the perfect offer came to tempt him back to the executive world.

“In January 2016, I was approached by a headhunter on behalf of Bridges Ventures – then owner of VivaGym. It was a Malaga-based role just 45 minutes from my family home, which – after almost 30 years away – had strong appeal.

“Bridges also gave me the ideal mandate: to strengthen the culture of the business and accelerate growth – two things I’m hugely passionate about. I joined the company as CEO in September 2016, inspired by the opportunity to create value at a large scale.”

All newly-acquired clubs are being rebranded as VivaGym

VivaGym and BasicFit both have over 200 gyms, but how relevant is that when Spain and Portugal have around 6,000 fitness clubs? This is not an industry to dominate; even the biggest players will only achieve an 8–10 per cent market share.

However, this is an industry in which, by developing strong brands and best practice, larger operators can inspire consumer interest and contribute to sector growth. This is what I mean by being a leader: taking a leadership role in an industry that needs a leader to help it grow.

What comes next for VivaGym?

For 2025 and 2026, the task is to fortify our position in Spain and Portugal. Our drive for organic growth will see us take more of a protagonist’s role than in our

growth to date, including developing a lot of greenfield sites and we expect to open 100 new gyms over the next five years.

From 2027 we’ll look further afield, assessing opportunities in Europe and potentially in other areas of the world. There is work to be done!

I’ve always maintained a desire to have a million members in the VivaGym system and there’s plenty of opportunity. The penetration rate in Iberia is currently only around 10 per cent, which I can see growing to 15 per cent over the next few years. Meanwhile, even with 224 clubs, we’re still only present in 31 of Spain’s 50 major cities.

Of course, all of this growth will rely on strong results being achieved from our existing estate: like-for-like performance, successful

I’ve always maintained a desire to have 1 million members in the VivaGym system and there’s plenty of opportunity to achieve this

integration of the gyms we’ve acquired and good deals being closed with landlords.

Revenue and EBITDA are sound and member numbers, although not yet back to pre-COVID levels, continue to rise. We have a strong focus on recovering previous members and connecting with new ones, engaging people with our value proposition from the moment they join and in as many different ways as possible.

We expect steady growth over the next 10 years. We’ll continue to innovate and provide a value proposition that attracts a huge number of members.

What are your long-term goals?

I would like VivaGym to maintain its strong growth and drive for quality and innovation during my tenure while still leaving my successor with plenty of space to grow.

Don’t let my white beard deceive you, though. VivaGym is one of the best things that has happened in my life and I still feel young and full of energy. After a painful period during the pandemic, we are resurgent and enjoying a new sense of vigour. I’m hugely engaged and will be committed to the business for as long as I feel I’m delivering. l

PHOTO: VIVAGYM

PHOTO: VIVAGYM

The company drives for meaning and purpose in all areas, including quality of construction

Everyone’s talking about

Company culture

Company culture is incredibly important and happy sta equal happy customers. Kath Hudson asks the experts how to build a bottom-line-boosting workplace

While we’ve made huge progress in terms of employee relations and company culture, there are still significant opportunities for growth and improvement.

Not having a bad company culture is different from having a great one, where diversity, equity and inclusion run right through the organisation and all team members are united around common goals and values, with everyone feeling heard and celebrated as part of the organisation’s success.

The European-wide Diversity in the Fitness Sector report, published earlier this year as a joint initiative between EuropeActive, RISE, Sport Alliance and EXI, showed the fitness industry still has some way to go in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Forty seven per cent of respondents – both men and women – said they’ve suffered general gender-related discrimination; 43 per cent had experienced sexual harassment, including unsolicited physical contact and inappropriate touching.

Twenty seven per cent of respondents reported facing discrimination based on race and age, with younger people being dismissed for a perceived lack of experience.

As the sector struggles to fill roles, creating a positive working environment could be adopted

as an industry-wide USP. A new Les Mills report, Nurturing the Next Gen found that while a living wage and opportunities for progression were the most important factor for prospective candidates – at 71 per cent and 61 per cent respectively – the working environment wasn’t far behind. Fifty five per cent want their employers’ values to align with their own and 54 per cent said they wanted to see employers caring about diversity, equity and inclusion.

So how do you build a fantastic company culture? We ask the experts…

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The first point on the agenda in our meetings is the ‘value round’, where team members share an example they’ve seen of one of our values being lived in practice in one of our clubs

Sondre Gravir CEO. SATS

Culture is key for all companies, but in a peopledriven business like our industry, culture is crucial and defines the member experience. For operators such as SATS, where coached classes and personal training are key elements to the product offering, I truly believe culture is by far the most important driver for our performance and I feel honoured and humbled to lead and work with our wonderful organisation of 10,000 inspiring colleagues. Our members’ experience every time they visit us defines our success and hence leadership is about empowering our club staff to deliver extraordinary member experiences. To do this, everyday decisions

PHOTO: SATS

Sondre Gravir, CEO, SATS

must be driven by strong, well-communicated values that are understood and embodied by staff, so they love the product and relentlessly focus on customer experiences. This has to be trained, focused on and nurtured 24/7 with a peopleorientated and inclusive management style.

The SATS values are: members first, be accountable, be professional and be extraordinary. In order for everyone in the organisation to understand and relate the values to their daily tasks, values should be a part of all staff meetings or leadership gatherings. The first point on the agenda in all our management team meetings is the ‘value round’, where all management team members share an example they have seen of how one of our values has been lived in practice in one of our clubs since the last team meeting.

SATS builds the nurturing of company culture into daily management activity

PHOTO: SATS

PHOTO: SATS

Team members are encouraged to deliver extraordinary experiences

How your people deal with customers, interact and support each other and other stakeholders determines the magic that one company has and the other does not

Neil Randall CEO, Urban Gym Group

Culture is mission critical for Urban Gym Group and we believe it to be the most important factor for the success of our company.

You can have a beautiful vision and plans that pursue the goals, but the only thing that really sets you apart are the people. With the right culture they will both come and stay. How they deal with your customers, interact and support each other and with other stakeholders ultimately determines the magic that one company has and the other does not. Building a strong culture starts with recruitment. While hard skills are important, aligning with our core values is even more vital, so expectations are clearly communicated from the outset and we assess cultural fit during interviews and evaluations.

Neil Randall, CEO, UGG

Neil Randall will be a keynote speaker at the HCM Summit 2025

Our leaders have a coaching management style. We focus on the strengths of our employees and develop these further through guidance, mentoring and feedback. These strengths are defined through interviews, observation, 360 degree feedback and assessments and then supported through our training.

We actively encourage open communication, primarily through a value we call ‘We Challenge’, for example, by organising CEO Q&A sessions during town halls, where all of our employees have the opportunity to ask any question. Additionally, we invite specific function and role groups to join our executive team meetings. These sessions allow us to gain insights

into why our colleagues joined our company, understand their perspectives on what’s happening on the ground, identify areas for improvement and where they’re challenged.

Our headquarters staff also work in our gyms at least twice a year to gain firsthand experience of what’s happening on the front line. Afterwards they are encouraged to share their insights and lessons learned. This practice helps to enhance organisational awareness, promote mutual understanding and improve collaboration across teams.

Company size also impacts culture, so as a company grows remember to keep nurturing and preserving the culture which has underpinned the success.

Town hall sessons at Urban Gym Group give the team an opportunity to ask questions

PHOTO: URBAN GYM GROUP / ROB LIPSIUS

Ruth Jackson

Chief people officer, The Gym Group

Creating an inclusive and collaborative environment is important for any company culture, but particularly in the highly operational, consumer-focused sector we’re in.

We strive to foster a culture that helps our teams feel valued and engaged, as well as united around our founding mission of breaking down barriers to fitness. It’s powerful to know that what we’re doing is having a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of communities nationwide.

As a leader, I’ve learned the importance of being open and showing empathy, as well as being accessible and building strong relationships. I always listen to fresh ideas and take on board feedback, which contributes to strong decision-making. Staying connected to our gym teams is very important, as this helps to identify specific challenges that need to be solved and the potential opportunities to seize.

At The Gym Group we seek opportunities to bring teams together, whether that’s mentorship, management training or development courses. Focusing on leaders is also key, so we invest time and resources into making sure our managers are equipped with the skills to be the best people leaders, and ensuring all teams feel supported by their manager.

We’ve always believed The Gym Group has a strong company culture that helps to drive our success, so it was a proud moment to be named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024, scoring highly on diversity, inclusion, wellbeing and job satisfaction.

We invest time and resources into making sure our managers are equipped with the skills to be the best people leaders

It’s important to ensure that teams feel valued, engaged and motivated

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Tara Dillon CEO, CIMSPA

The key to building a great culture is as simple as treating people as adults. In our personal lives, we manage our finances, plan holidays, pay bills, raise families and balance work and life, but once we step into the workplace, we’re often treated as children. For example, if someone wants to take a holiday, they have to fill out a form and ask for approval from a ‘superior’. I don’t agree with that. I believe that as capable adults, people and their colleagues can work out when it’s appropriate to take time off. That’s why we offer unlimited leave. It’s up to the team to coordinate with their peers and decide how much time they take.

We also offer a hybrid flexible working environment. People can work from home; we trust them to manage their time and responsibilities. Our expense policy is simple: we want people to feel safe and comfortable and expect them to treat company money like it’s their own.

We’ve developed this culture because we want to encourage high performance. It’s crucial to create an environment where people can be the best version of themselves. We foster a climate of trust, respect and

It’s crucial to create an environment where people can be the best version of themselves

Dillon: CIMSPA fosters a climate of trust, respect and confi dence

PHOTO: CIMSPA

confidence in order for people to perform at their best, and in return our employees respect the agency we afford them by not pushing the limits on either leave or expenses and performing well in their roles.

If you look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it’s clear that humans are motivated by basic things like security, recognition and care. These are free and easy to offer and they have a huge impact on how people feel. We strive to reinforce this culture every day by making our workplace a pleasant and supportive environment.

Recognition consistently outshines reward in employee surveys. A positive culture that’s accessible and regularly reinforced doesn’t take much effort but has a huge impact. Giving people your time and attention is often more valuable than anything else. At CIMSPA, no one is more important than anyone else. Our flat structure ensures every team member feels supported by another, irrespective of their job title. It’s a key part of fostering a positive environment.

Be prepared to listen, acknowledge and make yourself available. Respect your people. Businesses don’t work without people, don’t underestimate their importance. While salary matters, it’s rarely the most important thing. Employees want recognition, opportunities and the feeling that their work has value.

We’ve won the Best Company three-star award twice, and that success is entirely driven by our team and how they feel. Our empowering culture enables them to make their own decisions and we nurture that every day.

Finally, inclusivity and diversity are essential. A diverse and inclusive workforce promotes positive behaviour and leads to more innovative ideas and better decision-making.

As a sector, we still have a long way to go, but respect and inclusion must be a priority for any employer. A more inclusive workforce is a stronger one. Employees want to feel valued, recognised and be offered opportunities

Wendy O’Beirne Founder and CEO

The Completion Coach

Culture is not a “nice-to-have” element, it’s foundational. It influences how strategies are executed, how employees interact with each other and with customers and how the company is perceived. A great culture creates employee engagement and satisfaction, which in turn impacts clients’ experience and makes decision-making feel in line with shared values and feeling part of the company. Employees who feel part of something are more aligned with the business, which results in reduced turnover and absence.

Culture contributes significantly to a company's success by aligning employees with the goals, which drives engagement and innovation, guides decision-making and ultimately ensures customer satisfaction, loyalty and a good reputation.

In contrast, a toxic or misaligned culture can undermine even the best-laid strategies, leading to high turnover, poor performance and reputational damage. Therefore, investing in and nurturing the right culture is as crucial as any other business strategy.

As a starting point, listen to feedback from staff about what could enhance things for both them and therefore the customer and have an open conversation about what motivates, and demotivates, them. As gyms are focused on wellbeing, look at how this is reflected in both the staff experience and the customers’ experience

Employees who feel part of something are more aligned with the business

in terms of the environment, communication and incentives. When we understand from a staff perspective what reduces motivation it can really help understand what impacts clients’ motivation. When building company culture look at other companies: consider whether or not they have a positive company culture and what, as a customer, makes you think that.

The culture of a company contributes directly to its success

By hiring people who surpass my abilities, I trust them to excel in their roles, while I facilitate their success by removing obstacles

Elaine Jobson CEO, Jetts Fitness

While the success of a company depends on factors such as market dynamics, competition and product quality, without a strong culture, long-term viability is often at risk.

Companies operating in less competitive markets are particularly vulnerable to new entrants with superior cultures that offer better products and customer experiences, so cultivating a vibrant company culture that aligns with core values and promotes collaboration can significantly impact the success trajectory of a company in the long run.

Building a positive culture often starts with leadership. Training all team members to lead effectively is crucial. Senior leaders must exemplify the desired culture consistently. Clear definition of values, vision, and purpose is essential to communicate cultural expectations throughout the organisation. I believe in the principle of surrounding yourself with talented individuals and empowering them. By hiring people who surpass my abilities, I trust them to excel in

their roles, while I facilitate their success by removing obstacles. Collaboration is key: constantly seek feedback, learn from experiences and adapt accordingly.

At Jetts, we outline specific traits we seek in our team members, we call these Ninjas, while identifying and discouraging negative behaviours, known as Nonjas. Recognising and celebrating achievements, fostering open communication and providing opportunities for personal and professional growth are key strategies that gym operators can employ to cultivate a positive company culture.

Establishing this positive company culture is paramount for operational benefits and is also a moral imperative. As leaders, it’s our duty to create an environment where employees feel inspired to excel and thrive. At Jetts, our foundational value of ‘Treat others as we want to be treated’ guides our interactions with both customers and colleagues. By prioritising empathy, integrity, and inclusivity in our daily operations, we enhance employee engagement and create a workplace where individuals can flourish. ●

Jobson: Leaders should inspire employees to excel and thrive

PHOTO: JETTS FITNESS

Life lessons ____

It’s diffi cult to get to a good position without having made a few bad calls

Because of the lessons I learned with TRIB3, Everlast Gyms has the strongest version of me

DAN SUMMERSON

Dan Summerson, MD of Everlast Gyms, reflects on powerful learnings from the early days of TRIB3, the boutique gym business he co-founded with Kevin Yates. He talks to Kath Hudson

In 2013, Kev Yates and I – who’d met as gym instructors at Fitness First when we were only 20 – set out to create a boutique brand in the north of England. At that time there were Barry’s and 1Rebel, but no one was really doing it outside London and there was an assumption it wouldn’t work elsewhere. Coming from the north we thought differently – we knew there were affluent people there and so we co-founded TRIB3. We brought in two investors as silent partners and had enough money to build three clubs. The first was in Sheffield and went really well – it was in a good location and has always been the strongest performer.

I wanted to open the next two sites in Manchester and Leeds, but the consensus was to get critical mass in Sheffield with two more locations.

My gut feeling was that Sheffield wasn’t big enough for three gyms and that the proposed locations didn’t have the right footfall or traffic.

There’s more flexibility with big box gyms, whereas with boutiques you have to be more selective in terms of location, because of the higher price point.

However, it was an exciting time and there were other people involved in the decisionmaking and so I agreed with the consensus for the good of the relationships within the business.

Summerson is leading the rollout of the Everlast Gyms brand

I’m now more measured about opening new sites – making sure everything is running smoothly at the existing sites before starting on the next one

These second two sites in Sheffield never worked as well as the first and this put the business on the back foot. We were growing too quickly and never fully recovered from opening these two sites in the wrong locations.

A few years down the line this led to us having to sell a controlling stake – which was bought by Holmes Place – and ultimately exit the business.

I’m not allocating blame, or saying I wasn’t part of the decision making – of course I was – but I did go against my better judgement and looking back I realise I should have been more vocal about expressing my reservations.

It’s something I regret and that Kev and I have talked about since we left. If we’d got it right in the beginning, I think we would still be operating TRIB3, instead of just being shareholders.

A more measured approach

The whole TRIB3 situation changed me massively as a person. I realised I should have gone with my own judgements – it was one of those situations where the needs of the business should have come before the relationships.

A lot of the time life is gut instinct. It’s the feeling that you get from those environments,

Everlast

Gyms is building world class health clubs

The aim is steady growth in the right locations

regardless of all the stats. You get reports saying that a location is going to be outstanding, but for me it’s just as important to look around – at the traffic and the people and get a feel for the place.

In the fitness industry there’s often the desire to expand, but I’m more measured now about opening new sites and being more selective. I like to make sure that all operational aspects are running smoothly at the existing sites before starting on the next one.

Looking back to TRIB3, we should have gone more slowly and made sure the business was prepared for change. We were rushing to expand too quickly.

These are lessons I’ve continued to be inspired by ever since – the experience taught me about attention to detail: get the team and the processes in a row and don’t move until everything is right.

Get the right locations, encourage your team to put all the facts and opinions on the table before a decision is made and don’t expand too fast.

TRIB3 was a stepping stone that got me where I am today, so I don’t look at the experience negatively.

It’s difficult to get to a good position without having made a few bad calls and anybody who says they’ve never made a mistake is probably lying.

Because of the lessons I learned with TRIB3, Everlast Gyms has the strongest version of me.

I’m proud of what we’re accomplishing at Everlast and excited about where we’re heading next. l

PHOTO: EVERLAST GYMS

Industry experts give their insights into opportunities in the sector

FORWARD LOOKING

Growth, consolidation, wellness and more, Kath Hudson asks the experts to share insights into the opportunities they see in 2025

Liz Clark

President and CEO Health and Fitness Association

We see 2025 as a year of excitement, optimism and opportunity for the global health and fitness industry, as well as the Health and Fitness Association (HFA). Each passing year shows positive growth and our research indicates that fitness consumers are informed and passionate about what science confirms –exercise benefits physical and mental health.

“HFA is working with the WHO to combat the global epidemic of physical inactivity by aligning with its Global Action Plan"

mass loss and improving cardiovascular health are essential parts of a comprehensive programme of overall health for any consumer using these drugs.

With events such as the FIFA World Cup, Summer Olympics, Paralympics, and Winter Olympics and Paralympics taking place in the US, our industry has an unparalleled opportunity to showcase the transformative power of physical activity and the link between our industry, these events and athletes.

HFA now has a seat at the table with policy experts and NGOs as an advocate for moving from prescriptive to preventive health care. We have begun outreach to the Trump Administration to ensure the fitness industry will be involved with all discussions about physical health, exercise and mental health, healthcare policy, government operations, and related areas.

HFA is working with the WHO to combat the global epidemic of physical inactivity by aligning with its Global Action Plan on Physical Activity. In partnership with the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WSFGI), we’re exploring ways to raise awareness of the inactivity crisis and provide actionable solutions and resources for policymakers.

Another trend is the use of GLP-1 prescriptions for weight loss. We expect that over the next five years, obesity will trend downward – an important directional change. HFA is working with policymakers in the US and with global NGOs to ensure this important public health topic is addressed in the proper context. Preventing muscle

HFA also remains focused on the PHIT Act – our signature US legislative proposal to allow the use of pre-tax dollars for fitness expenses, facility use and youth sports. We also see a great opportunity for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for fitness facility usage to address chronic disease and improve health among seniors and underserved populations.

We’re also working to educate policymakers about the impact on our industry from proposed tariffs and trade deals. We’re concerned that increased tariffs on imported equipment and technology could drive up costs for suppliers and operators both in the US and globally.

Our research is also being stepped up.

Following the release of our annual US Health and Fitness Consumer Report and popular Global Report , we also launched a first-of-its-kind consumer survey focusing on Latin America, in partnership with ABC Fitness. This month we’ll be releasing groundbreaking data on price elasticity and impacts on consumer behaviour in 10 key regions around the world.

HFA conference and trade show will be held in Las Vegas in March

PHOTO:

PHOTO: STEPHEN GOSLING

Martin Seibold CEO LifeFit Group

The German fitness market is in a phase of consolidation. With our new investor, Waterland (since September 2024), LifeFit Group has intensified its efforts to leverage this and grow through a buy-and-build strategy.

What we began with the establishment of the LifeFit Group in 2019 will be further accelerated in 2025. A big focus will be on quickly integrating acquired chains and individual gyms into our Fitness First network while maintaining high standards. We’ll also be exploring the opportunity of expanding into neighbouring countries.

Our industry is in a fantastic position and poised for further growth in the coming year. The driving forces will continue to be an increased awareness of

“We’ll be exploring the opportunity of expanding into neighbouring countries”

the power of health and fitness among consumers, as well as the boom in strength and functional training and group fitness.

People want to train and are actively seeking community connections. Those who succeed in

building and nurturing communities within their clubs will reap the benefits, retaining existing members while also attracting new ones.

Personalised and individual fitness experiences are on the rise, presenting an opportunity to stand out from the competition. Personalised support for prospects and members at digital touchpoints will be popular with customers. This trend towards individualisation will also lead to growth in boutique concepts that provide a bespoke experience.

At the other end of the scale, we also anticipate a growing trend towards clubs with very few staff or no staff. These offer the advantage of affordable and flexible 24/7 training options in smaller towns, allowing fitness enthusiasts to find a gym in their local neighbourhood.

We’ve been noticing an increasingly younger audience –Gen Z – is finding its way into our clubs. With the growing awareness of fitness on social media, this trend is set to continue into 2025.

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SATS is launching a Reformer Pilates concept

Ellen Vanberg

Chief product officer SATS

Consumers’ focus on wellness and mental health will continue and – as health club operators – we’re playing a key role in bridging health and fitness. People are visiting our clubs both for tough high-intensity and strength workouts and also to relax and take care of body and mind. Going forward, we expect this demand to increase.

Experience-driven fitness is more important than ever. Consumers are expecting more than just a workout: community, atmosphere and entertainment are all important keys to success.

People have access to more information than ever before about their own body, such as insights into sleep health and how to boost their energy levels. This puts an even greater expectation on operators to ensure high levels of competence among staff and introduce new perspectives and inspiration.

Calm and gentle classes are growing in popularity too and SATS is planning to add to the wellness bundle we introduced in 2024. Our biggest hit is the Aroma Relax class which is a calm yoga class with focus on soft movements, stretches and deep relaxation, supported by essential oils from

“In 2025 we’ll expand our wellness bundle further with a Breathing for Stress Relief class”

diffusers. In 2025 we’ll expand our wellness bundle further with a Breathing for Stress Relief class.

With continued demand for Pilates in all forms, we’re also planning to launch our Reformer concept studio in Q1 2025 with a variety of classes in a modern, flexible, and inspiring studio.

reports that demand for calm classes is growing

PHOTO: SATS

Vanberg

“I get the sense of new entrants on the horizon – we know some overseas operators are looking at London and the UK”

Colin Waggett CEO Third Space

The main things will remain the main things – people want quality experiences, which is about getting the all-important service fundamentals 100 per cent right. The mega trends of experiences not things, premiumisation and wellness will continue to play out. The growing awareness that inner motivations are as much about mental health and happiness as losing weight will also continue. This shapes not only why people come, but also what they look for when they do. They want community and events that are new experiences, while recovery and hot and cold therapy are much in demand. Reformer Pilates is having

a massive moment – perhaps it’s the perfect intersection of strength training and mind and body. Participation in fitness events is at an all time high – whether that be longstanding things such as the London marathon or the more recent Hyrox. Our members are looking for specialist training for these events – such as how to perform better and to prevent injury.

Wearables continue to break through. Our PTs are now as equipped to talk about Heart Rate Variability and sleep as they are about reps, sets and periodisation. This was not a widespread topic five years ago, but it is now and that market will only grow.

Peptides (weight loss drugs) are coming. I was told recently that nine per cent of adults in the US are on them. Whether that’s true or not, there’s no question the market is growing fast – and it brings people to our door who might otherwise not have come. Net net, I think it will be positive for the industry. Costs continue to increase. In the UK, the recent changes in National Insurance contributions are a kick in the teeth, alongside embedded wage inflation. It will be interesting to see if the price inflation we saw in the sector in 2023 and 2024 continues. If it does, it will spell trouble for some.

Finally, I get the sense of new entrants on the horizon and increasing global expansion for key operators – we know some overseas operators are looking at London and the UK, for example. So it won’t be dull. It never is!

Members want to train for events such as Hyrox says Waggett

Colin Waggett at the HCM

WATCH NOW

“We’re expanding Hyrox classes, as we become the largest Hyrox training club in the UK”

Will Orr CEO

The Gym Group

Interest and motivation in health and fitness continues to increase. According to the Leisure DB State of the UK Fitness Industry Report , published in 2024, the UK fitness sector grew by 10 per cent year-on-year, with the high value, low cost segment experiencing the fastest growth. Younger generations and Gen Z are particularly important to the growth of the sector. A recent survey by The Gym Group (www.hcmmag.com/pubsgyms) revealed that Gen Z gym-goers are already building healthy habits, with 62 per cent exercising twice a week or more. Alongside the fitness benefits, the gym is a place for young people to socialise and gain positive mental wellbeing. We’re really listening to this generation of young gym natives as we evolve.

Orr says 2025 new openings will be funded from free cashflow

the largest Hyrox training club in the UK. We’re also continuing to focus on how we maintain a great standard in our existing estate by investing in refurbishments and kit upgrades, helping us to maintain our record high customer satisfaction scores.

We made good progress on our Next Chapter growth strategy in 2024 and we’re growing like-forlike revenue and generating free cashflow to organically fund another 50 sites over the next three years.

As demand grows, we’ll continue to build ever more value into our proposition. We’re heading into the new year expanding Hyrox classes to 120 of our gyms, as we become

We had 245 gyms at the end of 2024, having opened 12 new gyms in the year. This positive, sustainable growth helps us fulfil our founding mission to break down barriers to fitness for all, so we can contribute to a fitter, healthier nation. We’re looking forward to 2025 being another positive year of growth.

Gen Z gym natives are a special focus for TGG

PHOTO: THE GYM GROUP

Will Orr at the HCM Summit 2024

“We’ll see more health screening, IV therapies, testosterone replacement therapy, bloodwork and personalised medical interventions”

Jean-Claude Vacassin

MD

The Foundry

Strength training will continue to trend, but the major shift will be towards mental and physical health and longevity. We’ll see the arrival of longevity clinics and the evolution of fit-spa concepts, where fitness meets hot and cold therapy and other recovery methodologies. It will be about living stronger for longer and through working out, incorporating a mental health practice and balancing physiological load. On top of this, we’ll see more health screening, IV therapies, testosterone replacement therapy,

bloodwork and personalised medical interventions. Workouts will continue to become more personalised, supported by tech, wearables and data.

The move to a more wellnessfocused consumer will attract a new audience and further increase engagement with those who’ve been on the fence or inconsistent with working out previously.

There's a huge opportunity for the fitness and wellness industry to work more closely with primary care providers to shift the conversation to prevention rather than cure. Gyms and wellbeing centres will also start to attract those who’ve previously only exercised outdoors or in other sports and recreational settings.

There are a couple of obvious challenges. How operators evolve to cater more for wellbeing? How do we cater for seasoned gym-goers as well as new, holistic users? While “Fitness for everyone” is a great message, there are practical considerations. With more money, tech and medicalisation coming into the sector, how do operators stay ahead, current and competitive? Choosing what to focus on will be key going forward.

For Foundry, it's all about coaching, community, and client experience. We’ll continue to offer a strippedback, no frills gym experience that puts coaching and community at the heart of what we do. This will be supported by our product partners in nutrition, medical screening, food prep, data and technology, to blend the best of an analogue training environment (gym floor), with a comprehensive digital wraparound.

PHOTO: THE FOUNDRY / WILL DEVEREUX

Vacassin says we're moving into an era of wellnessdriven consumers

Foundry is focusing on coaching, community and experience

Peter Bundey CEO GLL

This should be the year when our sector drives strong collective agendas to meet a raft of policy and structural changes.

There was much talk in 2024 that we’re wellplaced to meet social, economic and health agendas being developed as one of the UK government’s “mission-led” priorities. However, the failure to get any reference to physical activity in the Get Britain Working White Paper, is a timely reminder that we can’t afford to be complacent.

While we understand the incredible crosscutting potential of our sector, it's still up to us to convince others of that potential.

Our sector is a significant employer, especially delivering routes to work for young people. Throughout 2025 all eyes will be on employment indicators and skills development opportunities, while we’ll also need to manage upcoming National Insurance cost increases. We will, therefore, need to be active in presenting our employment structures and specialisms, alongside reaffirming our credentials as a vibrant and successful employment sector.

Similarly, failure to get meaningful engagement with health and wellbeing policy will leave us

detached from strategic discussion and without a practical foothold in preventative health delivery. The sector needs to demonstrate the breadth and scale of impact to challenge government agencies to support our fight.

We must all engage with and support UK Active’s drive for more data. Without supporting industry data, our voices will be lost once again to other, better presented sectors. We have a compelling story that must be evidenced on a scale that resonates.

Expect Community Leisure UK (alongside Social Enterprise UK) to make a strong case for the independent leisure and cultural trusts and non-profit distributing organisations to be key participants in the co-creation of civil society ambitions for the new government.

A forthcoming government paper will shape plans for continued devolution and possible structural changes to local government. This will potentially touch both county councils and district councils and see the establishment of more elected mayors. We should expect to see potential changes in areas that impact the wider sector; from planning powers, regional development strategies, housing development and transportation agendas to revised local administration. Throughout this period, we must ensure the future of public leisure, physical activity, libraries and cultural facilities are championed and enhanced.

“A forthcoming paper to be published by government will shape plans for devolution and structural changes to local government”

PHOTO: GLL

“In November we completed our acquisition of Blink Fitness, transforming our presence in the US market”

Rebecca

Group COO PureGym

It’s a challenging macroeconomic environment, so all operators will be carefully planning how best to manage rising business costs, including employer National Insurance contributions and the bigger-thanexpected rise in minimum wage in the UK. However, we’re optimistic and looking forward to another year of growth and expansion.

The value gym market has proven to be resilient and we’ve got a track record of managing our cost base well during difficult economic times, as well as having a low labour operating model. We’re focused on maintaining operational efficiency and aiming to offset these higher costs through savings and selective price increases. We will, however, never compromise on our commitment to providing excellent value-for-money, which we know

is so important to our members and prospects. This is one of the main reasons we’ve been able to attract new gym goers who were previously priced out of the market.

On the gym floor, we expect strength-based training’s popularity to continue as members increasingly recognise its value and importance. This trend has been growing steadily across all demographics since pre-pandemic.

The industry will need to ensure it’s set up to support those using weight loss drugs. Strength training

which combats loss of muscle tone is particularly important for users and there’s an obvious role for health clubs to play in supporting members on this journey. We’re actively exploring how best to do this through enhanced PT training and guidance for members.

Overall 2024 was a hugely significant year for PureGym. In August we announced a leadership transition that has seen Humphrey Cobbold become chair and Clive Chesser succeed him as CEO.

In November we completed our acquisition of Blink Fitness, transforming our presence in the US market. We also made great progress on UK expansion, opening 44 new sites and our landmark 400th club in Plymouth Derriford.

In 2025 expansion will continue. Specifically in the UK we plan to open between 50-60 new sites –including 12 high-quality locations sourced via the Carpetright administration process – continuing our ambition of full nationwide coverage, even in more rural areas.

Passmore

PureGym is planning up to 60 new sites in 2025

PHOTO: PUREGYM / JAMES MCCAULEY

Rebecca Passmore will be a keynote speaker at the HCM Summit 2025

Elaine Jobson

CEO Jetts

The fitness industry continues to evolve, shaped by societal shifts, technological advancements and an enduring focus on health and wellbeing. At Jetts, we’re optimistic and excited about the opportunities on the horizon, while remaining mindful of the challenges our sector must navigate.

Strength training continues to dominate as a key fitness trend, with more people recognising the long-term benefits of building and maintaining muscle for overall health. Alongside this, recovery and wellness solutions such as infrared saunas, mobility-focused classes are growing in popularity, reflecting demand for a holistic approach.

Technology is also playing a pivotal role, particularly in how operators engage with members. AI-driven personalisation, gamification and digital fitness platforms are enhancing the customer experience, making fitness more accessible and tailored. We expect hybrid models combining physical and digital offerings to thrive, catering to diverse consumer needs.

Another trend is the focus on inclusivity and accessibility. From gyms designed for older adults to boutique studios targeting niche communities, the industry is expanding its reach and appeal, ensuring everyone feels welcome.

“We’ll continue to expand our network of clubs, both in Australia and internationally”

The opportunities are vast. Fitness continues to be a priority for many, with mental health now a leading motivator. This shift provides an opening for operators to innovate with offerings that emphasise mindfulness, community and mental wellbeing.

The societal push for healthier lifestyles positions our industry as a player in public health, creating opportunities for collaboration with governments, healthcare providers and employers.

Challenges persist. Economic pressures may lead to consumers scrutinising discretionary spending, meaning value and quality will be critical. Operators must strike a Jetts

balance between affordability and delivering an exceptional experience. Additionally, as demand grows, so does competition, particularly from boutiques and budget operators, making differentiation vital.

We’re committed to staying ahead of these trends and challenges and will continue to expand our network of clubs, both in Australia and internationally. We’re investing in cutting-edge equipment, recovery zones and new training formats to enhance the member experience.

We’re also ensuring our franchise network has the tools and resources to succeed through an ecosystem where franchise owners and members feel valued.

Huw Edwards

CEO UK Active

There’s real reason for optimism as we settle into a new year, with exciting developments coming down the tracks.

Last year was one of change in the UK, with the general election marking a significant milestone for the sector and how it’s positioned in the context of a new government, with new priorities.

While national challenges have remained, we’re taking the practical and necessary steps to further cement our sector’s position as a trusted, reliable and essential service that directly supports economic growth and the health of the nation.

Access to data on the sector's performance and identifying key consumer trends will be crucial in supporting growth in the sector and to this end UK Active will be building on its work with research outfit, 4Global. This means UK Active’s operator, supplier and partner members can use data from a single source to attract new revenue and investment.

The physical activity sector has an integral role to play in the developing health agenda, including in relation to weight loss drugs.

Following the UK government’s plans for GLP-1s. We’re working to support the sector to provide

wrap-around support services for those taking these medications, as exercise is viewed as an essential component, alongside prescriptions.

UK Active and CIMSPA have also announced a programme of support for members in relation to GLP-1s, while we’ll be continuing to engage with the government to maximise the potential for healthier lifestyle interventions more generally.

We expect the government to set out a clear strategy in 2025, recognising the full role the physical activity sector can play in driving economic growth and improving the nation’s health – major priorities it outlined towards the end of 2024.

UK Active is pressing government departments on the barriers that must be overcome for our sector to play its fullest role, with ongoing opportunities for our sector to demonstrate its strength ahead of the Spending Review in June.

“We expect the UK government to recognise the role the sector can play in driving economic growth and improving health”

UK Active is lobbying for the sector to be seen as essential

Ty Menzies CEO Snap Fitness

Ipredict a further shift to holistic wellness over physical fitness this year. For consumers, the concept of fitness has already moved beyond physical exercise to encompass mental wellbeing, nutrition and emotional balance. While exercise will still be at the heart of health clubs, I expect an increasing number of operators to launch inclusive wellness programmes –catering to all backgrounds – supporting stress management and overall emotional wellbeing.

From wearable tech to AI-driven personal training, technology is going to offer even more ways for members to enjoy personalised and datadriven workout experiences. The question for us, as providers, is how we continue to integrate technology at every level to provide members with a seamless, connected and engaging experience.

Fitness in 2025 will be even more accessible and inclusive, embracing diversity and adjusting offerings to cater for people of all backgrounds, abilities and body types. We’ve already seen a shift in the way we market our facilities – with more inclusive and representative messaging. I see more operators focusing on adaptive programmes that address health conditions and providing options for those with unique physical needs, including specialised equipment, tailored classes and staff training to ensure everyone feels welcome.

With locations in all of our key markets, Snap Fitness is planning to fast-track growth in the coming year and will be working on technology integration and providing support with all aspects of health, across fitness, nutrition, recovery and mental wellbeing.

We’ll be working on Snap App enhancements with more Fitness On Demand workouts and leveraging the latest technology to help members track their progress. We’re also developing signature group exercise programmes.

“I expect an increasing number of operators to launch inclusive wellness programmes”

Snap Fitness is planning to fast track growth in 2025 says Menzies

WATCH NOW

Belinda

Steward at the HCM Summit 2024

Belinda Steward

MD of leisure, health and wellbeing

Places

Leisure

2024 has left us feeling excited and optimistic for the future. It was a year of continued growth and diversification within the sector, with trends reflecting changes in consumer preferences, advancements in technology and a focus on wellness.

This year, we’ll be putting an even bigger focus on customer experience and using data and insight to put customers at the heart of everything we do to elevating the experience while supporting retention and loyalty. With the increasing demand for personalised experiences and tech to support people on their fitness journey, we must create environments to help individuals achieve their goals. The industry needs to continue to monitor the wants and needs of customers and adapt appropriately to deliver. For us, this led to the creation of new partnerships including with EGYM and Speedflex.

We’re imagining a time when wearable technology will seamlessly integrate with medical applications to support the management of overall physical and mental health. In addition to people looking for personalised experiences and the integration of tech, we expect

“We’re imagining a time when wearable technology will seamlessly integrate with medical applications”

demand for personal connections to grow, especially with young people viewing exercise as a way to socialise. We’re responsible for making our facilities true community hubs offering support and personal connection.

We can’t ignore continuing pressures on the NHS. As an industry we have a responsibility to support the improvement of national health and wellbeing through access to physical activity.

We must also reach those who are unable to attend our centres for whatever reason. We have a dedicated team who are working to build new programmes and work in partnership with different organisations to deliver a variety of initiatives.

A big focus for Places Leisure this year will be to build our community outreach programmes

across the country. We’ll continue to run programmes within our centres aimed at tackling health inequalities, such as the Big Sister Project which we proudly run in partnership with Women in Sport at all of our centres. l

Belinda Steward

Places Leisure is focusing on the customer journey, says Steward

Taking control

Burnley Leisure is boosting exercise participation and building community through skill-based fitness in partnership with BOX12

In its mission to increase community exercise participation, Burnley Leisure Centre in the UK has embraced the power of skill-based boxing workouts to inspire more people to get active. By introducing BOX12, the centre has provided structured, guided workouts accessible to people of all ages and abilities, helping to drive engagement and create lasting fitness habits.

Empowering the community

As a key community hub, Burnley Leisure is dedicated to supporting the health and wellbeing

“BOX12 is like having a personal coach on hand. It’s the guidance members need to take control of their fitness”

Sarah Drinkwater, Burnley Leisure

of local residents. Recognising the potential of boxing for fitness, Sarah Drinkwater, head of fitness at Burnley Leisure, identified its appeal as both a stress-relieving activity and a fun and motivating workout that delivers clear progression.

“Learning a skill such as boxing transforms fitness from a chore into a hobby. Our members feel empowered as they progress and the mental and physical benefits are undeniable,” says Drinkwater. However, running traditional boxing classes posed challenges for Burnley Leisure’s team, particularly with staff resources stretched thin. To overcome these hurdles, the centre turned to BOX12’s ondemand technology, which provides expertly designed workouts via digital screens. These always-available sessions allow members to train independently, ensuring a seamless, high-quality experience without the need for staff oversight.

Supporting women through menopause BOX12 has also been instrumental in Burnley Leisure’s award-winning menopause programme, designed to support women through one of the most challenging phases of their lives. With tailored boxing workouts addressing physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, the programme has seen excellent uptake within the community. Participants have reported reduced stress, increased strength, and improved confidence — benefits that have even led to referrals from satisfied members.

“BOX12 plays a key role in empowering women through our menopause programme,” says Drinkwater. “The accessible workouts help build

PHOTO: BOX12

“The accessible workouts help build resilience and provide a sense of accomplishment”

resilience and provide a sense of accomplishment, which is invaluable during such a transitional time.”

An inclusive and flexible fitness solution BOX12 ’s 36-minute sessions, coupled with its userfriendly digital interface, make fitness accessible even for those with busy schedules or low confidence.

The technology’s simplicity and always-on availability have proven transformative for Burnley Leisure, enabling members to train autonomously and feel supported throughout their journey.

“BOX12 is like having a personal coach on hand,” Drinkwater explains. “It’s the reassurance and guidance our members need to take control of their fitness.”

By integrating BOX12, Burnley Leisure Centre has successfully enhanced its fitness offering, inspiring more people in the community to get active and stay engaged with their health and wellbeing. l l More: www.box12fitness.com

The Box12 installation at the Oak Park Active Living Centre

The Box12 Pod (above) and below, the Pod in use

PHOTO: BOX12

PHOTO: BOX12

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How clubs manage their assets has an impact on retention, attrition and member satisfaction, as well as investment and business management, as Julie Cramer discovers

ASSET MANAGEMENT

The system allows real-time tracking of the progress of repairs

Operators get a dashboard that tracks equipment condition, valuation, and maintenance schedules from all suppliers

Orbit4 delivers advanced asset management and service platforms, including a Service Ticket Manager (STM), which connects operators with all their various service providers via a mobile app and web interface.

This technology allows real-time tracking of repair progress, minimising equipment downtime and ensuring compliance with service agreements.

Operators get a centralised dashboard that tracks equipment condition, valuation, and maintenance schedules from all their suppliers. By automating processes and delivering actionable data, Orbit4 enhances operational efficiency and improves decision-making for health club operators.

What are the tangible benefits?

Firstly, real-time repair monitoring: the STM platform enables operators to track the status of repairs, ensuring reduced downtime and maximised equipment availability.

Secondly, comprehensive asset insights: operators can access detailed reports on valuations, maintenance history and asset condition through a centralised dashboard, aiding strategic decision-making.

And thirdly, streamlined trade-ins and procurement: the platform simplifies the trade-in of old equipment and optimises the procurement of new assets, maximising returns. These tools

empower operators to improve member satisfaction, enhance efficiency and make datadriven business decisions

Can you prove a positive impact on the bottom line?

Yes, Orbit4 can demonstrate measurable financial benefits for health club operators.

Timely maintenance reduces attrition rates and improves member satisfaction, as evidenced by the enhanced Net Promoter Score achieved by BH Live, which has multiple venues and leisure centres across Dorset and Hampshire.

Operators such as Gymbox benefit from better returns on equipment trade-ins and quicker repair times, ensuring members enjoy uninterrupted services. These outcomes boost retention rates and allow operators to offer premium services, therefore, supporting higher membership fees. More: www.orbit4.org

Steve Ruffell

Orbit4

Orbit4 enables operators to control their assets

PHOTO: ORBIT4

PHOTO: ORBIT4

Our technology drives efficiency and reliability in servicing and maintaining commercial gym equipment.

We leverage a comprehensive asset management system that integrates real-time tracking, defect reporting and an interactive dashboard. This software ensures gym operators are instantly aware of the condition of their assets, can schedule preventative maintenance services, and request an engineer’s visit at the push of a button.

Proactive maintenance minimises unexpected equipment repair costs

By integrating these technologies, we deliver proactive, data-driven solutions tailored to each club’s unique needs. This approach reduces costs, enhances equipment reliability and supports operators in delivering uninterrupted member experiences, ensuring optimal operational performance and member satisfaction.

What are the tangible benefits?

Our engineers use mobile applications to streamline on-site repairs, providing instant access to equipment history, schematics and live updates, enabling swift and precise interventions.

We enhance service and maintenance for operators through technological solutions: firstly, an asset management dashboard that gives real-time insights into our performance and each piece of equipment, including location, condition and maintenance history.

Matt Hoffman

ServiceSport UK

Servicesport engineers also attend to do repairs on-site

PHOTO: SERVICESPORT

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Facilities with consistently serviced equipment can justify higher membership fees, positioning themselves as premium providers

Displaying the first-time fix rate of gym equipment and engineers’ ‘time-to-site’ data, this facilitates informed decisions regarding repairs, as well as optimising asset utilisation and budgeting when it comes to new purchases.

Our fault-reporting application enables operators to report equipment defects, schedule engineers’ visits and monitor job progress. This streamlines communication, reduces response times and minimises equipment downtime, ensuring a seamless member experience.

And finally, our maintenance scheduling system, which allows for the organisation of regular maintenance, ensures equipment remains in optimal condition and reduces the risk of unexpected breakdowns.

Are you able to demonstrate a positive impact on the bottom line?

Timely equipment maintenance significantly impacts a club’s bottom line by enhancing member retention and supporting premium pricing. Wellmaintained equipment ensures a safe, reliable experience, reducing member attrition caused by dissatisfaction with faulty equipment.

Facilities with consistently serviced equipment can justify higher membership fees, positioning themselves as premium providers. Additionally, proactive maintenance minimises unexpected repair costs and downtime, ensuring operational efficiency and consistent member satisfaction, ultimately boosting revenue and long-term profitability for operators. More: www.servicesport.com

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Reduced downtime decreases the likelihood of members joining a competitor club

The club reported a 16 per cent improvement in member retention over 12 months

Graham Bertrand

PSLT

At PSLT we have a customer portal, which ensures that contracted service customers can fully manage equipment they source from us, by tracking issues.

What are the tangible benefits?

They can instantly report issues, saving time. They can also view invoices, so both their operations and finance can be managed effectively. Finally and more importantly, they can get live data on KPIs and transparency on the history and planned service callouts, along with full management of every piece of kit.

Can you prove a positive impact on the bottom line?

Preventative maintenance that’s carried out in a timely manner keeps equipment working optimally, ensuring members can trust their club to meet their fitness needs, creating a loyal customer base. It also enhances long term profitability.

A health club in Oswestry teamed up with PSLT for its service contract. We were able to reduce the downtime of cardio and strength machines and as a result the club was able to avoid clients joining its competitors, leading to a 16 per cent improvement in member retention over 12 months. ●

More: www.pslt.co.uk

PHOTO: PSLT

PHOTO: PSLT

The system records details of all KPIs

THE HEARBEAT OF YOUR GYM

SERVICING & REPAIR OF GYM EQUIPMENT

MAINTENANCE & ASSET MANAGEMENT

REFRESH OF EXISTING GYM EQUIPMENT

CONSOLE & MONITOR REPAIRS

ON-SITE UPHOLSTERY REPAIRS

STORAGE & INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENT

How do we attract the next generation of group exercise instructors? Abi Harris asks what it will take to make the sector a compelling career choice

FUTURE TALENT

It’s no secret some operators are finding recruitment challenging after many fitness professionals left the sector post-lockdowns. In a bid to unlock growth opportunities when it comes to hiring great group exercise instructors, Les Mills’ recent research, Nurturing the Next Gen: Blueprint for Instructor Recruitment (www.hcmmag.com/LMInextgen), looked at how Gen Zers perceive career opportunities in the sector.

They found that respondents with a high level of interest in training to be a group exercise instructor like the idea of working in a fitness environment, upskilling and being paid to work out, but feel the lack of mentors is a barrier. They also have the perception of the training being intimidating or overwhelming and the work being poorly paid. Most important to them is earning a living wage (71 per cent), followed by the availability of pathways for progression (61 per cent).

Gen Zers attach a lot of importance to social issues – more than half said they want their employer to care about diversity, equity and inclusion, for their employer’s values to align with their own and for their employer to care about the environment.

Following the publication of this research, we asked six industry experts how they believe operators can best recruit and retain the next generation of group exercise instructors…

PHOTO: LES MILLS / DEAN

PODMORE

Martin Franklin

Les Mills International

AQualified instructors can gain experience from mentoring new staff

It’s clear to see the incredible role instructors play in our industry

s every operator knows, instructors are the backbone of a thriving group training operation, with the ability to make a decisive difference to a facility’s fortunes and retention efforts. Bringing on board the next generation of talent helps young prospects feel welcome in our facilities and can ease the labour shortages many are still grappling with.

Our new report, Nurturing the Next Gen: Blueprint for Instructor Recruitment , shares insights from 2,500 young people globally who are open to working in the fitness industry. We asked them about the role of the group training instructor, their motivations, aspirations and barriers to entry. A standout finding is their need for ongoing support. The joint top barriers to starting an instructor journey are a lack of mentor and a lack of confidence to train.

These fears can be allayed by demonstrating they’ll continue to have the support of existing instructors once they’ve qualified. This way, the next generation get expert feedback and mentorship, while your

current instructors feel valued and gain the opportunity to enhance their mentoring skills. Couple this with the fact incoming prospects told us they’re motivated to help others develop a love of fitness and it’s clear to see the incredible role instructors play in our industry. The good news for clubs? There’s not far to go when it comes to seeking the Next Gen out. 60 per cent of strong instructor prospects are already taking part in group training. Priming your existing instructors to scout their studio and tap the participants they think have what it takes to make the leap is a light-touch activity.

For clubs in need of support, our CIMSPA-accredited Les Mills Group Fitness Management course covers the recruitment and selection of rockstar instructors.

Crucially, your instructor pipeline is only as good as the amount of people you attract into your group training studio and this comes down to the importance you place on it. We’re seeing a record number of training bookings for our courses, so breaking down barriers and offering all members incentives to enter the studio is key to growing the pool of potential prospects.

PHOTO: LESMILLS

PHOTO: LES MILLS / DEAN

Having a role which makes a difference is important to young people

Linking professional status to career progression will ensure roles in our sector are perceived as having the same value as other professions

Tara Dillon CIMSPA

As the sector’s chartered professional body, ensuring that the idea of joining our sector appeals to the next generation of professionals is essential to making sure we have a pipeline of talent that can deliver on future needs.

Our sector offers great benefits to those starting their career, including flexible, opportunities to work with different groups of consumers, as well as options for both employment and self-employment. It can fit around other life commitments, enabling an individual to build a working pattern and style that suits them.

The Workforce Insight Report 2023 (www.hcmmag.com/workforceinsight23) revealed that 30 per cent of jobs in the sector are held by those between 16-24 years of age – three times the average of all occupations across all sectors.

While it’s positive that roles in our sector are attractive to young people, it is essential we ensure clear career pathways are available and communicated if we’re to avoid high turnover.

According to Youth Employment UK, an independent social enterprise founded to tackle youth unemployment, meaningful career progression, having a role that makes a difference and strong training and development opportunities are all important factors in a young person’s career choice, in addition to flexibility, stability and salary considerations.

Achieving greater recognition of the contribution that professionals in our sector make to the health and wellbeing of communities and the social and economic value they add, will help more young people see impactful career opportunities.

In addition, linking professional status to career progression that’s aligned with training and development will ensure roles in our sector can be perceived with the same esteem and value as other professions.

Through the CIMSPA Careers Hub and a partnership with Unifrog, an organisation that supports 1.9 million students in almost 3,000 schools and colleges with career choices, we’re showing young people and others the great career opportunities that exist in our vibrant sector.

PHOTO: CIMSPA

Lisa Skelton

Active IQ

The fitness industry faces an urgent challenge in not only attracting, but also retaining the next generation of fitness professionals. Research from our recent Skills Gap Report, found that 43 per cent of fitness professionals believe there are limited or no opportunities for career development and it’s clear the industry must make significant changes to meet the expectations of future talent.

Operators must prioritise career progression and development opportunities; only 20 per cent of current fitness professionals believe there are ‘plenty’ of opportunities to grow within the industry, a sentiment that needs to change if we want to attract fresh talent. It’s essential that operators showcase the various career paths available – whether that’s moving into management, specialisations or business ownership – and actively support their staff in pursuing them.

One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through Continuing Professional Development [CPD] programmes, which can keep young instructors engaged and motivated by offering them the tools and knowledge to advance their careers. Operators should ensure this is a core part of their employment offering – it could include partnerships with training providers, subsidised courses or in-house mentoring schemes.

The future of the fitness industry hinges on creating a culture where progression is prioritised

Providing opportunities for instructors to upskill will help keep them passionate about the industry and improve retention. Ultimately, the future of the fitness industry hinges on creating a culture where development and progression are prioritised. By addressing these concerns and offering real, tangible opportunities for growth, we can attract the next generation of fitness instructors and ensure the long-term success of the sector.

PHOTO: ACTIVEIQ

We now dedicate a higher percentage of our training budget to upskilling team members in group exercise delivery

Dean Zweck

Total

Fitness

Our research suggests that while classes are one of the biggest drivers of visits – and we deliver a lot, over 1,000 a week – this isn’t the preferred workout choice for Gen Z.

Gen Zers have a higher level of social anxiety, so training in larger groups isn’t for them and creates a barrier to group exercise attendance. Younger people generally prefer to train with their gym buddy; we see a lot of pairs training together or by themselves following their favourite Tik Tok influencer.

For Gen Z, a motivator to working in the sector is the ability to turn their fitness passion into a career, so if they require a mentor to steer them into class delivery, it may need to come via a different source than through participation. To be attractive to this generation, there are a couple of key focuses for us.

An important consideration Gen Zers have when choosing an employer is relatability to their purpose. Alongside our company purpose, we have a clear employee value proposition – ‘more is possible’. This ultimately means making our team members’ roles as rich and rewarding as we can. We believe in a culture that lets people be their true self at work, with flexible career progression. This appeals to Gen Zers, giving us an advantage when it comes to recruiting the top talent from this demographic.

Gen Zers also over-index on the importance of personal development through their careers, and this is a vital cog in retention, improving engagement, enthusiasm and commitment. We’ve seen high demand for traditional group exercise classes such as aqua and Pilates and more modern disciplines such as our Coach by Colour class and Sound Bath. In response we now dedicate a higher percentage of our training budget to upskilling team members in group exercise delivery.

Having a clear purpose and development journey is important to attract Gen Zers and we still have work to do as an industry to ensure important factors are met – such as pay and working conditions – to increase the volume of applicants for group exercise positions.

While we may not have all the answers right now, we’ll continue to work with and listen to Gen Zers as we work to engage with them.

Zweck is focused on understanding Gen Zers

Emma Barry CoverMe Ambassador

Social media influencers are shaping the aspirations of Gen Z, with 53 per cent seeing this as a legitimate career path, while trust in social media personalities is skyrocketing, especially among younger generations.

We can learn from boutiques, that are attracting next-gen instructors with top-notch training, Insta-worthy apparel and flexible schedules

A staggering 57 per cent of Gen Z dream of influencer stardom, according to Morning Consult. At the same time, Les Mills’ research shows aspiring fitness instructors are social media savvy, eagerly sharing their journeys and becoming organic brand ambassadors for their clubs. Surely this is a match made in marketing heaven?

I believe it’s time to give the instructor role an influencer makeover. Group exercise instruction isn’t just about leading workouts; it’s about building a loyal following and creating unforgettable experiences. Instructors are the ultimate community architects, bringing diverse crowds together under the banner of fitness. Their role is ripe for personal branding opportunities that resonate with the influencer-aspirant generation. However, instructor pay needs a serious upgrade to reflect the importance of their role.

These fitness maestros are often the unsung heroes of retention. Don’t be fooled by the invisible thread between a group class and membership fees – it’s often the club’s lifeline. Mytime Active’s recent timetable analysis by Les Mills revealed a third of all members are unique group exercise users. Without a pulsating group fitness programme, the club’s heartbeat flatlines. There’s a lot we can learn from boutiques, which are attracting next-gen instructors with trendy crowds, top-notch training, Insta-worthy apparel, and flexible schedules. Their formula speaks directly to Gen Zs’ career aspirations and desire for a work-life balance that allows for content creation and community building.

We need to look to technology to engage with savvy Gen Z; solutions such as the CoverMe on-demand fitness professional management app that speaks their language, meets them where they are and offers engagement rewards and perks, from Sweaty Betty and Myzone to CIMSPA and FitPro (www.covermeapp.co).

The potential to lure fresh talent and ensure clubs’ long-term viability is enormous if the sector can flex to appeal to the next wave of fitness superstars.

Around 60 per cent of potential instructors are class members

Gill Cummings-Bell

EMD UK

Recruiting group exercise instructors remains a challenge for operators, with a 30 per cent decline in staffing levels post pandemic.

Teaching the public for the first few times can be a tough gig, particularly for a young Gen Z teacher – standing on a stage with all eyes on you can be terrifying. Even more so as many newbies to group exercise teaching have often only studied their craft with training providers under simulation, meaning they’re teaching the public for the first time with no real live experience at all.

A mentoring scheme can help nurture passionate individuals into teaching a real class and building their confidence. There are many great inspirational group exercise teachers working for operators who have a vast knowledge and experience that can be shared with new teachers.

Our EMD UK Instructor Survey 2023 found prospective instructors want to work for an operator in health clubs and leisure centres, rather than out on their own, as they’re inspired by a firstclass workforce of established group exercise teachers and want to follow in their footsteps.

In our experience group exercise teachers are great givers and love to build a community. ‘Instructors

In our experience group exercise teachers are great givers and love to build a community

are grown, not recruited’, so identifying group exercise mentors within an established teaching team lets every employer develop a safe space for new instructors to be nurtured and grown.

The recent Les Mills research, Nurturing the Next Gen: Blueprint for Instructor Recruitment, confirmed that 60 per cent of new prospects are already class members. After all, it’s generally the inspirational group exercise teachers who lead their class members to become the stars of the future.

This natural organic flow sits at an operator’s fingertips ready to be tapped into, but a mentoring scheme is crucial to the success of growing and retaining these group exercise teachers.

Les Mills found the number one top barrier to becoming an instructor was a preceived lack of mentoring, so overcoming this is vital not only to the recruitment of new instructors, but also to their retention. l

PHOTO: EMDUK

The Active Standard is an entry-level certification, meaning operators can continue on to higher-level standards, such as FITcert and Quest

BENCHMARK A new

The Active Standard has been designed to support UK Active members in improving their operations, as Paul Crane explains

The Active Standard (TAS) is a new quality mark developed by UK Active and partners. It’s been designed to help raise standards among members by supporting operators to grow consumer confidence in the safety and inclusivity of their facilities. The standard is available to UK Active members of all sizes and types – whether from the private or public sector and whether they operate a health club, gym, leisure centre, sports facility, studio, swimming pool, spa or any similar facility, The baseline certification of the Active Standard provides a simple process to support operators aspiring to meet specific industry standards.

We believe TAS will play a key role in UK Active’s 2030 Vision strategy and beyond

(www.hcmmag.com/vision2030) to get more people active by using our members’ facilities and services.

UK Active members have always strived to improve their services and facilities, with a focus on what customers want and need in order to improve their health. This striving has helped many to grow their businesses and reach more people, but we know more is possible.

The bigger picture

The COVID-19 pandemic was a powerful reminder of the importance of health and safety in our sector, especially given our core purpose – to improve health.

During the pandemic, operators showed how effectively they could implement the additional safety protocols required.

Demonstrating committment to standards can help with partnerships

The development of the standard has been supported by the UK Active standards and legislation committee

It was the sectors’ ability to demonstrate just how seriously it took safety that contributed to facilities opening earlier than many other businesses in the service sector, following England’s second national lockdown.

Today’s regulatory environment remains complex, but our sector is committed to demonstrating good health and safety practices as part of its commitment to consumers, lawmakers, policymakers and health partners.

Testing and developing the standard

Since 2020, The Active Standard has been tested with a representative sample of UK Active member operators and assessed by Right Directions (which delivers the Sport England Quest quality scheme), to ensure the certification works for organisations of all types and sizes.

The pilot group also included sites developing musculoskeletal health programmes, to demonstrate how The Active Standard can support the integration of sector functions into certain healthcare pathways within the UK’s health service.

The development of the certification has been supported by UK Active’s standards and legislation committee, meaning some of the industry’s leading experts helped scrutinise the criteria.

Combined with feedback from the pilot study, the syllabus was refined to create an assessment which covers key areas in an accessible, practical way.

The development of The Active Standard also required collaboration between UK Active and its partners Sport England and CIMSPA, as well

Benefits for operator members

While there are multiple benefits for UK Active operators that can demonstrate they take health and safety seriously, the top four are:

1. Consumer confidence

Having The Active Standard shows commitment to safety, inclusion and compliance and we know this is important for many consumers when it comes to them feeling confident and comfortable using facilities.

2. Reputation

Commitment to TAS builds trust which can lead to improving brand loyalty and strengthening of overall reputation.

3. Future-proofing

By ensuring they meet essential risk and standards criteria, operators increase their resilience in the face of operational and reputational risks.

4. Unlocking opportunities

Demonstrating commitment to safety and professional standards can help establish new partnerships in the UK – for example, with the NHS and referral services.

as EuropeActive and the Royal Netherlands Standardization Institute (NEN) who together deliver the existing Europe-wide FITcert quality standard (www.hcmmag.com/FitCert).

By collaborating with the sector’s standards ecosystem, UK Active is aiming to ensure TAS helps improve the overall landscape and provides a positive route into the standards journey for more of its member operators.

How the assessment works

The assessment involves answering 40 questions based on a syllabus covering four areas. The first is health and safety compliance, where UK Active members must ‘demonstrate and

evidence’ that they’re meeting the required health and safety laws and regulations.

This includes carrying out a risk assessment and then demonstrating that safety protocols and ongoing training of staff are in place to foster a culture of vigilance and responsibility for employees and customers.

The second component of the syllabus is the meeting of professional standards , which have been developed in collaboration with CIMSPA. This ensures professionals working in the sector meet recognised benchmarks of competence and that they’ve been qualified by credible and approved training providers. It also demonstrates that the UK Active member is supporting ongoing staff development.

The third component checks safeguarding measures , assessing how operators are protecting vulnerable individuals from abuse or harm. They need to evidence that they have a dedicated safeguarding ‘lead’ in the team and ensure systems are in place, with relevant policies, staff training and reporting mechanisms organised to address any concerns promptly.

WHY WE NEED TAC

Chris Hebblewhite, director of national standards and compliance, GLL

Introducing The Active Standard will significantly enhance the sector’s reputation by establishing a benchmark for safety, ensuring consistency across the UK Active membership, whatever the business model.

standard can also improve stakeholder confidence.

The outwardly-facing standard provides a clear message to staff, customers and other partners that there is a culture of safety within the organisation, while adopting a robust quality

Customers are also more likely to trust organisations that demonstrate a commitment to safety and quality, resulting in the potential for increased loyalty and market share. Additionally, employees benefit from clear expectations and a supportive work environment, leading to higher rates of job satisfaction and retention rates.

The new standard dovetails with both Quest and the European FITcert standard, eliminating duplication and bringing more operators into the standards ecosystem. Chris Hebblewhite is vice chair of the UK Active standards and legislation committee

Chris Hebblewhite

Consumers can be confi dent that staff have been professionally trained

PHOTO: GLL

Get The Active Standard

The Active Standard is now available free of charge to UK Active operator members. The first wave of operator members to enter the assessment process are being contacted by UK Active to begin their journey, with support provided. The assessment is carried out online by an independent body and takes around two-and-a-half hours. Certification lasts for three years before re-assessment is required. If you’re a member of UK Active and have already achieved either FITcert or Quest, with the assessment being done using an internationally recognised sampling method, you automatically pre-qualify for The Active Standard. Find out more by emailing: tas@ukactive.org.uk

The Active Standard has been designed to elevate operations across the UK Active membership

The final component assesses compliance with data protection laws , where UK Active members must demonstrate their commitment to privacy and ethical data handling – this is essential to protecting consumers and avoiding fines.

Sector impact

The Active Standard has been designed to elevate standards across the UK Active membership, helping support operator members to build operational and reputational resilience in an increasingly regulated and complex environment. It serves as a differentiator for operators that take the appropriate steps to safeguard employees and members.

The standard was conceived as an entrylevel certification, meaning that once operators have completed it, they can continue on to higher-level standards through certifications such as the www.FITcert.eu kite marque or the Sport England Quest system, via clear and distinct pathways, without duplication. A rising tide lifts all boats so by supporting UK Active operator members to take a comprehensive approach to standards and risk management procedures, we can contribute to the fostering of a culture of excellence in the physical activity sector. Paul Crane is risk and standards manager at UK Active More: www.ukactive.com/the-active-standard

For more insight, or to get in touch with the companies featured, visit www.fitness-kit.net and type in their keyword

Product innovation

Julie Cramer rounds up the latest health, fitness and wellness kit

The water-haptic pool helps ‘recalibrate’ the senses, says Arny B Arnold

Wellness tech company Wavess, is set to debut a futuristic bathing experience in London.

The Wavess Origin Pool will be a star feature of Damu, a playful wellness spa launching at boutique hotel The Mandrake this year.

The circular, multi-sensory immersion pool has been

“Water in the pool will vibrate with sound at low frequencies”

Arny B Arnold

designed to let guests “float in music and sacred vibrations” using water-haptic technology to make the pool vibrate with sound at low frequencies. The experience will be enhanced with soundscapes, chromotherapy and visuals to ‘recalibrate’ the senses.

Claimed to be a fi rst in the fi tness, health and wellness industry, the pool has been created through a partnership between Wavess, Damu and immersive design studio Metaspheric.

Wavess founder and CEO Arny B Arnold says: “Sound travels through our skin, tissues, bones and internal organs, combining perception and enteroception, stimulated in the same safe way a baby experiences the world in the womb.”

fitness-kit.net KEYWORD

Wavess

The experience combines soundscapes, chromotherapy and visuals

This solution enables PTs to give fast feedback on nutrition, says Jason Thomas

Digital PT platform GoXPro has integrated with AI nutrition app, CalorieCam.

The partnership has created a tool that acts as a PT’s personal assistant, making meal tracking more straightforward and delivering AI-powered insights that can drive measurable results.

Clients log meals using photos, text, or voice, with the app calculating calories, macronutrients and hydration. Even partially-eaten meals can be accounted for, as the AI dynamically adjusts macros.

This latest integration bridges the gap between nutrition and fi tness, enabling trainers to combine

“The integration bridges the gap between nutrition and fitness for PTs”

Jason Thomas

workout plans with tailored nutrition strategies, says CEO of GoXPro, Jason Thomas.

He explains: “On average, PTs dedicate 30-40 minutes per client per week to analysing nutrition and providing feedback. “For a PT with 10 clients, that’s almost seven hours a week. Our solution cuts this time to minutes.”

fitness-kit.net KEYWORD

GoXPro

PHOTO:

PHOTO: WAVESS

Clients can log meals using photos, text, or voice input

The Pelvio chair engages and strengthens pelvic muscles, says Lutfiye Ibrahim

Opatra is supporting women with the Pelvio chair that engages and strengthens pelvic muscles.

The chair uses electromagnetic technology to strengthen pelvic muscles and promote pelvic health, with

“Trials found 95 per cent of clients reported improved quality of life”

Lutfiye Ibrahim

Opatra saying that the impact of a 30-minute treatment is the equivalent of doing 12,000 pelvic floor contractions.

Clinical trials involving more than 100 women over a twoyear period found 95 per cent reporting improved quality of life, as well as a reduction in pad usage of 75 per cent.

“Opatra envisions a future where everyone, regardless of their needs, can find a treatment that answers their problems non-invasively,” says Opatra’s business director, Lutfiye Ibrahim.

“The Pelvio chair is a shining example of how an unspoken personal issue can be improved within a course of treatments consisting of 30-minute sessions.”

This franchise management tool offers transparency for franchisors and franchisees, says Shannon Tracey

Xplor Mariana Tek, the boutique fitness software platform from Xplor Technologies, has announced a suite of franchise management software tools for corporate and multi-site fitness studios.

The software is designed to simplify royalty fee collection and disbursement for franchised studios and provide realtime, multi-site data for operations across locations.

Franchisors can avoid manual calculations and eliminate invoicing processes.

Tools include a dashboard enabling quick assessments and helping optimise revenue management across a network.

Master franchise features, including tiered revenue collection across territories and immediate royalty calculations for real-time financial tracking, will be launched later this year.

Shannon Tracey, VP of sales and marketing at Xplor Mariana Tek, says: “Corporate and multi-site fitness businesses seek to deliver a consistently

“Every multi-site franchise business seeks to run its network more effectively”

Shannon Tracey

standout experience across every location and run their network more efficiently.

“Our franchise management tools offer greater transparency for franchisors and franchisees. We’ve made it easier to manage royalties, fees and the complexities of a fast-growing fitness business so they can focus on offering memorable fitness experiences.”

fitness-kit.net keywords

Xplor Technologies

The Pelvio chair delivers 12,000 contractions in 30 minutes

PHOTO: OPATRA

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There are simple ways to help people benefit from the power of nature

The power of nature

Researchers at Concordia University in Alberta, Canada, are looking at how ‘noticing nature’ boosts positive emotions and life satisfaction

Concordia University of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada is kicking off a study called Noticing Nature Intervention that will measure the impact of noticing nature on mental health.

Professor and researcher, Dr Holli-Anne Passmore, is leading the research. This is the fourth time she has undertaken this type of work with this being the first study conducted during winter.

Passmore told HCM she wants to see if noticing nature can boost the low moods which often creep in during the dark days of the year. In the middle of winter in Alberta there are only seven hours of daylight in every 24 hours and temperatures can drop to -35C.

Confirming previous findings

In previous studies – undertaken in the US, Canada and China – the research has come back with the same results, showing that nature boosts positive emotions and life satisfaction.

“Noticing nature brings about transcendent connectedness – a feeling of being connected to nature and other people,” says Passmore. “It also inspires elevation – a beautiful composite emotion made up of gratitude, wonder, awe and a sense of feeling uplifted. We will be focusing on these two variables in the research, as well as hope.”

Passmore first carried out the Noticing Nature Intervention in 2016 and her paper was published in The Journal of Positive Psychology. “We’ve always

Noticing nature brings about transcendent connectedness – a feeling of being connected to nature and other people

done the research in cities and people are always surprised about how much nature is around and how noticing it impacts their mood,” she says. “Nature is everywhere and noticing it boosts wellbeing.”

Noticing nature

The study will start this month and continue through February and March, with approximately 150 students divided into two groups. One group will carry on as usual and the other group will be asked to notice nature in their everyday lives and how it makes them feel. They will be questioned before and after the research period and each day will log in to report their experience.

“What’s really important is that we don’t ask people to spend more time outside in order to get the benefits. It’s about how engaged they are with it and what they observe: even looking out of the window while they’re working, noticing the colour of the sky, the clouds, birds in a tree, the tree at the bus stop, or flowers in the shop all have benefits,” says Passmore. “Nature is accessible to everyone.”

While this study only measures mental health benefits, there’s also a wealth of research which shows the physical benefits of spending time in nature. l

More: www.hcmmag.com/noticingnature

www.egym.com/uk I sales@egym.com