Gym Group to introduce new products and services to members in 2017

The Gym Group will attempt to boost and diversify its income throughout 2017 by exploring secondary spend opportunities within its growing estate of clubs.

John Treharne, chief executive and founder of The Gym Group, told Health Club Management that the organisation would “use its buying power” to introduce new products and services to members over the next 12 months.

“At the moment we’re testing some of those with our customer base before rolling them out throughout the business,” he said at the presentation of the company’s end of year trading statement.

While Treharne declined to comment on the nature of the new products and services, he revealed that The Gym Group was in the process of piloting some of them.

Improving the company’s technological prowess for customer engagement was also earmarked by Treharne as an opportunity for growth as he aims to build on a successful 2016 following a successful IPO in November 2015.

The ukactive board member revealed that the move to float on the London stock market had allowed the company to expand its growing number of gyms without increasing its debt.

The Gym Group has already exchanged on 17 sites for 2017 – five more than the 12 at this stage last year, and two more than the 15 clubs it established across the whole of 2016.

New clubs will be opened in Bloomsbury, Holborn, Walthamstow, Battersea, Feltham, Streatham (all London), High Wycombe, Altrincham, Huddersfield, Manchester, Rotherham, Birmingham, Leicester, Strood and Cameron Toll and Murrayfield (both Edinburgh) in 2017.

Treharne said this could potentially increase to the upper estimation of 20 new openings in the calendar year.

The Gym Group currently has 89 gyms across the UK.

Additionally, Treharne explained that the company would continue rolling out the rebrand it started last year, which “softened the brightness” and “introduced a bit more colour” within clubs.

He added that there were reviews ongoing concerning the provision of free weight areas, functional training and classes.