Partnering with established local chain, Talwalkars, David Lloyd Leisure is set to take its luxury, family-oriented clubs to India, with the first location opening in Pune this summer. Steph Eaves spoke to Bruce Gardner and Prashant Talwalkar to find out more

Bruce Gardner
New clubs director, David Lloyd Leisure

How long has an India offering been in the works?
We’ve been planning our entry into the Indian market for around six years. We decided to go ahead with it now, because the partnership with Talwalkars was a great fit. We spent a lot of time researching the market to ensure the business would work and found the best way to approach it was with an excellent partnership.

How was Talwalkars the right fit?
Talwalkars was looking to expand its portfolio from solely having inner-city gyms to having a broader health club offering. The partnership works well, as both companies have roots in the family market and the business approach is similar. The opportunity was also perfect as it came about at a time when we were seeking international expansion.

What considerations did you have to take into account about the Indian market?
There’s been a lot to consider when embarking on the newest venture for the company. Our unique offering at David Lloyd Leisure is one where friends and families spend quality time together, whether having a family swim, enjoying a meal or a social event such as a quiz night. This fits very well with the Indian leisure market, which is geared up for large social gatherings such as banqueting and conferences.
Some fitness activities are less established in India, so we’ve taken this into account when looking at what will be part of the product mix. The breadth of our offering will be unique and we feel that our wide range of racquet sports will be of particular interest – we’ll be offering badminton, squash and tennis, which fit in with the social and fitness needs of the audience.

The physical design of the facilities will be quite different from clubs in Europe, as there’s less land available, so we’re building a taller club across more floors to compensate.

How has the collaboration unfolded?
The journey together in partnership has been smooth; the Talwalkars have been very trusting of our product knowledge and experience and they’ve provided local knowledge and expertise for us on how to run a business in India.

We’ve partnered with well-known brands and suppliers and have tested various membership options, as this is something that’s different from the UK market – the norm in India is for members to opt for a longer-term membership commitment, rather than a yearly contract.

Tell us about the first club
We’re planning to open the club in the late summer – the building is now near completion.

Pune, which is around a three hour drive from Mumbai, is a growing city, with around nine million people, a large IT sector, universities and a large demographic that’s similar to other large cities where we have successful clubs. Once this location is established we plan to expand – both within the city of Pune and then in other parts of India.

We’re very excited about the club opening. By combining Talwalkars’ knowledge of the Indian health and fitness market with David Lloyd Leisure’s expertise in the design and creation of premium family-orientated clubs, the company aims to provide a new standard for clubs in India.

What will be special about it?
A stunning rooftop restaurant will feature at the top of the club – led by a top chef. The club will offer a mix similar to all of our racquets clubs – kids activities, a high-tech gym, group exercise, swimming pool, tennis and racquet sports.

How will it compare to other clubs in India?
The club will be unique within the fitness market – the first of its kind. While there are many gyms and some standalone fitness studios, we will be proudly bringing everything together for the whole family under one roof.

The leisure club will offer international standard facilities to its members. Alongside the excellent facilities will be outstanding coaching programmes for children and expertise available in every sport and fitness discipline, to help members learn to play, develop their techniques and reach their goals.

What’s your target audience in India?
The target audience is families who live within a 20 minute drive time of the club. Our current members love the relaxed, sociable feel of their clubs and we will have plenty for everyone to enjoy. Families can come to the club throughout the week, perhaps for a swim and then a tasty meal after school, or they can spend a whole day in the club on the weekend.

Tours of the club started in May and we cannot wait to open to show local residents what we have to offer.

What have been some of the challenges with starting this new venture in India?
The challenges we’ve faced have included recruiting the right team in a different culture, finding partners, including agencies and suppliers, to work with and ensuring the building completes to our standard and within health and safety regulations. It has been a learning curve with great reward.

What are your future plans when it comes to the global reach of DLL?
In addition to expansion within India, we hope this project will mark the start of further international expansion for DLL into a range of new international markets.