INTERVIE W - RE PE AT
Repeat offers virtual group exercise classes in pods on the gym floor
The optimum size is around 1,500sq m, but location is more important than the size. In Copenhagen, we can go down to around 800sq m because there are no big leaseholds available.
What’s on offer in the clubs?
PETER REHHOFF PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR What does your role entail?
I’m in charge of expansion for Repeat: market analysis, finding and assessing locations and so on. I’m also in charge of lease contracts, getting building permits sorted and contractors brought in for build projects, and I source our gym equipment.
What sort of club locations are you looking for?
Repeat is a city concept. We’re only looking in the four biggest cities in Denmark – Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus and Aalborg – in city centre locations. Our clubs will all be in highly populated areas, near public transport, and if possible with big windows at the front so passers-by can glance in to see what it’s all about.
A lot of cardio, some strength machines, a lot of free weights and functional training. All the equipment is high-end. There are also virtual class pods on the gym floor, usually separate high- and low-intensity pods. They’re around 30sq m each and can hold up to eight people. At times there might be more demand than supply, but at quiet times of the day there might only be a couple of people in there. There’s no point having a huge, and often empty, studio.
Would you describe Repeat as a low-cost operation?
We’re actually not a low-cost club – we’re a focused club. Whatever services
and facilities we’ve chosen to provide for members will all be delivered to the highest possible standards. We have such a lot of knowledge and experience in our management team, and with Repeat we’ve started with a blank piece of paper. We focus on doing only the best of everything and foregoing the rest – and that helps us to maintain very attractive prices for consumers.
How significant a player do you plan to be in Denmark?
Market leader Fitness World has around 150 clubs, and fi tness dk around 40, so we’re going to be a lot smaller than they are – but they’re all over the country and in the smaller cities, whereas we’ll only be in the larger cities. Even in the larger cities, though, we won’t have as many clubs as them. But then that’s the whole point of Repeat: we’re not for everyone. We’ve deliberately set out not to be.
We’re not low-cost – we’re focused. The services and facilities we’ve chosen to provide are delivered to the highest standards – Peter Rehhoff ©Cybertrek 2016 healthclubmanagement.co.uk October 2016
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