Family-focused fitness chain Healthtrack Clubs has launched a hunt for new sites, targeting 150 UK locations by 2030.
The chain has retained Savills as adviser on its expansion. The fitness hubs include a mix of new-build venues measuring some 75,000 sq ft, and refits between around 48,000 sq ft to 75,000 sq ft.
Five clubs are already in development. The first two clubs, in Birmingham and Swindon, will each be a £6m refit and a £14m investment in two phases in 2024 and 2025. The longer-term goal is to develop 500 facilities over the next 10 to 15 years.
The chain, founded by former director of David Lloyd Leisure and ex-teacher Andy Baker, is geared towards a lower price point and has the ability to address teenage mental health and fitness.
Spaces include youth clubs, esports zones and adventure concepts aimed at encouraging teenagers to become more active through non-gym programmes. Flexible seasonal memberships will also be available to adults through a tech platform.
Healthtrack said that with London 2012 a “distant memory and no real sporting legacy after circa £3bn spent by central and local government in the last 10 years, now is the time for a radical revolution”. This would be achieved via an “invest in health” campaign to create new facilities, health and fitness memberships and formats of traditional sports.
Baker said he is looking to challenge and reconfigure leisure and health services in the profit and not-for-profit areas. He added that the business is also on the lookout for more investors.
“With the right investors we intend to change this with the development of 500 new state-of-the-art family focused facilities over the next 10-15 years,” he said.
“The past four years has created a perfect storm of inadequate, empty facilities that customers do not want to go to, sports clubs volunteers have disappeared and governing sport bodies seem to be constantly struggling with sustainability and culture.
“We have support from councils, we have support from the property and construction industries. We see health and wellbeing being a major player in the place setting over the next five years. We have investors and need more to come to us as we can work with preventive healthcare programmes.”
Baker added: “Local communities will become our partners, we will research the activities needed within specific communities and will be inclusive, focusing on the local ethnic groups, women and girls.
“We will also work with local community groups to attract their members to participate within the centres and have plans to access funds through CSR and trust funding to remove the funding hurdle from disadvantaged groups. Our aim is to provide active environments for all which will promote wellbeing, health and community spirit.”
Jonathan Tate, a non-executive director of Healthtrack and former chief technology officer of PwC, said: “We have support from councils, we have support from the property and construction industries. We see health and wellbeing being a major player in the place setting over the next five years.”
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