INTERNATIONAL


Holohan teams up with Anytime Fitness in Ireland


Anytime Fitness has signed an exclusive area development agreement with Gar Holohan to develop a chain of clubs in Ireland over the next three years. The first club will open in September in Dun Laoghaire. Holohan – who in conjunction with


Diane Vesey, now European director for Anytime Fitness, set up Ireland’s largest sport and leisure management company, Aura – believes there is a gap in the market for a good quality, convenient value proposition in Irish cities. “Ireland is following the European


trend of low-cost budget clubs, and a gap is opening in the market for people who don’t want to queue for machines on the one hand or pay €85 per month on the other,” says Holohan. “Diane and I had both looked at


introducing Anytime Fitness into Ireland in 2009, but the property prices were still at Celtic Tiger rates. Now opportunities are opening up in good locations and we would hope to develop the first five clubs over the next 12 months.” Aura will still continue to expand and


is currently in negotiations with several local authorities to take over a number of existing facilities that are struggling in the current economic climate, particularly following the introduction of VAT for local authority leisure centres.


Vivafit unveils new compact studio concept


Women-only franchise operator Vivafit has launched a new, compact version of its express exercise concept: a studio-based version where every session consists of a group fitness class. All classes are booked online and taught


in Vivafit’s traditional express format of 30–45 minutes. There are three versions of circuit training – basic circuit, abdominals circuit, functional circuit – as well as the high energy Body Vive and Sh´bam dancing classes. Mind-body classes – pilates and Body Balance – are also available. The new studio version is already in operation in two sites in India.


DiR organises inaugural Diagonal 10k


Barcelona-based health club chain DiR last month organised a 10km race – the first race ever to take place along Diagonal, the road that cuts through the heart of the city.


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Finnish operator Hukka Oy has recently completed a project to create a functional training offering at its club. Located near Oulu in northern Finland,


Hukka Oy is one of the largest privately owned indoor exercise facilities in the country,


NEWS Functional studio for Hukka Oy


measuring over 4,260sq m. A family company with almost 40 years in operation, Hukka Oy has over 4,000 members making over 320,000 visits a year. It aims to enhance the quality of life for Oulu residents by offering high quality exercise facilities and services for members of different ages and fitness levels. Jordan Fitness – through Finnish distributor


Slingshot – has supplied Easy Lock functional performance flooring for the club, complete with the Hukka Oy branding. It has also equipped the club with a large array of functional fitness training kit including medicine balls, plyometric platforms, training ropes, Powerbags, V hurdles and rollers. The club now offers three separate gyms,


The club has brand new functional flooring and kit


including the new functional training studio and a gym for women only. Its timetable features more than 100 weekly group fitness classes, with tennis, squash, badminton and table tennis facilities also available. Members can also relax in an infra-red or Finnish sauna, or take part in personal training and small group training sessions.


New training facility for NZ Warriors


The Vodafone New Zealand Warriors rugby league team has unveiled its new-look high performance training centre at Mount Smart Stadium, in Auckland. The new 800sq m facility features specially


designed functional strength training equipment from Hammer Strength, including power racks, Olympic platforms and plate- loaded machines. There’s also a range of CV equipment, including Concept2 rowers, and a wrestling area. The gym also incorporates an altitude training chamber which can accommodate up to 20 players, plus coaching staff, at any one time.


Evo Fitness combats drug use in clubs The centre has an altitude training chamber


Norwegian operator EVO Fitness has taken a strong stance on the use of drugs in its clubs, launching a tough anti-drug policy mainly targeting steroids and energy-boosting drugs. This follows the introduction, in late 2012,


of a new national law – Clean Center – which made it illegal to use drugs in fitness centres. Members undertake not to use doping,


accepting this in the terms and conditions when they become a member. All PTs at EVO clubs have also completed a nationally- recognised anti-doping course. PTs and other members are encouraged to report any suspicions of doping, with membership


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


cancelled for any members who are shown – either through a drugs test, or refusal to take a drugs test – to be using drugs. “In Norway, almost 5 per cent of all male


fitness members are using steroids or other drugs to grow their bodies faster,” says EVO Fitness CEO Baard Windingstad. “With the female members, a new trend is the use of fat-burning/energy-boosting drugs. It’s a very unhealthy trend for the fitness industry as a whole and most certainly something that EVO does not want to be associated with. I believe we are fighting this harder than any other fitness chain in Norway.”


June 2013 © Cybertrek 2013


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