David Lloyd to chair new "supergroup" of boutiques – United Fitness Brands – backed by Pembroke VC

A new "supergroup" of boutique fitness brands will look to help pool resources and use their collective strength to grow their individual businesses.

The founders of indoor cycling studio operator Boom Cycle have teamed up with the owners of 'fight club meets nightclub' boxing studio, KOBOX to form United Fitness Brands.

Ownership of both brands has now been transferred to United Fitness Brands, which will be chaired by industry veteran, David Lloyd, who has been a non-exec of Boom Cycle since 2018.

The new company has received backing from venture capital trust Pembroke VC.

The group is now actively looking to add further brands to the mix.

Speaking exclusively to HCM, Hilary Rowland, co-founder of Boom Cycle, said the group has been set up to provide individual brands with the opportunity to share resources and operate in a more efficient way.

"The idea is to help the operators under the United Fitness Brands umbrella to spread costs and share their expertise," Rowland said.

"It will also result in brands being in a stronger position when it comes to finding investment and new sites, as there will be an opportunity to identify larger sites in which more than one brand can have a presence."

Rowland added that, while the model will include the ownership of the operators being transferred to United Fitness Brands, each individual brand will continue operating independently.

"We want each brand to keep doing what they're doing," she said.

"We're looking for brands that have become successful because they've developed their own identity and created a loyal community of users and we don't want them to change that.

"What we want to do is to make sure each brand joining United Fitness Brands will be given a better opportunity to grow and develop further."

Joe Cohen, co-founder of KOBOX, added: "With KOBOX, we were the first to bring boxing-based classes to the masses in a major market.

"Now, more than five years since our launch, we’re embarking on another first – creating an industry-defining supergroup, which I’m sure will go from strength to strength and allow more people across the country to enjoy these incredible brand offerings."

The most obvious next step for United Fitness Brands is the opening of more studios in 2021 including a fourth KOBOX studio, launching at Boom Cycle’s existing Waterloo site – after lockdown restrictions are lifted for group exercising.

Robert Rowland, co-founder of Boom Cycle, said: "We’re really excited to have agreed and partnered with another of London’s leading studios, KOBOX.

"They have a strong brand and excellent sites and are a perfect brand to combine with."