PTE plc, the most multi-faceted company in the leisure industry, is celebrating its 25th birthday with a host of new plans for the future.

Thriving in a relatively young industry, PTE is one of the UK's oldest leisure companies. Yvonne Medley, wife of the current chairman, started the company in 1982 selling sports clothing under the company name Physique.

Five years later Mike Medley joined the company and Physique Training Equipment (PTE) became the first company in the UK to sell second hand fitness equipment, remanufactured and certified to deliver all the benefits of a brand new machine.

PTE's service division was created in 1990 to offer support to Physique customers with service contracts. The company now has a nation-wide fleet of qualified and experienced engineers.

In 2001 PTE merged with southern-based equipment company LSI. Established in 1997 by Graham Bertrand, the synergy between the southern-based company and PTE in Lancashire was clear, and the merger was extremely successful.

“LSI and PTE were selling full commercial grade remanufactured equipment to the same market but in different parts of the country,” says Managing Director, Graham Bertrand.

“It made perfect sense for the companies work together, rather than as rivals, and Physique is now the UK's largest independent supplier of new and remanufactured fitness products.”

The PTE group expansion has continued ever since, with the acquisition of Precept in 2002 and Fitness Peak in 2003. Precept was re-branded ZigZag, PTE's children's fitness solutions division. ZigZag is now regarded as the UK's leading company for innovative products directly targeting the Xbox generation, and has a proven track record with leading commercial fitness facilities, local authorities, schools and professional sports clubs. Fitness Peak was re-branded as Home Fitness Direct and, since its purchase, PTE has opened stores around the country selling home exercise equipment directly to consumers.

A year later PTE acquired Wigan Gym Supplies, which became Physique Sports, specialising in the service and maintenance of sports hall and gym equipment in the education sector for more than 25 years, servicing around 4,000 schools in the UK.

At this stage the company was restructured into five divisions, Physique, ZigZag, Home Fitness Direct, Select Lockers and Physique Service, and sales hit a £10m record level.

Finally, in 2006, the facility development specialists Alliance Leisure merged with PTE plc to create the most multi-faceted leisure company in the UK, providing a comprehensive range of services, including facility design and build, quality fitness equipment, sports hall equipment, financing options and sales and marketing partnership management.

Now PTE intends to focus on the consolidation of its brands, particularly strengthening Alliance Leisure's position within the group. Alliance will continue to look to the local authority market, redefining underused spaces such as Hailsham Leisure Centre's highly successful sports hall conversion to ten-pin bowling, as well as building upon its spa concept, which is due to launch at Pendle Wavelengths this summer.

ZigZag is set to further develop its interactive children's gym, adding more computer-based activity solutions to its current portfolio.

Meanwhile, Home Fitness Direct is aiming to expand its store base in India, where five new home fitness retail stores were recently opened in Mumbai. PTE plans to double the number of stores from 43 to more than 80 over the next two years.

PTE Chairman, Mike Medley says: “We've come an awfully long way since my wife first started the company in 1982. Whilst the quarter of a century mark is a drop in the ocean for many UK companies, within the leisure industry we are highly established.

“We are exceptionally proud of PTE's achievements during this time, and look forward to a further 25 years providing quality health and fitness products and facilities to the industry.”