INDUSTRY INSIGHTS Independents’ day
We showcase a selection of projects where independent operators and suppliers have worked together to bring genuine innovation to the table
JOIN THE CLUB
OPERATOR: KISS GYMS, SWINDON, UK SUPPLIER: CREATEABILITY
site. Built in a former bank, the gym offers a funky, nightclub feel, with black tiled columns and clever lighting effects. During the 13-week build, development
T
partner Createability installed a range of functional, feature and ambient lighting to give the gym its nightclub theme, including coloured LED strip lights to accentuate the eight black tiled structural columns within the building. Meanwhile all services – water pipes, electrical cables and so on – are suspended in trunking on the ceiling, adding to the edgy warehouse feel of the 1,350sq m (14,500sq ft), 150-station gym. “It’s a super space with lots of nooks
and crannies and even basement vaults,” says owner Rupert Mackenzie-Hill. “Createability has also done a lot with the lighting to create a nightclub feel, which has generated huge word-of-mouth marketing.”
8 Health Club Handbook 2013 0
he word ‘club’ is spot on for Kiss Gyms’ new budget health club in Swindon – the operator’s third
The programmable lighting system
ensures the club has the same feel whether it’s 11.00am or 11.00pm, automatically adjusting according to the amount of natural light. “If it’s bright outside, the lights will switch off,” says Ian Cotgrave, managing director at Createability. “But as the light outside changes, inside it adjusts so the overall levels of light remain the same. This allows Kiss to maintain the nightclub look 24 hours a day.” Mackenzie-Hill’s way of explaining it is
that “technology drifted into the design”. Certainly all three 24-hour Kiss Gyms rely on hi-tech gadgets to operate, from airport security-style entry pods and intelligent, web-controlled ventilation to motion sensor-controlled lights – all of which help Kiss to compete against other budget brands. “The lighting is split into four motion sensor-controlled zones, so the lights automatically turn off if an area’s
not in use,” says Cotgrave. “As a 24-hour, 365-days-a-year club, it will save vital money when the gym is less busy.” Createability also remodelled the
inherited lift shaft into offices for the staff, with etched glazed panels in keeping with the floor-to-ceiling etched glass that makes up the front of the building. “The club is on a main road, so the glazed front draws the eye and makes people want to come in and have a look,” explains Cotgrave. Indeed, other than the £14.99 a month
price tag, it’s hard to see how the word ‘budget’ fits at all. “Our theory and differentiation from other budget brands lies in the sum of many small things, and by over-delivering on people’s expectations,” says Mackenzie-Hill, who has increased the investment in each site to date in order to intensify the ‘wow’ factor. “We see this as a retention strategy, as we lack the obvious magnets of swimming pools and saunas.”
“KISS GYMS HAS INCREASED THE
INVESTMENT IN EACH SITE TO DATE IN ORDER TO INTENSIFY THE ‘WOW’ FACTOR”
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