INTERVIEW
The Learning Pod offers space for member education, as well as fitness assessments
“LAX is being used as a testbed to trial new concepts, with a view to potentially rolling some of them out across the estate”
with just six PTs, with the expectation of reaching 15–20 after 12 months, subject to demand. “The model is different at LAX,” explains Long. “We have a full team of staff, known as LAX Crew, who are non-PT and who are there to help people – particularly on the functional floor, which is manned at all times. We don’t just leave people to their own devices – the LAX Crew are highly skilled and are there to make sure every member gets the most out of each workout. None of our other clubs come close to that level of added value on the fitness floor.” The slogan on the wall of reception
– ‘Live your potential. Take the journey. Make it matter’ – sums up the philosophy of the new club, he adds.
“It’s about taking valuable time and maximising your workout. It is about the intensity, but it’s also about how we add value through variety and through the input of the LAX Crew.”
A winning formula These high levels of service and attention to detail are to be expected at a premium club. What comes as more of a surprise at LAX is the price: a relatively modest £79 a month, plus £50 joining fee. “We’ve priced it very keenly, with
members really only paying a small premium above our other clubs and the local competition,” says Long.
“Meanwhile, across London, you’re seeing whole new price points coming in with the likes of Equinox and the microgyms. We believe we’re offering great value for money. I think most people would expect LAX to charge a lot more than we’re pitching it at.” Given this pricing structure – along
with the club’s high staffing model, prime City location and relative lack of secondary spend channels – how many members will LAX need to break even? “We launched with around 1,500
members and I think it has the potential
to be a 4,000-member club. However, our target is about 2,500 members
– anything north of that and we’ll be doing well,” says Long. He must have noticed the look on my face, as he adds:
“That’s surprised you hasn’t it?” It has indeed, but judging by those
figures it sounds like a winning formula. So are more LAX clubs on the cards?
“I’d open more, yes, and they’d be largely metropolis-based,” says Long. “There’s also, within the design of the
LAX brand and the structure of the offering, the option to launch a small studio format in line with the growing trend of the microgyms. The 20- and 30-minute LAX20 and LAX30 classes are very, very portable as a sub-brand.” LAX is also being used as a testbed
to trial new concepts and services, with a view to potentially rolling some of these out across the LA fitness estate. Long explains: “We believe the LAX brand gives us a fair degree of flexibility going forward, including the option to rebrand some of the LA clubs where appropriate – South Kensington, for example – or to take elements such as LAX20 and LAX30 and roll those back across the LA fitness chain. “That’s important, because we have to
make sure we don’t lose sight of the fact that LAX is just one club. We have 80 in the estate.”
Estate management So how have things gone with the LA fitness brand since Health Club Management last interviewed Long in September 2009? “We’re trading in a difficult marketplace, but the LA fitness portfolio has scrubbed up pretty well over the last few years of refurbishment and investment into the business. “Are they now great clubs? I think
A 265sq m functional zone allows for independent workouts, PT and group training 40 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital they’re good clubs. With a club like LAX, January 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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