JD Gyms celebrated a milestone this week by opening its 100th site. The Enfield club is also the company’s first organic gym within the M25.

In the next issue of HCM, JD Gyms CEO, Alun Peacock, reflects on the story so far and outlines plans for continued growth. There are plans to open 10-15 new sites each year, as well as adding to the estate with strategic acquisitions.

“Strategic acquisition is still very much part of our growth strategy and we continue to explore opportunities,” he says. “However, as with our organic rollout, it’s very much a quality over quantity approach with criteria we won’t compromise on.

“We review each opportunity not just based on its current performance, but on what we expect it to deliver as a JD Gyms site. We’re very disciplined and only acquire when we find that sweet spot.”

With pre-sales for the Enfield site exceeding forecasts, Peacock believes there is significant white space in the outer boroughs of London which are prime for the concept.

He also talks about how the offering is evolving with group exercise being dialled back and more focus on strength and conditioning in response to its Gen Z audience: “We’re seeing reduced demand for conventional classes and increased demand for gym space. So in some gyms, we’ve removed some under-performing studios – particularly indoor cycling – and reallocated the space to high-volume activities, such as dedicated glute zones and lifting rooms with multiple platforms.

“These areas are now busy all day, with the throughput of members often exponentially greater than when they were used as dedicated indoor cycling spaces.”

Read the interview in full in the next issue. Sign up here for a free digital subscription.