Find great staff


TM


400,000+ READERS leisure opportunities 25 JUNE – 8 JULY 2013 ISSUE 609 Daily news & jobs: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk Battle of budget chains heats up


Low cost fitness chain The Gym Group has secured £50m of venture capital to expand its club portfolio – less than a month aſter rival Pure Gym announced it too would be spending £50m on new sites. Te Gym Group now has


the backing of two private equity investors – Bridges Ventures and Phoenix Equity Partners. While it is the first time Phoenix has invested in the company, Bridges Ventures has supported the chain since its inception in 2007. It is the latest sign that competition between the UK’s low-cost gym operators is heating up. Just weeks ago, in May, Pure Gym


Te hotel looks to preserve historical aspects


Ian Schrager to open Edition hotel in London


The latest Edition hotel is set to open in London, under the management of renowned hotelier Ian Schrager. Te London Edition, conceived in part-


Te Gym Group announced plans to open 20 to 30 new clubs each year


next 12 months, including 15 in London alone. Te Gym Group operates 36 sites with plans


announced it would spend £50m on new sites following its takeover by US private equity firm CCMP Capital Advisors. Pure Gym currently has 45 locations in the UK and has plans to add 40 new sites over the


‘Story-telling’ platform Gymtopia launches


Te altruistic capacity of the fitness industry is being harnessed to help the wider community with the launch of Gymtopia. Te digital story-tell- ing platform is designed to capture the social impact of projects powered by gyms and gym-goers world-wide. Gymtopia encourages health clubs


to collaborate with their members in fundraising, collecting food, donating shoes and clothing, and many other projects that create a positive social impact. It is the brainchild of health club industry consultant, Ray Algar. Details: http://lei.sr?a=Y5G6Y


GET


LEISURE OPPS


Magazine sign up at leisureopportunities.co.uk/subs


Job board live job updates leisureopportunities.co.uk


to open 20 to 30 new gyms each year. John Treharne, CEO of Te Gym Group, said: “Tis combination will allow us to fully capitalise on the opportunities in the rapidly growing low- cost gym sector.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=B5U3h


Fitness sector worth £3.92bn


Te market value of the UK’s fitness sector has been estimated at £3.92bn – an increase of 1.5 per cent from the year before. According to the 2013 State of the Fitness


Industry Report from Te Leisure Database Company (TLDC), the industry has expe- rienced improved growth in the last twelve months with increases of two per cent in the number of fitness facilities and a 4.5 per cent rise in the number of members. Te sector is expanding despite the eco-


nomic slowdown. Since 2009, the fitness industry has grown its market value by four per cent, the member base by 8.3 per cent and the number of fitness facilities by 3.9 per cent.


PDF for iPad, Kindle & smart phone leisureopportunities.co.uk/pdf


Ezine sign up for weekly updates, leisureopportunities.co.uk/ezine


nership with Marriott International, looks to preserve the historical aspects of the for- mer Berners Hotel – a Georgian building made up of five town houses. Te hotel’s ethos is to combine the historical aspects with modern touches and the 173-room hotel features a dance club, two bars, a 24-hour fitness facility and a fully restored atrium. Details: http://lei.sr?a=w1a0G


Te sector is expanding despite the economic slowdown David Minton, director of TLDC, said:


“Despite another year of economic slow- down the fitness industry is continuing to stand strong with both private and public fit- ness sectors.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=6i3A4.


Online on digital turning pages leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


Instant sign up for instant alerts, leisureopportunities.co.uk/instant


Twitter follow us: @leisureopps @leisureoppsjobs


RSS sign up for job & news feeds leisureopportunities.co.uk/rss


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24