INTERNATIONAL
Vertical Gym continues concept roll-out
Urban Think-Tank opened its latest Vertical Gym in November – its largest and most comprehensive facility to date. This new development forms part of the company’s ambition to create 100 Vertical Gyms for the slums in Caracas, Venezuela. “Despite the difficult political, financial
and social situation – but also because of it – we continue with our commitment to the Barrios (slums) of Caracas,” says professor Hubert Klumpner of Urban Think-Tank. See HCM Oct 13, p68, for more
information on the Vertical Gym concept and philosophy.
3i invests in discount operator Basic-Fit
International investor 3i Group has agreed to invest in Basic-Fit, the leading discount fitness operator in Europe, alongside co-founder and CEO Rene Moos, who will remain a shareholder in the company. 3i is investing approximately €110m in the deal. Established in 2003, Basic-Fit – which
is headquartered in the Netherlands – operates 200 discount gyms across the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and France. In both the Netherlands and Belgium, Basic- Fit is the market leader with 95 and 79 clubs respectively. The company also has 17 clubs in Spain and nine in France.
Vivafit continues expansion in India
As part of its roll-out in India, ladies-only fitness franchise Vivafit has launched in New Delhi. The 30-minute circuit and group exercise-based concept includes the Les Mills BODYVIVE programme. Vivafit’s mission is to help women get
healthier and lose weight by changing their eating and exercise habits. It targets all women aged 14 to 80 years.
Thorstad to be CEO of merged Nordic group
The soon-to-be largest fitness company in Northern Europe has appointed its CEO. It was announced in June that Elixia and
Health & Fitness Nordic, owner of SATS and Fresh Fitness, will merge. The new company will have 2,000 employees, 181 locations and more than 500,000 members – and Olav Thorstad, CEO of Health & Fitness Nordic, has now been named CEO.
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Following the success of Spain’s first Anytime Fitness club, which opened in Barcelona in October 2012, the franchise operator opened two more clubs in Barcelona in October 2013. The Anytime Fitness model is based on convenience and service, with the gyms
NEWS Anytime eyes Spanish expansion
located in the heart of the community: one of the new openings is located in Barcelona city centre, with the other near the city’s beaches. Membership in the three Barcelona clubs ranges from €45–49 a month. Rod Hill, director of Anytime Fitness in
Spain, says: “We attract people with busy lives who have little time to exercise. Our gyms average around 500sq m in size, allowing us to create a warm and friendly atmosphere and offer a more personalised service. “Members can exercise at any time of the
day or night, as the clubs are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.” All three clubs are corporately owned by
Anytime Fitness, and will act as a launchpad for the brand’s expansion throughout Spain: Anytime Fitness is aiming to open 200 clubs in Spain in the next five years. Founded in 2002, Anytime Fitness is
There are plans for 200 clubs in Spain by 2018
the fastest-growing fitness club franchise in the world, with more than 2,300 clubs serving almost two million members across five continents.
Clubs number seven and eight for FITLane
FITLane, which operates health clubs on the Cote d’Azur in France, has opened its seventh and eighth clubs. The 2,000sq m club in Juan les Pins opened
in September. Equipped by Star Trac, the gym offers a full range of CV and resistance equipment, alongside Power Plate vibration training. The group exercise offering includes Wexer virtual training, which allows members to take advantage of classes such as yoga, group cycling and Zumba at any point during the day. Meanwhile, the 2,000sq m club in
Villeneuve-Loubet opened in December. Facilities are similar to those at Juan les Pins.
Upskilling for disabled members in Europe The Juan les Pins club is equipped by Star Trac
IHRSA is partnering with the European Commission in a new project – European Fitness Inclusion Training for Work (E-FIT-W) – which will help operators develop the skills needed to work with people with disabilities. The project is being led by the UNESCO
chair in inclusive PE, sport, fitness and recreation and will run for two years from November 2013, with the European Commission investing over €365,000. The project will culminate in a resource pack launch and final conference in October 2015. Other partners in the project include REPS UK, EOSE, Palacky University (Czech
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
Republic) and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain). The project will embed inclusive fitness
professional training within the fitness club environment, in a sector skills alliance involving trainers, trainees, employers and people with disabilities. Justification for the project stems from the
fact that people with disabilities are three times less likely to be physically active and twice as likely to be obese compared to the able-bodied population, with many fitness centre managers and instructors not confident working with people with disabilities.
January 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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