Health Club Management is IHRSA’s European Strategic Media Partner


SATS has 113 facilities, offering a wide range of strength and CV training options,


as well as a strong emphasis on classes


OLAV THORSTAD A


native of Norway, Olav Thorstad was an accomplished water polo player in high school and college, representing Norway in national


championships and European Cup competitions. Professionally, he holds a BSc with a major in economics


from the Norwegian School of Management in Oslo and has an extensive background in strategic marketing and product and brand management, having worked for a number of large corporations including Coca-Cola Norway and the retailer Norgesgruppen. In 1997, Thorstad joined SATS as a club member; a


decade later he became country manager of SATS Norway, going on to become CEO of SATS Nordic Services in June 2009. He is now responsible for the company’s operations in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. In his free time, he enjoys running, cross-country skiing


and working out in SATS facilities. Thorstad is married and has three children.


our classes are designed by our staff of 13 experts, and taught by instructors we’ve trained ourselves, we’re able to guide participants in the right direction. This ensures high quality in both content and delivery, which produces a more positive experience for our members.


HOW HAS THE RECESSION AFFECTED YOUR MAJOR MARKETS AND SATS’ PERFORMANCE OVERALL?


Fortunately the recession hasn’t hit the Nordic market as hard as it has other countries: our EBITDA was US$19.7m in 2009 and US$27.8m in 2010, while the 285,000 members we now have represents a net growth of approximately 10 per cent over the last two years. We achieved these results despite the fact that, due to health concerns, we eliminated all of our tanning beds in December 2009, incurring a net loss of several million dollars. We expect our financial results to improve further this year.


HAS THERE BEEN ANY SHIFT IN THE CONSUMER MINDSET AND HOW IS THE MARKET RESPONDING?


We’re finding that people are more concerned about cost, and several low-priced operators have appeared in our markets. As a result, last September, we launched our own low-priced brand – Fresh Fitness – to target this segment of the population (see HCM March 11, p32). We already have six facilities in Denmark (see p16), as well as three in Norway, and we’ll reach double figures by the end of the year. These clubs are 1,200–1,300sq m (13,000–14,000sq ft) in


size and have approximately 100 pieces of strength and cardio equipment, plus two studios – a ‘Cycle Cinema’ and a group exercise studio – that offer an extensive line-up of 220 sessions a week. Compared to our SATS facilities, the Fresh Fitness sites have fewer employees, smaller locker rooms, fewer showers


october 2011 © cybertrek 2011


and no personal training, sauna, pool or childcare. Monthly fees are approximately US$25 in Denmark and US$34 in Norway, compared to US$65 and US$110 respectively for SATS clubs. The Fresh Fitness concept is fully-owned by SATS except


in Denmark, where we have a joint venture with a very competent local partner, led by Rasmus Ingerslev.


WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE REST OF 2011 AND INTO 2012?


We’re opening some new clubs this year and investing heavily in refurbishing our existing ones. We’ll also be trimming the organisation, preparing it for new


challenges and making it possible for us to continue introducing new, high quality products. The opportunities are numerous but, at the moment, we see great possibilities in areas such as providing tailor-made corporate solutions and increasing the penetration of personal training. We’ll never stop striving to create a unique and clearly differentiated position in our markets. Financially our business is heading in a positive direction, and we expect that trend to continue.


WHAT’S YOUR OWN FITNESS REGIMEN? When I was young I played water polo, participating in national championships and European cups; I even had the pleasure of spending a year playing in the US. Now I do interval training on the treadmill, group training and weight training at a SATS club. I like to run during the summer and cross-country ski during the winter, and last November I competed in the New York marathon for the first time.


The original version of this feature appeared in Club Business International, August 2011


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 65


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