Fit4less, a new franchise budget club chain, created by the énergie Group, is set to launch 4 July with the opening of the first club in Swindon, Wiltshire.

The 'no frills' club - the first of 10 to open by the end of 2009 - will not offer contracts to members, has no joining fee and will cost £16.99 a month. The club offers a 50-station gym with free weights and 30 pieces of resistance kit, a solarium, studio area, changing facilities and a members; lounge. Although most facilities associated with a health club such as a sauna, swimming pool and spa have been stripped away to cut costs, the gym does offer sports massage and a hair salon. Fitness classes and personal training will be offered at an extra cost.

"This is the ideal concept for anyone who likes to work out, shower and leave," said general manager Ben Palmer. "The majority of people who are members of a health club never use the pool or spa but continue to pay high prices. Fit4less can save people hundreds of pounds a year. "It is still a professional gym and we demand high quality and high standards throughout but all the frills and 'extras' have been removed to keep our own costs to a minimum, which allows us to pass this on to the customer."

Chief executive at the énergie Group, Jan Spaticchia, said: "We are looking to introduce Fit4less in multiple towns and cities in Britain through our successful franchise support scheme, which empowers people to own their own business and be their own boss." The second club will open in Inverness, Scotland in September followed by four sites in North London. The converted clubs were once part of the Fitness First portfolio, recently acquired by the énergie Group.