Whitbread is buying Racquets & Healthtrack Group for £78.3m for rebranding as David Lloyd Leisure.
The deal increases the number of David Lloyd Leisure clubs to 47 with a further seven due to open by summer 2000. According to a spokesman for Whitbread, membership will grow to nearly 170,000, which he claims is some 35% more than that of the nearest competitor.
Established in 1995, Racquets & Healthtrack has a network of six health and fitness clubs with more than 35,000 members – four of which have full facilities for racquets sports.
Steve Philpott, managing director of David Lloyd Leisure, said: “These are first rate clubs which fit well at the top end of our existing business.”
