ISSUE 1 May
WEEKLY
Issue 98 - 13 May 2022
YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE
Centre’s new fitness suite opens following £200,000 investment – page 3 ukactive and Sport England announce partnership to drive sector progress – page 6
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
Centre’s new fitness suite opens following £200,000 investment SIDCUP Leisure Centre recently welcomed members to its new fitness suite following a £200,000 investment in facility renovations and new cardio and strength training equipment. As part of the upgrade and in response to members’ feedback, a dedicated free weights area was built. In the main gym new Life Fitness equipment was installed including
treadmills, cross trainers and PowerMill Climbers, as well as selectorised strength training kit and Multi-Jungle cable machines. The gym’s flooring and AV system was also upgraded to improve the training experience for members. Centre manager Leanne Wye said: “We listened closely to our members and visitors ahead of devising the
plans for our new fitness suite, and then worked closely with Life Fitness to ensure we maximised the renovations. “The investment is part of our promise to continue to provide our customers with the best possible experience, equipment, and technology, and to enhance the health and wellbeing of our
community.” The indoor cycling studio has also been enhanced with the installation of more than 20 IC6 bikes from ICG®. Members can now experience group cycling classes using Coach by Color®, ICG®’s unique training system based on five coloured training zones to accurately coach a user’s effort.
simultaneously granting us the support, investment and distribution we need to dramatically scale our business and accelerate towards our mission of
hybridising the fitness industry. “The opportunity to work closely with Core Health & Fitness, collaborating across its portfolio of globally recognised brands to build an even more diverse digital ecosystem, is another huge benefit of this acquisition. “We are delighted with our new ownership and excited by its implications not only for Wexer, but for the sector as a whole.” The collaboration will begin with a global roadshow designed to educate and inspire the fitness sector around the need to embrace omnichannel fitness. Exploring the powerful impact that a digital offering has on health club membership sales, up-sales and member retention, the roadshow will support operators with insights not only into why but also how to make the businesscritical shift to a sustainable hybrid model.
Core acquires Wexer and unveils digital sector strategy CORE Health & Fitness LLC, a portfolio company of US-based private equity firm Gainline Capital Partners LP, announced that it has acquired Wexer Holding LLC, a leader in digital health and fitness offerings. Financial terms of the transaction are private. The deal will provide Wexer with the funding to scale its business – including through significant acquisitions to consolidate the digital fitness sector – and drive digital adoption across the global health club sector. Jason Leone, president of Core, said: “Coming out of Covid, commercial customers across gym and vertical market categories are placing an increased emphasis on connected fitness. “Though many consumers are returning to in-person workouts, they expect to continue to complement these with connected fitness workouts, Publishing manager: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia.co.uk Studio manager: Paul Hopkinson ph@scriptmedia.co.uk Assistant studio manager: Scott Firth sf@scriptmedia.co.uk Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry Tel: 01226 734605 tb@scriptmedia.co.uk
www.workout-uk.co.uk
highlighting the importance of delivering an omnichannel experience.” Wexer CEO Paul Bowman added: “This is a momentous step for Wexer,
Gym unveils first sky-high Versaclimber Studio VERSACLIMBER UK has marked its third partnership with boutique gym chain BXR with the unveiling of its latest site in Bishopsgate and the launch of its fourth dedicated Versaclimber Studio. The Versaclimber Studio is set to provide gym-goers with a total body workout with the installation of 32 new Versaclimber TS machines; the latest model to be released in the collection. This latest venture marks Versaclimber’s third group training class to be found in the UK, as interest in group workouts, post-pandemic, continue to soar with an estimated 4.86million people participating in the sessions every week, according to a survey by EMD UK. Alex Nicholl, director at Sweat by BXR, added: “We’ve built our signature class concept around the Versaclimber and it’s become our leading, most popular
class - a true testament to the product and the fitness benefits that come with Versa-Training. “Our new City location, our fourth Versaclimber studio (Canary Wharf, Marylebone, Doha and Qatar being our other locations) is now not only the biggest studio in Europe but now the tallest at 500ft, bringing a whole new experience to training on a Versaclimber.” Classes will run each week from Monday to Saturday and will be hosted by experienced Versaclimber users with visitors able to book in advance. Visitors to the new Versaclimber Studio can choose from different classes, such as the Climb to the Beat class, which introduces the Versaclimber and its ability to provide a safe, fullbody workout. Neil Kelford, managing director of
Versaclimber UK, said: “We’re delighted to see the popularity of Versaclimber classes continue to grow across the UK, which has led to the creation of a dedicated studio for our machines in such a unique location in Bishopsgate. “The new interactive Versaclimber TS is designed with group workouts in mind and we’re confident that users will appreciate the machine’s newest capabilities including an option for users to log workout and challenge other climbers. “The environment of where you train can have a huge impact on your session and, equally, how you feel throughout. “That’s why we’re excited to have teamed up again with BXR to create another engaging and motivating space that will no doubt inspire members to push outside their comfort zone in a thriving and inspiring space.”
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
The importance of rapid flood clean-up in gyms ENCOUNTERING a flood is often unpredictable, and something that is nearly impossible to prepare for. Flood damage should be dealt with as soon as possible to prevent harm coming to your customers or to your business as a whole. ICE Cleaning is a professional cleaning company that has a wealth of experience in handling destruction caused by floods. They understand the dangers posed by this type of damage, and can attend the site in just an hour in cases of emergency to help their customers. Below they take a look at the importance of dealing with flood damage promptly if you become a victim of this on your work premises. Damage to equipment As a gym owner, one of your main investments and attraction for gym goers is the range of equipment on offer. These could be costly to replace should you be flooded, and may also cause a fire hazard if exposed to water. The safety of all those in the vicinity would be put at risk should this occur, which you will want to prevent.
When flood damage is left untreated, the drying process will take longer. The result of this could be more significant repairs being needed and the impact on business will be greater. Taking care of any damage as soon as possible could help to reduce loss to profits. If the closure is prolonged, this could also result in you losing customers. As a business, you will want to try and stop this.
It is a good idea to have insurance cover in place in case this does happen, particularly if you live in an area that is prone to flooding. However, if you are given some warning of an imminent flood, it is best to try and move equipment to safety if you can and shut off electricity wherever possible. Additionally, if you’re able store it away securely, this is even better.
Disrupting gym hours As well as potentially causing harm to your equipment, there is the possibility that working hours could be affected should a flood take place. In many scenarios, locations must be evacuated so that proper clean-up can be carried out. This would mean that visitors will not be able to enter the premises until it has been declared safe to do so.
Contaminated water Coming into contact with flood water can be detrimental to your health, as it is frequently contaminated with sewage water and matter from the surrounding environment. To ensure you are adhering to your health and safety obligations, you must act quickly to prevent staff and customers being exposed to this. The building should only be re-entered once it is safe again to preserve the wellbeing of all parties. Professional clean-up can help you get back on your feet faster and back to running your business as normal. To find out more about the services ICE Cleaning provides, have a look at their website.
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
ukactive and Sport England announce partnership to drive sector progress ukactive and Sport England have committed to a systems partnership for the next five years, spanning seven strategic areas to support the sector’s growth and reduce inequalities in physical activity. The partnership means that ukactive and Sport England will continue to collaborate across the following areas in order to better support ukactive’s members to develop and grow: n Campaigns. n Children, young people and families. n Digital transformation. n Health and wellbeing. n Inclusion. n Infrastructure. n Quality standards. Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “The role of ukactive’s members in reducing the inequalities we see across the UK must not be underestimated and we are determined to do everything we can to support the sector’s development over the coming years to achieve our ambitions for growth. “We are delighted to have the continued support of Sport England and this systems partnership will be vital for the sector to accelerate its progress towards creating a more equal society
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive. where everyone has the opportunity to be physically active.” ukactive’s shared ambition for growth shows the potential for the sector to reach more than five million new members by 2030, by working in partnership with the Government and its agencies to drive change. The continued support from Sport England includes £5.25m funding from the Government and the National Lottery over the next five years, meaning ukactive can provide forensic focus on the priority areas above – supporting
members to develop their services and leading the sector into the future with the most inclusive and accessible facilities. Recent examples of ukactive’s work in partnership with Sport England include: n Our Decade of Change paper on the evolution of facilities and infrastructure. n The landmark report on the sector’s digital maturity and effectiveness. n Our This Girl Can guide for gyms to improve services for women and girls. n The launch of the Everyone Can agenda for disability inclusion and accessibility. Through work such as this, ukactive members are supported to develop their facilities, services and workforce to ensure the sector can improve its reach, particularly among under-represented groups. The new agreement forms part of Sport England’s wider systems partnership work, which will see more than 120 organisations across the sector working with Sport England to level-up access to sport and physical activity across the country. The organisations will receive support, expertise, and an investment to codeliver the ambitions within its 10-year
Uniting the Movement strategy. More than £550m is being invested in total, under a new funding model from Sport England that provides longerterm financial security as organisations recover and reinvent from the COVID-19 pandemic. All partner organisations were selected by Sport England due to their ability to influence change and improvement at the heart of the system they are a part of. Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, added: “Sport England’s goal is to get everyone active – no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is. “But we know that certain groups – like women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups – are more likely to be inactive. “We can only innovate and tackle inequalities effectively by thinking about long-term change; Uniting the Movement is a long-term vision, and our funding approach needs to reflect that. “Changes to our funding model will help us achieve our goal, by making it easier for our partners to do what they need to do to level-up and deliver.”
The State of the UK Fitness Industry Report 2022 launch date confirmed THE largest industry audit delivered by The Leisure Database has been completed for the first time since 2019. Trends and insights are reported through the State of the UK Fitness Industry Report. The UK National Fitness Audit is unique. No other country audit’s sites with the same methodology, consistency or standardisation as the UK. This year’s audit is now finished and that means more than 7,000 sites have been contacted. Details of facilities, prices, membership, developments have all been updated and uploaded into the database. The Leisure Database would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who participated. Data scientists have completed their in-depth analysis on trends across the public and private sectors, breaking them down into mini-sectors including franchise, hotel clubs, independents, higher and further education, management companies, and trusts. These are then further subdivided into low-cost, mid-market and premium facilities. Up to 200 data fields can be collected for each site so over the years The Leisure Database has collected over one billion data points allowing some weird and wonderful questions to be asked, and getting
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY – TRENDS & INSIGHTS David Minton and Guest Panel – Discussion and Q&A DATE: TIME: DURATION:
25th May 4pm 90 mins
REGISTER HERE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION
some stunning answers. The figures produced are adopted as the industry figures and accepted as the font of fitness data. From this unique database, latent demand and propensity modelling is provided to central and local government, operators, suppliers and the many parts of the finance industry
supporting our sectors’ growth. As a loyal Workout magazine reader we are delighted to invite you to join us at the EVOLVE event live broadcast on May 25 at 4pm for the launch of the State of the UK Fitness Industry report 2022. This event will focus on an indepth conversation on the state of
the fitness industry based on data from the audit, with David Minton and panellists from the industry discussing where we are now, and how we grow the market. To join us please click here to register and join the EVOLVE community to be part of this important conversation.
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Unlock the power of effective marketing for your fitness business Gyms, pools, studios and leisure centres are having to deal with a major loss in both revenue and footfall caused by the pandemic, leaving many operators on the brink of survival. Whether you are from a small independent gym or a large operator with numerous sites, all businesses in the fitness industry have the same objective and are facing the same challenges. The best possible marketing campaign to make your business the most attractive to potential new members has never been more important, and this is where we can help. At Script we know fitness, backed up by more than 20 years of serving the industry through Workout magazine, as well as the highly successful National Fitness Awards that are now in their 12th year. With our knowledge and expertise of the industry, Script Fitness Marketing from Script is with you every step of the way and we can tailor a marketing package to save you time and to suit your needs and budget.
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So what are you waiting for? It is vital that your fitness business stands out from the crowd to attract new members and staff. Who better to help you do this than the team behind the country’s most successful B2B magazine for the industry. We’ll take away the hassle and provide professional marketing which will deliver results for your business. Based in Yorkshire, we have an award-winning team that prides itself on producing a range of top-quality work at competitive prices. To find out how we can help your business, contact Dominic Musgrave today by calling 01226 734407 or email dm@scriptmedia.co.uk
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WORKOUT WEEKLY Advertiser’s announcement
Taiwan Excellence to host Smart Fitness online product launch FOUR winners of the prestigious Taiwan Excellence Award will showcase their latest fitness products at 10am BST on May 24 in a webinar organised by TAITRA, Taiwan’s leading trade promotion organisation, and Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs. The event will feature opening remarks from Leonor F. M. Lin, president and CEO of TAITRA, and Paul Yang, president of the Taiwan Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Next up, Johnson Health Technology, Dyaco International Inc., Netown Corporation and WiseChip Semiconductor Inc. will each present their newest innovations. Kicking off the product launch, Johnson will introduce its Connected Solutions and Virtual Training Cycle. Next, WiseChip will share its Smart Cycling Glasses and Dyaco will present its XTERRA Fitness TRX5500 Folding Treadmill. Last but not least, Netown will introduce its Smart Fat Burn Heart Rate Monitor Bike, AI Precise Four Limbs Coordination and Muscle
Strength Trainer, and its Precise Grip Strength Trainer. The Taiwan Excellence symbol honours Taiwan’s most innovative products. Products bearing this symbol have been selected for specific Taiwan Excellence Awards based on their excellence in design, quality, marketing, R&D and manufacturing. Initiated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C. in 1992, the Taiwan Excellence symbol is recognised by 106 countries. The Taiwan Trade Centre in London is TAITRA’s Northern European office. The Centre offers free sourcing assistance and helps buyers to connect with suitable Taiwanese suppliers, according to their sourcing requirements. TAITRA is also the organiser of the Taipei International Sporting Goods Show and the UK office is on hand to answer any questions about visiting the show. To register free of charge for the Taiwan Excellence smart fitness product launch visit https://events.taiwanexcellence. org/smartfitness2022/
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