Read for Free: 2025 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report

OPERATOR PERSPECTIVE

Health is our next focus. By the time this report is published, we’ll have launched our white label platform that gives members access to a GP within 24 hours. We’re the first HVLP brand in the UK to do this. For £29.99 a month, you not only get multi-site access, but also free access to a GP, physio and mental health counsellor for yourself, your partner and your children. I believe the whole sector must look at how it’s going to bring health and wellbeing into the fitness ecosystem. At NRG, our focus is on democratising access. It’s also on how we track it. One of the strands we are currently exploring is how we improve member performance both inside and outside of the gym. What’s next for NRG? I’ve always been long-term greedy for NRG, so I set out to create a really good business with strong foundations built on tech, data and great co-directors from inside and outside of the industry. I was previously a financial modeller: I worked on a microfinance bank roll-out in India and was responsible for launching the Harrods financial services rewards programme. Customer insight and bricks-and-mortar roll-out sit at the heart of my experience, as does an understanding of the need to validate as much data as possible.

We don’t just want to democratise access to a gym. We want to democratise access to the sort of gym our members really want.

We’ve created a collage of what our members have told us about their preferences over the years and it’s a clear reflection of what the NRG brand looks like today. We don’t just want to democratise access to a gym. We want to democratise access to the sort of gym our members really want. We create great facilities with premium equipment: Life Fitness, Hammer Strength, rigs, plate-loaded kit, functional tracks. In Q4 last year, we launched NRG-X, formalising our functional areas in response to the continued popularity of Hyrox and CrossFit. And all of this for £20–30 a month. We look to evolve and innovate with each new location, but lockdown provided us with the opportunity to align all our sites and there is now a strong, consistent offering across every gym. Our culture is another important factor in NRG’s success. In spite of being data-led, we’re very human and people- orientated. Education and travel have been at the heart of what I’ve done; from PAs to managers, we give you the opportunity to attend fitness events nationally and internationally, so you can see how big and how great our industry is. That cultural element also extends to how our members relate to us as a company, including how we address the social issues that matter to them. By the time this report is published, we will have signed a partnership whereby a percentage of every membership fee goes towards deforestation. This isn’t a tick-box process for us. Ours is an energy-hungry sector and we want to do what we can to offset the environmental impact of our business. Our seven sites will mean a minimum of 4,000 trees planted every year – a number that will grow as we open more gyms.

The whole sector must look at how it’s going to bring health and wellbeing into the fitness ecosystem

I also understand the value of bringing in the right people – those with even greater experience than me in their particular fields of expertise. As an example, I’ve done seven property deals and the financial modelling behind the capital raising, but I’ve hired a property director who’s done over 110 sites and brought in an amazing CFO to support me with the data and the next phase of growth. I’ve also brought on-board a non- executive director who, as the former CFO of JD Sports, oversaw a 400+ site roll-out across the UK and internationally. I believe one of the roles of a CEO is to have people at the table who, in their respective fields, are more talented than them – people who will provide a sound check, offering a different angle and being willing to challenge. These foundations enable us to grow and we’re entering this phase now: the £4m follow-on private equity raise we completed in December will enable a blend of continued organic growth and acquisitions, both small and large.

Over the next 12 months, I see us growing the business by 40–50 per cent. Beyond that, everyone can talk about wanting to get to 100 clubs, but I think getting to 50 in our next phase of growth would be both positive and realistic. This growth will predominantly be in the UK, with potentially a small proportion overseas. Our other immediate focus is on transitioning from being entrepreneur founder-led to being more institutionalised. To this end, we’re continuing our work in establishing and implementing processes that create objectivity in the business and we’re bringing in the right people to support our next phase of growth. What are you seeing in the sector generally? We’re doing really well as an industry in terms of membership growth, market value, deal flow and so on. We’re also benefiting from an increasingly educated consumer who’s looking to enhance and track their health.

STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2025

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