The Fit4less club at North Hertfordshire College has been kitted out by Precor


full-time énergie staff, they share shifts, supporting customers and performing general duties. Over time, some will even run their own personal trainer business. It’s this mix of classroom training and on- the-job experience that creates a much wider skillset in the students, says Barr. “We want students to leave education with a higher level of experience. Working in the club adds signifi cant value to their learning, development and employment prospects,” he adds. Putting aside its educational role, the site runs as any other commercial health club, says Barr: “Our Fit4less in Stevenage is the same as any other Fit4less. The purpose of the franchise is to make a profi t, so we need to run the venture commercially. But we also place a very high premium on the learning element.”


fi t4less model The facility started life as a LA Fitness site, but was operating under the nuyuu brand when it was acquired by énergie, along with four other nuyuu clubs, in 2010. NHC then took on the site as a Fit4less franchisee in January 2012. In line with other Fit4less clubs, the 1,670sq m (18,000sq ft) facility comprises a large gym equipped with cardiovascular and resistance equipment from Precor, including the supplier’s award-winning AMTs, as well as a functional training zone, stretch area, changing rooms and small F&B area. Not all Fit4less clubs offer studio classes, but the Stevenage


august 2012 © cybertrek 2012


The Stevenage club has almost doubled its membership in fi ve months


site has two studios for group exercise, which also double as training spaces. Open from 6.30am to 10.00pm, the club is open seven days a week. Priced at £14.99 a month, or £10.99 for students, the facility is performing “pretty well”, says Barr modestly. In fact, it’s doing a lot better than that, says Spaticchia: “The club had 743 members when the college acquired it fi ve months ago; it now has just under 1,300 and is growing rapidly month-on-month. The college is consistently in the upper quartile of the énergie league tables on a number of scorecard metrics.” Full-time staff are also on-hand at the club, as at other Fit4less sites. “Some


Fit4less suppliers


Precor – gym equipment Clubwise – club management software Newteq – IT systems Dynamique Trading – vending Source Graphics – signage


budget clubs are very sterile environments, because they’re either unstaffed or have self-employed staff who don’t interact with members,” says Spaticchia. “Our staff are expected to be highly personable, and we teach them to really interact with members. The design of our clubs also ensures there’s nowhere for staff to hide, so they have to spend their time on the gym fl oor with members, where they can really make a difference.”


training academy In the past, all énergie staff training was managed from the Milton Keynes head offi ce, with internal and external trainers co-ordinated by the operations department. However, as the network has grown to encompass almost 100 clubs in the group’s portfolio of brands, both in the UK and overseas – including énergie Fitness Clubs, énergie Fitness for Women and Fit4less from énergie – the company wanted to build a training academy to support future growth. In addition to serving the public and training students, Stevenage Fit4less is


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 39


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