JANUARY 2021 s ISSUE 081
PEAK
Performance
We test drive the Bentley Continental GT
Meet the HOTELIER Introducing the face behind the place
Dream Escapes Inspirational travel for 2021
Wellness | The CHESHIRE Magazine
Changing the Face of Fitness The Creator and CEO of GSquared Gyms Andy McGlynn talks to The Cheshire Magazine about the launch of his new innovative fitness space set underground within the Royal Exchange Manchester
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he landscape of health and fitness in Manchester will change this month with the launch of a new health club space within one of Manchester’s stunning Grade II listed buildings. The new gym will include 12,000 sq ft of training space, an indoor running track, 20 metre sled track, a CV garden, climbing wall and studio classes ranging from holistic to high intensity. Below, Andy describes his journey from concept to reality. What led you to create the GSquared Gyms concept? After 18 years working as a Personal Trainer, Clinical Nutritionist and operating in commercial gyms all over the UK, I was frustrated by the standard of gyms and the repeated mistakes that every gym chain seemed to make in a replication of each other. I also noticed that the strength or weakness of a gym was very dependent on the personalities within the management structure and the biases, ideas, experience (or lack of) from middle and senior management figures who were brought into impact change were either deleterious or helpful to the customer experience, and all too often the decisions being made just didn’t enhance the customer experience at all. I do attribute this internal failing to the downfall of many of the large brands we used to know; Fitness First, LA Fitness, DW Fitness, to name a few. I believe it’s such a specific process when it comes to operating a gym that without the in-depth experience of the operating model and specialist knowledge of health, nutrition, exercise and fitness being percolated down to the ground level, a gym is never going to reach its potential, no matter how good the Board of Directors think they are. I’d always felt that gyms could do more, be better
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and give a more advanced level of service to their members. I saw it so clearly and was baffled why gym chains held back. To really address the health of the nation, it’s gym chains and fitness facilities that are going to have to lead the way by first of all changing people’s paradigms on what ‘being fit looks like’, and secondly helping people make the link between physical fitness and mental and physical health. So, after this prolonged period of working in the fitness industry, its time now to take the standard of gyms to a level beyond the current replicated model by introducing GSquared into the market. Hailed as one of the most advanced gyms in the world - what can customers expect from Gsquared Gyms that differs from competitor sites within the city? First off, an incredibly inspiring space to be within. The design team have done an incredible job of
“The Bod Pod is the gold standard of body fat testing, and GSquared is officially the first gym in the UK to house one” bringing my initial quirky ideas to life. I wanted to create a space that didn’t resemble a gym, but more a hotel reception area with the customer service to match. But we didn’t stop there, the member’s journey (or induction as some people know it to be), has been completely overhauled and reinvented. It’s affectionally named YouSquared; 7 stages of advanced yet non-invasive assessments that reveal compelling and beneficial information to the member to really help them with all components of health, fitness, nutrition and lifestyle habits. I believe if we can improve our health, then the physical benefits become a side effect of that. There are facilities within GSquared that are very new, very innovative and a real first for a gym; assault course, infrared saunas, BodPod, and the integration of natural elements within the CV space. The Bod Pod is the gold standard of body fat testing, and GSquared is officially the first gym in the UK to house one. With so much inaccuracy when it comes to assessments within the industry or at the worst, no assessing at all, one of the areas in need of attention at a gym really had to be accurate testing to give the member the best possible experience. To create the innovation that drives GSquared, I basically had to stop taking an interest in what other gyms had to offer. It went as far as just stopping visiting gyms completely to clear my mind of what gyms ‘should’ look like. The amount of replication that goes on between gym brands, in a ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’ type of approach is prevalent. The problem with this replication in the gym industry and the copy-cat approach that gym chains do with
each other results in the only thing being original and different is the brand, logo and choice of colours. Did the success of The Remedy Kitchen (since 2018) sway your decision to locate the health club at The Royal Exchange Manchester and why is this the perfect location? Ironically, it was the other way around. At the start of this concept in 2016, my intention was to have a gym with a high-quality cafe attached to it, and not just an afterthought. Like so many of the gym cafes I’d been into the execution of this concept was just wrong so many times over. As it transpired, the major delays we incurred with space within the Royal Exchange largely due to its Grade 2 listing, so by way of a small pivot we figured we just had to get the cafe open and keep working on the gym. This meant that the Remedy Kitchen had to fend for itself, which I have to say the team have done a great job of making a success of the concept and the brand in its own right. Without having Remedy Kitchen operating from late 2018, I’m not sure I’d still be here to tell the tale of GSquared given the serious protraction of the lead time. Still, all throughout the last three and a half years, I’ve kept the faith that the Royal Exchange, steeped in its iconic history within St Ann’s Square had to be the first location for GSquared. Not to mention we learned a lot when it comes to setting up a gym in a Grade II listed building.
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Drive | The CHESHIRE Magazine
Peak Performance Resident petrol-head James Fossdyke test drives the Cheshire made Bentley Continental GT
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ikes Peak may not mean much to you and me, but hardcore racing enthusiasts know it as one of the most attritional challenges in motorsport. It’s a 12.4-mile climb up a 156-corner mountain road in Colorado, and people have been racing there for 100 years. It’s tough, it’s competitive, and it has a fearsome reputation. Winning there takes power, precision and a massive slug of bravery. I mention this because last year Bentley celebrated its centenary, and the company from Crewe decided to celebrate by breaking the Pikes Peak record for production cars. The engineers found a spare Continental GT in a corner of the factory and, because the Pikes Peak rules say you’re allowed to do such things, they set about modifying it. The cabin was stripped out, a louder exhaust system was fitted, and stickier tyres were shoehorned onto the wheels. The modifications worked, and this very car blew the previous record holder out of the water, beating it by eight seconds. That might not sound like much – particularly over 12 miles – but just imagine you were standing by the side of the road when this car passed you at full chat. Eight seconds later, it would be almost a kilometre away. Anyway, this car is a unicorn; one of a kind. So, I always imagined it would live in a garage of pure
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bubble-wrap, mollycoddled and treasured by Bentley’s crack team of mechanics and hidden from sight. But no. It’s completely road-legal, and Bentley invited me to drive it. At this juncture, I should point out I am not a racing driver. I have a racing licence and I’ve done a fair bit of track driving, but Lewis Hamilton need not look over his shoulder. If Jenson Button is to racing what Manchester City is to football, I’m the equivalent of Nantwich Town’s Under-12s. For reasons unknown, however, the woman from Bentley was perfectly happy to strap me into her priceless vehicle and let me loose on the roads of Britain. Just getting in required an impressive act of athleticism, thanks to a roll cage that more or less blocks off the door. I clambered in with all the grace and dexterity of a fully grown boa constrictor cramming itself into a test tube. And things didn’t improve much once I was inside, because all the usual accoutrements of a Bentley interior were either ripped out or deliberately broken to make the car faster. To distract myself from the harness’ vice-like grip on my body, I tried desperately to remember what the Bentley engineer – a reassuringly unflappable man called Keith – had told me. No adjusting the seat, because it doesn’t move. Foot on the brake. Push the red button in the armrest until you hear a clunk, then jab the start button on the dash. I was prepared for savagery, but nothing like the onslaught that arrived. The 6.0-litre W12 didn’t so much burst into life as erupt into unbridled fury. One minute it lay idle and silent, the next it was assaulting every sense with an arsenal of vicious sounds, vibrations and smells. It was a stark reminder that modern cars are very good at
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Drive
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Feature
The Tren rend d for
Sust usta ainabl inablee
Lux uxu ury
More and more designers are focusing on sustainability in their schemes and in their products. This means more recycling, upcycling, reclaiming and refurbishing in 2021, leading to a trend towards the eclectic using second-hand and antique accessories in the home. Here are some of our favourite examples, that just go to show that you don’t have to scrimp on style
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A natural alternative to feather or sythetics, Ava Innes cashmere and wool duvets are encase in 100 per cent certified cotton, offering the ultimate balance of warmth, weight and breathability. From £295, www.avainnes.com
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Using primary steel (acknowledged as the world’s most recycled material) designer Lisa Turley creates art for your home and garden. Earthy and beautiful her work is practical and stylish. From £110, www.lisasarah.com
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Homes and Interiors
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Add a sustainable, clean-burning, consciously desugfned scent to your home. Made from soy, rapeseed, coconut and beeswax and presented in a keepsake brass container the company also offsets their carbon footprint and plants a tree for every candle sold. £45, www.themuseslondon.co.uk
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Taken a modern approach to a traditions tartan, these recycled wool blankets are woven from 70 per cent wool and 30 per cent fibres saved from landfill, complete with a waterproof backing. £60, www.tartanblanketco.com
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Paper baubles and a splash of style whatever the time of year and these recycled paper teardrops are feature all natural colours and splash of shimmer. Set of 6 Recycled Paper Baubles, £36, www.roseandgrey.co.uk
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Handwoven by a female weaving collective in Bolgatanga, Northern Ghana, you will have notice these baskets on our pages before. We love the story and the style. XL Bolga Basket, £79, www.lolanadmawu.com
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