interview
London Fields Lido (right) and (below) York Hall Spa from Spa- London, an affordable spa concept
The standalone offering will be gym-
only, but could be linked to other GLL sites so, if customers do occasionally want to swim or do a class, they can do so by buying books of vouchers. Interestingly though, although
positioned as an ‘affordable gym’, GLL will not go into a full price war with the budget clubs, instead pitching the membership fee as the market dictates. In some places the Gym- London price point is £27.95 a month; Colombo charges £19.95 which, says Sesnan, will probably be the lowest they will go. “I’m intrigued that operators are going as low as £9.99. We’re a staff-led organisation with wages signifi cantly higher than the industry average, and we won’t drop salaries to reduce costs to that point.” In addition to Gym-London and
Swim-London, there’s also Spa-London – an affordable public sector spa concept. The fi rst site was launched in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 2007 as a “test bed”. Sesnan explains:
“It forms part of our product portfolio, but only in certain locations. You’re not going to see another 20 Spa-Londons. However, you will see some more – the next one is being built as we speak, at the Rainbow Centre in Epsom, and we’re debating whether to put one in Wimbledon. At Rainbow, access to the new wet area will be included in the membership, but we’re positioning it as an experience of a few hours, rather than just popping in for a sauna after your workout, and you’ll have to book.”
a diversified future So what does the future hold for GLL?
In spite of the fact that the organisation is already involved in “far more than
34
We’re looking at protecting ourselves. Leisure centres aren’t a statutory service and won’t get priority
health and fitness”, covering 30 or 40 sports with a full “playground to podium” approach, as well as operating businesses such as The Warehouse performing arts centre and the London Leisure College training academy, further diversification seems to be top of GLL’s agenda. “We’re adding Group Exercise
London and Racquets London in the next few months, increasing the level of choice still further. You’ll be able to join on the £49.95 membership, giving you access not only to all GLL facilities but also to all other centres in the UK Fitness Network. Or you can take a borough-specifi c membership for access to all GLL centres in your borough. Or you can choose just to do racquets, just swimming, just gym – locally or London-wide. “But for GLL, it’s not just about the
management of leisure centres for local authorities. We’re also looking at protecting ourselves in this current fi nancial climate. Leisure centres aren’t a statutory service and won’t get priority, so we’re looking at some of the other elements that go into the wider cultural trusts – particularly libraries. We expect to be involved in library management in the next 12 months, as well as doing signifi cantly more in areas like sports development. “Rather than spreading geographically
across the UK, our expansion could therefore be in the same places but through the provision of different services.
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital “And then there are the standalone
products, such as the standalone Gym- London sites, where GLL actually owns or leases the asset rather than doing it through a local authority. “Our corporate strategy really is to
diversify into areas that spread our business risk and decrease our reliance on any particular single income stream – but only where it makes sense, in line with our expertise.” There’s also the small matter of the
Olympic Games, which will take place on GLL’s doorstep. “Some of our facilities will be used for training venues, and our GLL Sport Foundation already sponsors hundreds of young, non-funded athletes. But most importantly, we want to be involved in the Legacy management. That will be a challenge, as there are big players from the commercial sector going after that too. But the activity of Londoners
– the network and infrastructure that makes sport and physical activity work in the city – is our core business, and we want to play a key role in the delivery of a genuine sports, health and activity Legacy. “As far as the rest of the fi tness
industry goes, I do think it’s fi nally looking seriously at what it can do to capitalise on this massive opportunity. We can’t just sit there grumbling that the Games aren’t doing anything for us. The Legacy’s not going to magically appear – you have to go out there and make it happen.”
healthclub@leisuremedia.com kate cracknell
august 2011 © cybertrek 2011
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