ISSUE 1 May
WEEKLY
Issue 83 - 14 January 2022
YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE
Myzone hits $102m valuation after investment PAGE 2 TRAZER works your mind and body simultaneously PAGE 3
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
Myzone hits $102m valuation after investment MYZONE, the global manufacturer of wearable fitness tracking technology, has secured a $17.2million investment from BGF, the UK’s most active growth capital investor, alongside renowned tech entrepreneur Vin Murria OBE, who also joins as non-executive chair. Created in 2011 by fitness industry expert Dave Wright, Myzone has experienced impressive growth since inception and currently serves over 9,000 facilities in 84 different countries, boasting over two million shipped devices. Designed to engage and motivate people to be more physically active, Myzone is used in many of the largest health clubs around the world and has broken into new markets such as elite sports teams, hospitals, schools, universities, and the corporate sector. “Myzone is a trail-blazer in the evergrowing health and wellbeing sector,” said BGF investor Seb Saywood. “We have been impressed by its unique business model, scalability, presence in
Myzone founder Dave Wright. the marketplace and outstanding senior management team.” Myzone chose BGF due to its experience supporting fast growing businesses. Phil Whittam, Myzone managing
director, added: “We have been in a very fortunate position in that we have grown organically to date, without the need for external capital. We needed an experienced partner that could accelerate our growth plans. “We are particularly delighted that Vin Murria OBE has also decided to invest in the company. “Vin is a visionary leader in the technology world and has built numerous tech businesses. “In 2018, she was awarded The Order of the British Empire for services to the British digital economy, as well as for advancing women in the software sector.” This news comes on the back of the successful launch of the Myzone MZSwitch – the world’s first interchangeable heart rate monitor with chest, arm, and wrist options – in 2021. “Launching the MZ-Switch opened up new markets for us,” Phil added. “It is now an ideal solution for a corporate and school environment, and
our partnership with BGF and Vin will help drive these new markets in addition to building on our longstanding support of the traditional fitness industry.” BGF has invested more than £100million in tech businesses in 2021 and announced seven successful exits in the sector this year. Of the over £500million invested in tech businesses to date, 70 per cent has been deployed outside of London and the South-East. The deal was led by Seb Saywood, Aaron Baker and Dave Bellis, from BGF. Seb added: “We are very excited to be backing a world class team, with Vin Murria joining as chair. “Myzone is a highly scalable business that has proven itself the global market leader in its space and we look forward to the further growth this partnership can bring.” The advisors to the transaction were: n BGF legals: WLG Gowling n BGF tax: BDO n Management legals: Keystone
Go! Active leisure facility gets upgrade BOLSOVER District Council’s Go! Active leisure facility in Clowne, Derbyshire benefited from a multimillion pound development in 2016, which was delivered by the team at Pulse Fitness in order to provide the local community with a dedicated space for sports and leisure. Now, five years later, the centre has undergone a £500,000 renovation to bring the facilities up to date, ready for the new year. Following customer feedback, the end of year makeover has seen the centre receive updates to both the interiors and the leisure facilities. New and advanced gym equipment has been installed from Pulse Fitness’s Premium Cardio and Strength lines including: curve treadmills, stepmills, air bikes and much more. New flooring throughout with extension to the free weights area and functional training area. The newly renovated centre, that offers a variety of more than 100 group exercise classes each week, will now offer members new facilities including boxing bags and a Stairmaster machine, elevating Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia. co.uk
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the leisure facility’s offering for customers. Within addition to the new and improved interiors and facilities, Go! Active customers will now benefit from the use of TRAKK, the fitness content platform and tracking app from Pulse. The introduction of TRAKK will allow members to create their own workout plans, tap into ready made training
plans and allow PTs to digitally connect with members. With TRAKK, Go Active’s trainers will be able to set personalised plans and programmes for their clients, as well as identify at-risk members and share automated messaged to the member base. “Over the last five years, Go! Active has gone from strength to strength, continuously reaching financial
targets and attracting 1,100 visits per day on average,” said Chris Johnson, managing director of Pulse Fitness. “We’re excited to accelerate success further with improvements and upgrades, ready for the new year. “We hope to reward loyal members with an additional offering in the form of TRAKK, helping them progress with their personal fitness journeys.” Bolsover District Council’s cabinet member for leisure, Councillor David Downes, added: “We want to make sure our gym meets the needs of its users and this new investment reflects our commitment to improving health for a wide range of age groups. “We hope that the newly refurbished gym will encourage even more people to become active and by doing so improve both their physical and mental health.” As part of the renewed new fiveyear partnership agreement, Pulse will also be supplying a range of support solutions including full time sales support, front of house eXerp membership management software, Direct Debit collections and access control.
ALLIANCE Leisure has announced the appointment of Jonny Curley to drive leisure development across Scotland. Jonny will take on the role of senior business development manager (Scotland) to enhance the company’s ability to develop and deliver its existing pipeline of leisure projects and future development plans. Located in Glasgow, Jonny will utilise his industry experience and extensive network to further enhance the company’s progress in Scotland while supporting on other projects UK wide. Alliance Leisure’s managing director Paul Cluett said: “Jonny has been involved with many Alliance projects as a supplier over the years and we have always enjoyed working with him and been aware of his similar work ethic and values. Now the timing is right for
him to join us and we are delighted to welcome him into the business. “Alliance Leisure is already playing a significant role in leisure development across Scotland, thanks mainly to our growing network of local authorities and involvement in the Scottish Leisure Network Group. “Bringing Jonny on board means we can continue to build on these foundations and become an even more integral component of future leisure development across the region.” In 2010 he joined Origin Fitness as a director and co-owner, playing a key role in developing the business over a ten-year period. More recently, he joined Hutchinson Technologies as sales director. Both roles were with Scottish based companies, positioning Jonny as
one of the most experienced and accomplished industry leaders in Scotland. Jonny, who also sits on the CIMSPA Scotland Professional Development Board, added: “A strong leisure provision has the potential to drive health, happiness and prosperity across entire communities and I am looking forward to using my network and expertise to help Alliance Leisure develop leisure spaces and centres throughout Scotland. “Over the years I have worked with Alliance Leisure on a number of projects and have always been impressed by the dedication, professionalism and expertise of the team. “When an opportunity was presented for me to become a part of that team, I jumped at it.”
Jonny to head up developments in Scotland
WORKOUT WEEKLY Advertiser’s announcement
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TRAZER works your mind and body simultaneously SPORTS physicians, therapists, trainers, and coaches agree that it is the athlete with superior abilities to react, start, stop, and cut who excels in competition and is less likely to be injured. TRAZER works mind and body simultaneously to enhance performance, and to restore links that may have been disrupted by disease or injury. It improves mental awareness, depth perception and reaction time, builds strength and confidence in multidirectional movement planes. Research shows that speed has three distinct components – agility, acceleration, and maximum speed. TRAZER is uniquely able to test and train each, which is critical as they are relatively unrelated to one another. Acceleration is the rate of change in speed that enables the athlete to reach his maximum speed as soon as possible. Agility is the athlete’s ability to effectively decelerate, cut, and change direction. By delivering brain and body activities that combine all three parameters in a sport-relevant activity, the athlete can safely improve his overall performance. TRAZER improves gait, stability, and
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