European health and wellness group, Aspria, has confirmed it is taking on investment in order to accelerate its pipeline and enter new territories.

“The interest from a number of investment houses was totally unsolicited,” founder and CEO, Brian Morris, told HCM “They got wind of our growth plans and pipeline and our focus on longevity has piqued their interest.”

Three investment groups have already expressed an interest in investing in the company which has eight Aspria sites across Germany, Italy and Belgium, including Europe’s largest health club – a 17,000 square metre club in Berlin - as well as two Aspresso sites in Spain and Italy with a third underway.

The two brands are both aimed at families and a broad age range of members – the full-service, high-end Aspria and the higher volume, lower price, Aspresso.

“It’s very much a family-friendly business, we have more than 50,000 members, 7,000 of which are children,” says Morris. “Our average member age is 50 – we’ve been promoting longevity and active ageing for more than a decade and working with experts such as Oliver Patrick and our Medical Council on the programming.”

The average retention is 72 per cent, with the typical member loyalty being an impressive 7.5 years.

Morris says the investment will turbo-charge the rollout. “Plans will accelerate when we take on the investment,” he says. “We’ll 'cluster and fill' in the countries we’re in and also develop new territories, which we haven’t been in before, but which I know very well. That’s what this inbound interest is all about.”

While Morris has not confirmed the new territories, there are rumours that a rollout in the UK could be on the cards. This would be a homecoming for the industry veteran who was at board level with LET Leisure in the late 80s and early 90s, when the company was developing legendary brands Riverside Racquet Centres and Espree Health Clubs across the UK, as well as Harbour Clubs in London and Milan. When the businesses were sold to a mix of Cannons and Virgin in the 90s, Morris moved his business interests to Europe because of a four-year non-compete clause.

Carlsquare has been appointed to manage the investment process and more details are expected soon.