interview
DAV I D
BRAME
Given the opportunity to buy a stake in
Beker responded positively, suggesting a split in the
business and offering Brame the chance to buy in to the
Bladerunner, David Brame took a leap of faith
newly independent fi tness company by putting up his house as
and put his house up as collateral. He tells Liz
collateral. The deal was done, with Beker retaining the majority
shareholding and Brame taking shares and the role of MD. A
Terry about how the business has grown
number of directors now also have smaller shareholdings.
Since the deal, Bladerunner has grown from a company
T
he new millennium found David Brame getting restless. operating 17 sites to one of the UK’s biggest management
The former operations director with Relaxion and companies, now running almost 100 sites and including the
Leisure Connection was feeling ready for a new European Parliament, Rolls Royce and the MoD among its clients.
challenge: “I’d seen a number of colleagues build up “In the fi rst few years it was tough,” says Brame. “Bladerunner
and sell successful businesses,” he says, “and I was keen to do the wasn’t a great name and wasn’t that well thought of. I considered
same for myself.” After an unfruitful VC-backed bid for Fitness changing it, but the name does stick in your mind, so we decided
for Industry (FFI), Brame accepted a post as operations director we had to change what it stands for instead. We’ve built up a
at management contractor Bladerunner, with strong ideas about reputation for quality service and for being genuinely committed
the direction the company and its operations should be taking. to the needs of our customers and fl exible in our approach.”
Bladerunner had just recruited technology entrepreneur The company took a signifi cant leap forward in 2003 when
Henry Beker as shareholder and chair and, after only a month Brame fi nally snared the FFI business he’d gone after back
with the business, Brame found himself in talks with Beker about in 2000, by buying FFI’s corporate health club management
the future of the health club contracting division. “I told him contracts from Granada. In addition to boosting market share,
projects being tackled by other parts of the group were in danger the deal also helped the company to get its brand into the right
of diverting resources from the fi tness division, threatening to sectors. A further acquisition came in November 2008, when
undermine the growth I believed was possible,” Brame says. the company bought operator ARK Leisure Management.
30 Read Health Club Management online february 2010 © cybertrek 2010
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
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