INTERVIEW
EUROPE EUROPE
FOCUS
EVO FITNESS “W
e’d love to do an interview, but you’ll need to come and visit us. That’s the
only way you’ll understand our concept.” So began my conversations with Nordic operator Evo Fitness earlier this year. Only by seeing the clubs for myself,
they continued, would I be able to fully appreciate what they meant by ‘compact training’ – the new category of small footprint premium club that Evo Fitness believes it has invented. In spite of its affordable prices Evo was categorically not, stressed its founders, a budget offering. “This is our communications challenge,” added CEO Bård Windingstad.
“How do we make it clear that ours are not budget clubs but boutique gyms?” Having heard the claim of ‘premium low-
cost’ many times, I was intrigued to see what it was about Evo Fitness that had led its management to stake out new territory for the brand – so off to Oslo I went.
‘Compact premium’ Although the flagship site measures almost 600sq m, Evo Fitness sites typically occupy a footprint of 450sq m, focusing primarily on residential areas. Compact: check. But what makes them premium?
Certainly they all feature top of the range equipment, mostly from Precor but with seven Technogym sites across the estate. But that in itself doesn’t make the clubs high-end: budget operators also tend to invest in quality equipment that stands up to intensive use. There is, however, a sense of calm and
social etiquette in Evo clubs, resulting in an atmosphere more akin to a high-end club than a busy budget gym. There’s no frenetic feel and noise levels are low. The décor itself is also soothing, with lots of wood and earthy tones throughout. “We wanted to create a space where people felt comfortable, so we used an interior designer who usually only works on private homes,” says Windingstad.
Peter Byman: International development Bård Windingstad: CEO
Bård Windingstad and Peter Byman of Nordic operation Evo Fitness speak to Kate Cracknell about their small format club concept with PT and IT at its heart
There’s a round leather sofa as you
enter each club, where members are asked to remove their outdoor shoes and store them on the shelving provided – only indoor shoes are allowed in the gym itself. This is one of the ‘feelgood rules’ which are explained on collaboratively-worded notices in the clubs – other rules include putting weights back and cleaning machines after use, keeping belongings in a locker, keeping noise levels low, and not hogging equipment. Evo has also paid attention to a sense
that’s often overlooked: smell. Lockers are located outside the changing rooms so the changing facilities themselves don’t smell, and PTs will even diplomatically speak to members whose gym kit is in
“In a market such as Norway, where the cities are small, a high churn rate just doesn’t work”
30 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
need of a wash. “We had one instance where the press latched onto this, but the public came out in our defence,” says Windingstad. “Ultimately people want to work out with other polite members in a pleasant environment.” So what happens if members don’t
follow the rules? “We stop their memberships,” says Windingstad. “In July for example, in addition to cancelling the memberships of anyone who hadn’t paid, we threw out 20 members who didn’t follow the rules. We want to attract the right sort of members to ensure everyone using our gyms has an enjoyable workout.”
Driving loyalty The sense of calm in the clubs has been reinforced by a strategic decision not to overcrowd the gym floors. Windingstad explains: “We analysed 200,000 individual training sessions to determine the characteristics that distinguish members who leave from members who stay. Some of it was predictable: older people and
October 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
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