HEALTH & FITNESS


Manchester City teams up with TRX for fitness deal


English Premier League title contender Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) is hoping a new tie-up with fitness equip- ment supplier TRX can give it the edge in its quest to secure a second championship crown in the past three seasons. Te deal sees the club continue to use TRX


equipment in club fitness regimes, which will now be bolstered with the introduction of tailored TRX training programmes. Designed to sustain health, on-pitch per-


formance and elite fitness levels, the TRX programmes will be adopted by City’s first team players, with a dedicated TRX Training Zone in the gym of the club’s new academy. Details: http://lei.sr?a=M4Z9f


The Gym Group leads profit charge


The Gym Group has taken 16th place in a Sunday Times financial league table rank- ing companies according to growth in profits measured over the last three years. It is the only operator on


the list from the health and fitness sector, reinforcing the notion that the budget end of the health club market is best- placed for growth. Te company has under-


gone a major expansion in recent years and is cur- rently awaiting Office of Fair Trading (OFT) approval for a proposed merger with budget rival Pure Gym. If successful, the new company (as yet unnamed) would comprise more than 100 gyms across the UK. The Gym Group forced its way into the


Te Gym Group’s chief executive and founder John Treharne


upper echelons of the Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 league table aſter growing its profits by an annual average of 91 per cent over the last three years. Profits topped £3.7m in 2013 alone, on sales of £22.6m. “Over the last three years Te Gym Group has followed an ambitious expansion strategy


PfP business development manager Robin Knight


Places for People wins will lead to major investment


Places for People Leisure – formerly DC Leisure – has acquired two 15-year contracts to manage and transform leisure facilities on behalf of Mid Sussex District Council and Wycombe District Council. Te new partnership with Mid Sussex


District Council (MSDC) commences on 1 July and will see a multi-million pound investment across Te Triangle, Kings and Dolphin leisure centres, with all upgrades scheduled for completion by the end of 2014. MSDC isn’t disclosing the exact invest-


ment figure, but says it will run into the millions, with all free centres to receive brand new gym equipment and renovations, while swimming will be made free to under- eights to encourage activity among children. Meanwhile, the partnership with


Wycombe District Council (WDC) will see Places for People Leisure operating a brand new sports centre in High Wycombe. Robin Knight, Places for People Leisure’s


business development manager said: “We look forward to working with both Councils and current operators to achieve a seamless facil- ities transfer.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=C5C7t


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to support our vision of delivering accessible, affordable and flexible gym membership for all,” said John Treharne, chief executive and founder of Te Gym Group. “Thanks to our robust business model


and significant investment in growth in recent years, we have continued to deliver against our business objectives and con- solidate our position as a market leader.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=H8B2k


Wearable tech consumer trends revealed


The digital revolution may well be upon us, but health and fitness con- sumers buying wearable tech still prefer to make their purchase in-store than from the company’s website, according to new research from Nielsen. Results from the February Nielsen


Health and Wellness survey of 471 American consumers were combined with findings from the firm’s Connected Life Report to illustrate the relationship between consumers and wearable tech. Te report confirmed the rise of wear-


able tech, with smartphone apps proving particularly popular for keeping track of wellbeing. In January 2014, 45.8 million US smartphone owners used a health and fitness app – an 18 per cent increase from 39 million users during January 2013. But while the product market is becoming


increasingly technology-focused, traditional methods for purchasing and decision-making remain surprisingly popular. 37 per cent of fitness bands sold were bought


by consumers in-store, compared with 33 per cent online from the brand’s website, with Nielsen noting that: “manufacturers of fitness


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital Te research showed wearable tech consumers are highly invested


bands in particular should take note of the sway that a hands-on experience can provide.” And although approximately half of con-


sumers say they search for information online before making a purchase, the study found that only 19 per cent of consumers said blogs and social media sites influence their healthy product choices, and only 17 per cent were influenced by brand or company websites. Details: http://lei.sr?a=Q6n6D


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2014


image: shutterstock_125264765


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