Former Xercise4Less chief plans 50+ locations for new Coach Gyms concept

Stuart Perrin, a former Xercise4Less COO, has launched a new affordable boutique studio Concept with the aim of opening 50 sites across metropolitan areas outside London.

The first Coach Gym studio recently opened in Leeds and houses four studios and a full gym floor with 200 pieces of equipment – including cardio, functional and free weights.

With a target audience of females between the ages of 25 and 55 years old, the Leeds site offers more than 200 classes per month, with Les Mills as a key partner.

In an exclusive interview with HCM magazine, Perrin said, the next three Coach Gym sites have been identified and the company is currently looking to its second site, which is currently in the design stages, open by the end of the year.

"The aim is to have between four and six clubs in every metropolitan area in the UK, outside London," Perrin told HCM.

"Target locations are inner ring roads and we’ll follow a ‘city takeover’ approach, with three miles between each.

"All clubs will have total floor areas of between 10-15,000sq ft and we’re investing £750k per club in fit-out to achieve the look and feel of a bar, while delivering an exceptional training experience for everyone."

Perrin adds that the focus will be on providing a female-friendly experience – a segment he feels is under-represented in the current market.

"After working in the premium, mid-market and budget sectors, I felt female fitness was often an afterthought and a huge opportunity missed," he said.

"Coach isn’t ‘ladies-only’ but female focused – currently, around 90 per cent of our members are women.

"We’ve created an environment that’s non-intimidating, soft in approach and relaxed in terms of things such as communication, to ensure the best experience possible for the women who make this their choice."

Equipment at Coach Gyms is by Nautilus, Star Track, Schwinn, Stairmaster, Concept, Hatton, with functional items by Origin, Exigo and Jordan, while the changing rooms have 50-100 lockers, brass surround mirrors and solid oak beauty benches.

Gyms open 6.00am to 10.00pm on weekdays and 8.00am to 8.00pm at weekends/bank holiday and there's a member app powered by Virtuagym.

The Leeds site is currently approaching the 2,000 member mark and Perrin predicts that the figure will increase to 4,500 members over over the next 14 months.

"In terms of usage, we’re currently logging 600 unique visits a day at the first location and expect this to grow to closer to 1k visits a day at maturity," Perrin adds.

"I’m confident we can deliver 50 Coach Gyms in the UK over the next few years, however, I feel the opportunity is really much larger than that."

• To read more about Perrin's plans for Coach Gyms, click here to read the full interview in HCM Issue 8 2020.