interview
Stuart Taylor, director of health club chain FX Leisure,
talks to Caroline Wilkinson about cutting costs, changes
ahead and Taylor-ing the business to family needs
fx leisure
From left to right: Andy Taylor,
Stuart Taylor and Keith Belshaw
O
perator FX Leisure may not
have international, or even
national, expansion plans for FX stands for the fi tness (e)xperience,
its growing health club chain, which is what Stuart Taylor and fellow
but this hasn’t diminished its directors’ shareholders – brother Andy and father
ambitions to create a brand influenced Alan – wanted to focus on when they
by global trends. Frequent visits to the started the company 10 years ago. With
States and the Far East have shaped both brothers seeing little progression in
the way FX Leisure approaches the their careers as professional sportsmen,
retention challenge and have resulted in they used their father’s business know-
some cutting-edge facilities, epitomised how to create profi table mid-market The fi re and ice room is part of
by the newly-opened £4m flagship clubs – with a dash of eccentricity to the indoor/outdoor wellness area
facility in Leyland, Lancashire. keep members entertained.
“We did a lot of travelling while
researching the industry, but weren’t “The benefi t is that we become
very impressed with what was out well-known locally and have a captive
there,” says Stuart. “We looked at a audience. On the downside, there’s
lot of the big chains in America, such a smaller population, some of whom
as Gold’s and Planet Fitness, as it was a haven’t had a lot of experience with
much more mature market and still is. fi tness and so require convincing of
Although there were new clubs opening the benefi ts.” As the community is key
occasionally, a lot of the older clubs were to operations, Taylor encourages his
struggling to compete with each other – managers to work with schools, sports
it was very, very competitive. Seeing this clubs and colleges, and to get involved
in the US made us realise where the UK generally in community activities.
was headed. Some of the philosophies we By doing most of the project
tried to bring in to our company were management and designing himself, Taylor
born out of wanting to somehow avoid is able to keep build costs down, allowing
being in that struggling situation.” him to indulge in luxury fi nishes – such
as walnut lockers – without affecting the
penetrating populations
mid-range membership prices.
FX Leisure positions clubs in suburbs in Taylor and his brother – who manage
the north-west of England: “We avoid the business along with operations
competition when we pick sites by going director Keith Belshaw – try to create
into smaller areas – usually with around more than fi tness clubs. “Members can
FX Leisure: The fi tness (e)xperience 50,000 people – where there isn’t the come and have a coffee, hire a DVD and
demographic for bigger operators. have a swim in a leisurely environment.
30 Read Health Club Management online august 2009 © cybertrek 2009
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
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