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FITNESS, HEALTH, WELLNESS

features

HCM People: Gareth BaleJoint partner, Rowbots

We noticed this gap in the UK market for a complete workout that invigorates the body while impacting the mind

Published in Health Club Management 2019 issue 5
Gareth Bale has invested in the new Rowbots boutique concept / PHOTO: PA/MAURICE VAN STEEN/VI Images/PA Images
Gareth Bale has invested in the new Rowbots boutique concept / PHOTO: PA/MAURICE VAN STEEN/VI Images/PA Images

Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale has announced he’s investing in Rowbots, a new rowing-driven fitness boutique concept. Bale will be a joint partner and investor in the startup.

The Rowbots concept will employ rowing and dynamic floor exercises to create a complete body workout.

The business has secured its first location at 42 Eastcastle Street in Fitzrovia, London via Shelley Sandzer.

The 1,800sq ft unit will provide space for 11 rowing machines and floor work, with a capacity of 22 people per class.

The interiors have been designed by chief brand and design officer, Sarah Mannerings, and will have an industrial style, complete with mood-lighting and ‘urban’ finishes.

Bale – who has won four European Champions League titles with Real Madrid in the past five years – is known for including rowing as an integral part of his fitness routine, and this has spurred his involvement in the new concept.

Investors
He joins CEO Sam Green and fellow investors Greg Zimmerman and Joshua Barnett on the Rowbots top team.

Green, co-founder and CEO, said: “Our objective is to empower our customers to be strong both physically and mentally, utilising the incredible power of rowing, which works 85 per cent of the body.

“Right now, London has nothing like this concept and we have strong aspirations for the future of the business and are excited about the start of our journey with our debut London location.”

Sign up here to get HCM's weekly ezine and every issue of HCM magazine free on digital.
Rowbots will focus on high-end training, with rowing and floor work at the core of the concept
Rowbots will focus on high-end training, with rowing and floor work at the core of the concept
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/imagesX/323082_485196.jpg
Real Madrid and Wales football star Gareth Bale will be joint partner and investor in Rowbots, a rowing-based boutique concept
Gareth Bale, joint partner, Rowbots,Gareth Bale, Rowbots, rowing-based boutique, rowing, fitness, gym
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features

HCM People: Gareth BaleJoint partner, Rowbots

We noticed this gap in the UK market for a complete workout that invigorates the body while impacting the mind

Published in Health Club Management 2019 issue 5
Gareth Bale has invested in the new Rowbots boutique concept / PHOTO: PA/MAURICE VAN STEEN/VI Images/PA Images
Gareth Bale has invested in the new Rowbots boutique concept / PHOTO: PA/MAURICE VAN STEEN/VI Images/PA Images

Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale has announced he’s investing in Rowbots, a new rowing-driven fitness boutique concept. Bale will be a joint partner and investor in the startup.

The Rowbots concept will employ rowing and dynamic floor exercises to create a complete body workout.

The business has secured its first location at 42 Eastcastle Street in Fitzrovia, London via Shelley Sandzer.

The 1,800sq ft unit will provide space for 11 rowing machines and floor work, with a capacity of 22 people per class.

The interiors have been designed by chief brand and design officer, Sarah Mannerings, and will have an industrial style, complete with mood-lighting and ‘urban’ finishes.

Bale – who has won four European Champions League titles with Real Madrid in the past five years – is known for including rowing as an integral part of his fitness routine, and this has spurred his involvement in the new concept.

Investors
He joins CEO Sam Green and fellow investors Greg Zimmerman and Joshua Barnett on the Rowbots top team.

Green, co-founder and CEO, said: “Our objective is to empower our customers to be strong both physically and mentally, utilising the incredible power of rowing, which works 85 per cent of the body.

“Right now, London has nothing like this concept and we have strong aspirations for the future of the business and are excited about the start of our journey with our debut London location.”

Sign up here to get HCM's weekly ezine and every issue of HCM magazine free on digital.
Rowbots will focus on high-end training, with rowing and floor work at the core of the concept
Rowbots will focus on high-end training, with rowing and floor work at the core of the concept
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/imagesX/323082_485196.jpg
Real Madrid and Wales football star Gareth Bale will be joint partner and investor in Rowbots, a rowing-based boutique concept
Gareth Bale, joint partner, Rowbots,Gareth Bale, Rowbots, rowing-based boutique, rowing, fitness, gym
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Latest News
Finnish outdoor fitness equipment specialist, Omnigym, has partnered with charity, Emmaüs Solidarité, to launch an ...
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Virgin Active has officially opened its redesigned Mayfair club, unveiling its latest Social Wellness Club ...
Latest News
Europe’s largest low-cost operator, Basic-Fit, has agreed to acquire 41 Wellyou clubs in Germany for ...
Latest News
Longevity is the most important motivator for today’s exercisers and social connection is key, according ...
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Until has opened its fourth club at Canary Wharf, in the iconic YY London building. ...
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Ben Allen has been appointed managing director at Common Bond. Having set the company up ...
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Les Mills, whose name became synonymous with one of the world's leading fitness brands, has ...
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Strength training has moved from the margins to the mainstream.
Opinion: Building smarter strength spaces for today’s operators
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: CoverMe extends matching service to personal training, rewriting how members and personal trainers connect
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right client in under 10 seconds.
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Cornerstone Connect helps Active Blackpool tackle health inequalities
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy.
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Company profile: Zynk - wellness design experts
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Company profile: Create
Create is one of the UK’s leading fitness training providers dedicated to raising standards through ...
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Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
Featured press releases
Panatta press release: On Air Fitness chooses Panatta and its Made in Italy fitness equipment
French fitness chain On Air Fitness, with 113 clubs across France and internationally (Spain, Morocco and Portugal) and more than 430,000 members, has chosen to introduce Panatta equipment — a 12-machine circuit from the premium Free Weight Special line —
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Spa and beauty equipment
Oakworks Inc: Spa and beauty equipment
Industrial washing machines
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MSpa International Ltd: Hot tubs
Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Aquaform s.r.l.: Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
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Stratford, East London.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Property & Tenders
Y Felinheli, LL56 4QN
Newmark
Property & Tenders
Diary dates
21-24 Sep 2026
The Langham Huntington Pasadena , Pasadena, United States
Diary dates
06-08 Oct 2026
Messe Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Diary dates
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Diary dates
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Koelnmesse Exhibition Centre, Cologne, Germany
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