Fitness at the core

Core the Gym – an independent club in Maidstone, UK – has worked with equipment manufacturer. Core Health & Fitness to create a space that’s dedicated to the member experience

Core the Gym opened at the start of January and is already ranked as one of the top gyms in Maidstone, Kent, attracting over 1,500 members in its first few weeks of operation.

The new club is independently owned and run by local businessman Jay Atkins. Atkins has spent 15 years in the industry having previously worked at DLL as operations project manager, and has always dreamed of opening his own club.

The gym is located in the Mall Shopping Centre in Maidstone and oozes an urban industrial look and feel, with exposed brick walls and ventilation units. The walls are decorated with graffiti from a local artist.

An inviting space
The design of Core the Gym maximises the available space in the 10,000sq ft club, with a wide variety of training areas on offer including functional and free weight zones. The gym has a functional fitness zone from Impulse, with a rig and accessories supplied by Origin Fitness – including TRX, boxing bags and battle ropes for the ultimate HIIT session.

Meanwhile the cardio equipment faces the gym floor, so those who seek the familiarity of a treadmill can simultaneously watch what goes on in the functional and weight training areas – this with a view to ultimately encouraging members to try out new equipment and workouts.

Atkins chose Star Trac as the main cardio equipment supplier for the superior biomechanics and open platform technology. The new cardio deck also features Soft Trac triple cell cushioning on the treads for maximum shock absorption.

Members come first
The main focus for the gym and its staff is member wellbeing. There are no staff offices or private areas, and every inch of the gym is dedicated to user experience and fitness equipment. All staff are highly qualified fitness professionals with a focus on encouraging members to be health aware as opposed to body-conscious.

Meanwhile, members can take advantage of the staff all being qualified PTs, with free help and advice on offer. For full PT sessions, freelance personal trainers are also available to be booked on request.

Standard membership costs £19.99 a month with no contract or joining fee.

Atkins comments: “We wanted to create a unique space that focused on the members; we take great pride in our staff, our personal trainers and most importantly our members.”

He continues: “Core Health & Fitness was the natural supplier of equipment for us. Its consultative approach to fitness with design, layout and equipment selection was second to none, focusing on the needs of the gym and not its own sales targets. The team at Core Health & Fitness took the time to create different layouts to maximise the space and sought high quality fitness partners to ensure the very best was on offer.”

www.startrac.com
www.stairmaster.com

Exposed brickwork and ventilation give a modern industrial feel

There are no offices in the club – all space is dedicated to the member experience - insert picture Jay Atkins

One in the bank

The new-look gym at the London headquarters of BNP Paribas offers users eye-catching, contemporary changing areas created by Safe Space Lockers

When one of the top-rated banks in the world requires lockers, it won’t settle for anything less than the best.

Safe Space Lockers has just put the finishing touches on a £27,000 refurbishment at the corporate gym located in the headquarters of BNP Paribas – leaders in global banking and financial services – in central London, UK.

A modern touch
The brief from BNP Paribas was to freshen things up and move away from the traditional oak or wood panelled changing rooms. It wanted a modern look with clean lines.

Safe Space Lockers replaced the old lockers with classic Formica laminate coloured products – great looking, and also practical and highly durable. Different colours have been used in the men’s and women’s changing areas, with the use of three shades creating a contemporary look. The rooms don’t just feel bigger, but brighter and fresher too.

Safe Space Lockers also recommended the high quality yet affordable feel of the Lowe and Fletcher DCL digital lock – easy to use, reliable, highly durable and with no need for keys.

Michael Flatter, hospitality & catering manager for BNP Paribas, is over the moon with the final result. “The incredible use of colour and design has transformed the spaces from being ‘just changing rooms’ into aesthetically pleasing, inspiring areas where our staff are happy to be,” he says. “I’m absolutely delighted with the result we’ve achieved and wouldn’t hesitate in using Safe Space Lockers again.”

He continues: “This was the second time I’ve used Safe Space Lockers in the refurbishment of our in-house fitness centre. On the first occasion, the company was recommended to us and did a very professional job in providing a modern solution to our ageing lockers.

“On this occasion, the whole gym was undergoing an upgrade and it was my pleasure to recommend Safe Space to our contractors, who engaged with managing director Dominic Hyett and his team to supply and install a much needed upgrade to our tired facility.”

Meeting expectations
Safe Space’s Hyett comments: “It was great to be invited back to work with the BNP Paribas team once again.

“We received some great feedback from Michael last time round, when we supplied lockers and cubicles in 2011. On this occasion, we were given a brief to supply the company with a contemporary and modern changing room.”

He concludes: “The result has been well received by the client and the workforce at BNP Paribas, who all agree the finish matches their business standards – naturally very high.”

www.safespacelockers.co.uk

It’s the second project at the bank’s London HQ for Safe Space Lockers

Three shades give a modern feel to the digital access lockers