Richard Brown, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Managing budgets while still offering a high-end fitness experience was the priority for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, when planning the refurbishment of its 375 sq m gym at Darwen Leisure Centre.

Maintenance costs were increasing on the older equipment, and customer feedback established that a new, less cluttered layout was wanted, along with a more modern functional training experience using HIIT-style equipment.

Richard Brown, leisure, health and wellbeing manager, says: "We wanted a partner who was a good match for our leisure, health and wellbeing strategy and aspirations, as well as our operational needs. Working with Precor enabled us to make the best use of resources by choosing lines of CV equipment to suit our requirements, while maintaining consistency across the gym floor by installing machines with the same consoles.

This, combined with Precor’s aftercare and support, was a significant factor in our decision to partner with them."

The centre’s 80-station gym now benefits from a new layout, showcasing Precor CV and strength equipment, as well as a Queenax™ functional fitness unit, all fitted out in the new Precor Black Pearl colourway.

Mix and match
Brown explains: "The flexibility of being able to mix and match the Precor 800 and 700 cardiovascular lines, while using P62 consoles across the whole range has allowed us to manage our budget in a smart way. It provides a mix of CV equipment, while at the same time offering a consistent, interactive networked screen. This makes it easier and quicker for customers when they switch machines.

The entire installation has been done in Precor’s new Black Pearl colourway

Operationally, it meant we were able to make our budget work hard and incorporate additional equipment, like the Queenax™, providing a more up-to-date offering and addressing the need for a versatile, functional fitness area."

The Open Format Queenax™ functional training unit was installed in the same Black Pearl colourway as the CV and strength equipment, creating a unified and sleek ambiance for all the equipment across the gym floor.

The centre has also gained a mix of 21 Spinner® Chrono™ Power and Spinner® Ride™ bikes, which have been installed in a newly-refurbished fitness studio, which also benefitted from a new sound system and lighting, to create an immersive and modern indoor cycling training experience.

High-quality experience
Brown concludes: "We have more than 7,000 members across all the fitness facilities within the borough, who have access to Darwen. As a result, installing the new Precor Spinner® bikes is important, as it enables us to provide customers with a high-quality ride using a mix of bikes to suit all levels.

"The Queenax™ functional training unit also provides us with an attractive and versatile piece of kit that allows us to offer a varied and fun training experience, while maximising the use of space.

Customers wanted more a modern functional training experience using HIIT-style equipment

"We’ve had a fantastic reaction to the new gym," says Brown. "Social media went crazy when we posted sneak-peek photographs of work in progress, and when we opened, they couldn’t believe the changes to the facilities on offer."

Offering consistent interactive networked fitness consoles

Find out more: Precor.com

Eamon Lloyd from Gympass (left) signs the deal with Duncan Jefford

In December 2018, Gympass, leader in corporate fitness sales, and Everyone Active, one of the largest leisure centre operators in the UK, announced a 68- club deal, which was predicted to bring the leisure operator 10,000 new members over a three-year period.

Following a strong start, confidence in Gympass was so high that Everyone Active wasted no time in extending the partnership to its nationwide portfolio.

Just five months on from the launch, plans are on track and Everyone Active has already benefited from hundreds of new members, 80 per cent of whom were not previously members of a gym.

"Our partnership in the south-east region proved so successful in just a few months that it made total sense for us to extend the deal to the rest of the business, bringing our full estate into the Gympass network," says Duncan Jefford, regional director for Everyone Active.

The success of the partnership has been bolstered by recent signings between Gympass and high-profile corporate partners such as Tesco and Santander. Their employees, who total more than half a million, can benefit from a Gympass membership at a favourable rate.

Employee wellness
"Employers are starting to recognise that providing employees with wellness benefits can have a huge impact across all areas of the business, from recruitment to profitability. Our corporate partners love our vast network of fitness facilities UK-wide," says Eamon Lloyd, director – head of partnerships for UK&IE at Gympass.

"I’m certain we’ll get more inactive people from our partner companies into Everyone Active centres over the next few months, as we continue to onboard more employees who can access centres both near work and close to home," he concludes.

Gympass’ technology has brought new members directly to Everyone Active’s front door, matching employees with facilities, based on their location, but the deal has extended far beyond the platform – Gympass’ live corporate wellness events put members of the Everyone Active team on the ground in corporate offices to discuss membership options, run classes and do health checks face-to-face.

Breakfast wellbeing events at Everyone Active centres have also encouraged more employees to try the facilities in a safe and supported environment.

One in four adults in England get less than half an hour of exercise a week. This extended partnership will help improve this, driving both companies forward in their mission to defeat inactivity.

Gympass enables employees of companies such as Tesco and Santander to use Everyone Active facilities

Find out more: www.gympass.com/uk

James Nuttall, Surge

Software expert, Fisikal, won the tender to custom-build, implement and maintain a business management solution for Surge, a premium EMS (Electronic Muscle Stimulation) studio, which opened in Hammersmith, London in 2017.

James Nuttall, Surge commercial manager, says the decision has positively impacted the business: "Fisikal was the only company that could accommodate all the customisations we required," he explains. "The team delivered an impressive, complete solution that includes a billing system with a contract structure, built completely from scratch.

"We also wanted to offer a premium member experience, simplifying payments and bookings through an app," he says.

Customer journey
"Because every EMS workout is led by a personal trainer, every session has to be pre-booked," continues Nuttall. "When the member arrives, we also need instant visibility of their suit size, so we can make sure the equipment is ready for them to get started. This creates a potential pressure point for both us and members, which, I’m pleased to say, has been completely negated, thanks to the integration of the Fisikal online booking solution.

"Fisikal’s system runs the entire back-office at Surge," explains Nuttall. "I analyse financial and operational data daily, if not hourly, to manage performance. Reports drive decision-making, providing information on occupancy, payments, sales and prospecting and supporting our business management needs.

"Over the next five years, we’ll be expanding to multiple sites, so we’ve chosen a digital partner that can grow with us," he continues. "Fisikal gives access to both aggregated and segmented data: at any given moment, we can get a real-time impression, not only of the performance of individual sites, but also across all sites. The value of this will be immense as we expand. Ultimately, we rely on Fisikal to run our business."

Find out more www.fisikal.com or email [email protected].

The team behind Surge in Hammersmith, London plans to expand to additional locations

Fisikal helps fitness professionals, facility operators and education organisations improve efficiencies and service through online business management solutions.

The custom-built, facility management and product education platforms enable operators to manage their businesses online or via mobile.

Functionality includes payment solutions, staff management, bookings, content delivery and business analysis.

Fisikal also improves the customer experience via a mobile app that provides anytime access to online bookings and a huge library of personalised fitness content.

The team behind Surge in Hammersmith, London plans to expand to additional locations

John Halls, MD, Physical Company

Through our network of global suppliers, we provide leading specialist fitness solutions, says John Halls. "It’s our ability to stay one step ahead of the curve, predicting today what will be needed tomorrow, that keeps us at the forefront of fitness equipment provision.

"Physical Company is continually reviewing its product portfolio and expanding its global supplier network. We currently offer more than 1,900 products, from functional training consumables and rigs to Pilates reformers and custom products," he says.

"Success is built on partnership, we provide operators with end-to-end solutions, from concept to installation.

"In the last twelve months, we’ve delivered some incredible boutique spaces, from the outdoor functional training space at Village Gym, Portsmouth to PilaYoga at The Marlow Club.

Mind-body solutions
"Our extended partnership with Merrithew – the global leader in mind-body equipment – means we’re now able to provide a complete mind body solution, from Pilates reformers to a full complement of accessories.

"In February, we announced a partnership with Beaulieu International to distribute its market-leading Turfgrass flooring exclusively to the UK fitness sector. The product is being used in Thé Yard, the énergie Fitness boutique concept.

"The range employs a unique method of weaving markings into the turf during the manufacturing process, making it integral to the product rather than an add-on.

"This results in a single piece of flooring that looks great and withstands constant heavy use. Add this new range to our existing relationship with Ecore flooring and we’re supplying some of the highest quality flooring solutions in the market at extremely competitive prices," says Halls.

Meet up at elevate
In addition to sourcing innovative products, Physical Company also invests in the design and manufacture of bespoke innovations. The Evo Bench is a good example. Answering a market need for a space-saving multi-function exercise and storage bench. "Evo Bench is now used in 11 Village Gyms," says Halls, "playing a vital part in the delivery of the Burn Baby Burn group exercise concept.

"This year also sees the launch of our new app," he continues, "which provides free access to a library of fitness content to support both trainers and end users.

"To cap it all, Physical Company has a new brand identity for 2019," says Halls, "we’ve also tweaked the aesthetics of some of our core products, such as kettlebells, following client feedback.

We’ll be on stand L20 at Elevate – to book a meeting, call 01494 769 222 or email [email protected]

Physical Company offers 1,900 different products, from kettlebells to flooring