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GREAT EXPECTATIONS


Health club chain The Gym may be short on frills but it’s rich in opportunities for ambitious, entrepreneurial managers looking for an exciting career move. John Treharne explains why you should apply


A 40


former accountant and England squash player, John Treharne made his name in the health and fitness


industry 21 years ago when he founded the Dragons health club chain. The business was floated on the stock market in 1997, before being sold to Crown Sports four years later. Following a short stint as sports director at Esporta, Treharne has channelled his energy into developing the UK’s first budget health club concept: The Gym. The group currently has 23 sites open or under construction and is planning to open a further 80 over the next four years.


You launched The Gym Group in 2007. What inspired you? I looked at low-cost models such as Planet Fitness in the US and McFit in Germany, and saw a very definite


demand for budget operations. The UK, at that time, was the most expensive health club market in the world, which created a perfect opportunity to launch a similar offering here. However, none of the operations I’d seen abroad had really embraced modern technology. To my mind, budget businesses – from hotels to airlines – really lend


themselves to a web-based environment, so right from the start we put a lot of emphasis on developing innovative IT processes, such as our online joining system and streamlined reporting structure. This still sets us apart today.


All The Gym’s sites are new-build, with open, airy design and ambience


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


How would you sum up your offering? For £15.99 a month, with no contract, we offer extremely clean, safe, well-maintained gyms with more than 200 pieces of quality equipment, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Every facility has a reception area and changing rooms, but we don’t do frills – there are no fluffy towels, saunas or steamrooms, swimming pools or bars. In the current climate, we believe people want both quality and value for money, so our focus is on giving our members a great gym and cutting out the expensive,


february 2012 © cybertrek 2012


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