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400,000+ READERS leisure opportunities 02 SEP – 15 SEP 2014 ISSUE 640 Daily news & jobs: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk Martin Long scotches LA fitness sell-off speculation


LA fitness CEO Martin Long has played down media spec- ulation that LA fitness will offload more than the 33 clubs outlined in its CVA and says the company is focused on pushing forward. Reports implied that the


appointment of private equity specialist Michael O’Donnell – who replaces outgoing chair Fred Turok – could be a precursor to the sale of further LA fit- ness sites, however Long was swiſt to dismiss this. “It’s certainly news to


me,” Long told Leisure Opportunities. “I think the confusion stems from changes necessitated by our restructuring. Our company accounts came out recently and for the first time we filed them under ‘LA fitness’ rather than the old owner ‘MidOcean Partners’, as the CVA made those accounts irrelevant.


Yoga scheme added to Heathrow spa experience


Global airline alliance SkyTeam’s Exclusive Lounge, which opened in 2009 at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4, is offering a two-month yoga pilot project to customers on any of its 13 member airlines. Tis scheme builds on SkyTeam’s


existing 1,600sq ſt (149sq m) relax- ation facilities at Heathrow, including a wellness centre that offers spa treat- ments, an oxygen bar, three full-body massage chairs, five showers, a green botanical wall, four day-beds, two VIP meeting rooms and a wine bar. Details: http://lei.sr?a=d2q7K


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Long has been at the helm of LA fitness since moving from Game Group in 2008 “Obviously we’re going through a period


of change, with a different debt structure and new shareholders, so we’ll see a new board in place. Michael was headhunted and he’s a professional non-exec chair with a wealth


House of Vans skate & culture hub debuts


Designed by Tim Greatrex, the new House of Vans Park entertainment hub has opened to the public aſter more than a year of work. Located in the tunnels deep underneath


London’s Waterloo Station, the 30,000sq ſt (9,144sq m) venue will showcase an art gal- lery, a VansLab artist incubator space, cinema, live music venue, café and bars, giſting suite, plus a skater built and designed concrete bowl, boasting a mini ramp and street course. Two of the five tunnels on the site were


previously occupied by the Old Vic Teatre – these have been dedicated to skating alone – while the rest of the venue’s features are located in the remaining three spaces:


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of experience. Fred’s still involved in a consultancy capacity and remains very much part of the business.” Long added that beyond


the 33 clubs being spun off – which he expects to have been completed by January – the company is eager to push for- ward, with new ventures such as the premium LAX brand giving cause for optimism. “We’re focusing on complet-


ing the change period and then we can set about growing our business. Sports Direct is still the preferred partner to take over the 33 CVA clubs (they’ve so far taken 13 of the 17 to be sold) and I expect they’ll


have acquired more come January. “Some of the clubs may close and I’ve heard that some will be Pure Gym, but it’s all to do with the landlords really, lots of parties are involved. Details: http://lei.sr?a=S5v5n


Concrete bowls and mini ramps form part of the fun


Tunnel One will be the home of the new art gallery; Tunnel Two features the 100-seat cinema screening room; Tunnel Tree holds an impressive 850 capacity music venue. Continued on back cover


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