JD Gyms eyes UK expansion after putting millions into refurbs Retail JD Gyms is set to open its 100th gym in the UK as the chain muscles in on the 24-hour fitness sector and sets its sights on further expansion. The Wigan-based chain, which is part of the global retail group JD Sports Fashion, will mark the milestone with the launch in Enfield, north London, in [...]
‘Quite insane’: Inside the World’s Deepest Marathon, 1km underground Sport Business This weekend 60 amateur runners will try to become the first to complete a marathon almost a mile underground in a Swedish mine. We spoke to one from the City of London to ask: why? “I’ll try and show you what it’s like down here,” says the man in the video, his view of the [...]
Branson-backed Virgin Active slashes losses amid WFH battle Business Virgin Active, the gym chain founded by Sir Richard Branson, has significantly slashed its losses as its battle with the work-from-home trend continues. The business, which runs 224 international locations, has reported a pre-ax loss of £78.1m for 2024, down significantly from the £146.7m it lost in 2023. New accounts filed with Companies House also [...]
Luxury gym Third Space sees profit double after membership surge September 16, 2025 Third Space has reported a more than doubling of profits after an expansion in venues helped drive a surge in memberships. The London-based luxury gym club, which operates more than a dozen sites across the capital, posted a 115 per cent rise in pre-tax profit to £11.1m in 2024, accounts published to Companies House show. [...]
Gen Z prioritise fitness spending over pubs and restaurants September 3, 2025 Spending by Gen Z on fitness activities has jumped in the last year as Brits focus on fitness over pubs and restaurants, according to new data. With three quarters of Gen Z exercising at least twice per week, fitness spending has risen 17 per cent in the last year, according to a report by The [...]
Equinox losses nearly triple in the UK amid luxury sector woes July 23, 2025 Equinox has posted a near-tripling in its UK losses as the fitness firm became the latest to suffer amid a downturn in the luxury sector. The firm, which has just three sites in the UK – all in central London – posted a £21m loss for its 2024 financial year, a rise of 267 per [...]
Grenade: We invented ‘good’ protein bars June 16, 2025 It is difficult to walk around a supermarket without being screamed at by a collection of very similar labels on very different aisles: High-protein yogurt! Protein powder bread! All natural high-protein ketchup! As the final social-media-endorsed macronutrient standing, protein’s stock has soared from a good-to-have to a must-buy in the last decade. Somewhat inexplicably, Marks [...]
David Lloyd: Padel and pickleball help chain make first profit in over a decade June 13, 2025 The rising popularity of padel and pickleball has helped health club chain David Lloyd make a profit for the first time since being acquired by private equity giant TDR Capital. The Hertfordshire-headquartered chain has reported a pre-tax profit of £32.2m for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. The results come after the [...]
PureGym: Losses near £90m amid huge expansion drive May 29, 2025 Losses at PureGym widened to almost £90m as it created hundreds of jobs and opened new locations in 2024, it has been revealed. The Leeds-headquartered low-cost chain has posted a pre-tax loss of £88.5m for its latest financial year, after having also lost £77.6m in the prior 12 months. In 2024, PureGym increased its headcount [...]
Boardroom Uncovered: Are Gen Z ditching the pub for the gym? May 27, 2025 In this episode of Boardroom Uncovered, the chief executive of The Gym Group explains that Gen Z are ditching the pub and instead choosing to socialise with their friends at the gym.