Les Mills International (LMI) has launched a new company - Les Mills UK - which will become the exclusive distributor for Les Mills group fitness programmes in the UK.

The move follows LMI?s acquisition of the division of Fitness Professionals (FitPro) which had been responsible for distributing Les Mills programmes for the past 15 years. Jill Tattersall, former CEO of LMI, has been appointed CEO of Les Mills UK to manage the transition.

LMI has worked alongside FitPro since December 2011 to ensure a smooth handover, with the Les Mills UK office based at FitPro's current offices until May before relocating to premises in east London.

FitPro founder and chief executive officer Brent Hallo said: "This new arrangement enables us to focus on growing our global business and to re-focus on our services including conventions, training and exercise products.

"We will also be expanding our offering for personal trainers in 2012, with new products, education and a new global PT certification."

LMI chief executive officer Phillip Mills added: "With this move, LMI will be able to offer an excellent package directly to its UK club partners, including access to the latest marketing material and resources to maximise class attendance in clubs."

Les Mills programmes are delivered by 90,000 trained instructors at 14,000 clubs around the world.

The deal was announced today during a Future of Fitness event at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. The event is one of a programme of Future of Fitness events which Les Mills is currently running in partnership with the Fitness Industry Association (FIA).

The Future of Fitness road show will continue until 10 March with events in Edinburgh (3 March), Bristol (6 March) and Harlow (10 March).

For more information on the Future of Fitness road show and to book your place, click here to visit www.lesmillsuk.eventbrite.com