Case Studies

Trowbridge Case Study

I have been working in the health and fitness industry for many years, starting from being a fitness instructor through to becoming involved in management. I have spent a lot of time working hard, gaining experience and ensuring the targets are met for the companies I have worked for.

One day I took stock of what I was doing and realized I had been putting a lot of my time and energy into making a successful business, and a lot of money for other people. It was at this time that I decided I needed to do something for myself and make a financial commitment to ensure my future well being, putting my energy into something that would be much more personally rewarding.

I spent time researching all the various opportunities available to myself, looking at the different routes I could pursue, and came up with two options:

Start a club of my own, or
Take up a franchise opportunity

After much deliberation I decided to opt for a franchise, the reasons are as follows:

Clubhealth is a group of dedicated industry professional who already have the experience of opening health clubs, and are willing to spend time in helping myself through the process. This gave me more confidence that everything was going to run smoothly, having someone to turn to when I got nervous during the early stages of setting up the club.
When setting up a club there are a great number of issues surrounding health and safety, staff training etc to be taken into consideration. I know that procedures have to be put in place but wouldn't know where to start or what the legislations are. With a franchise all the plans are in place and all the paperwork is provided to take care of these important matters.
When looking to start a club there are so many different provisions to think about ie equipment, member tracking, club management systems, music systems etc, there are also numerous companies for each of these areas to choose from. It is such a headache to try and figure out which provided the optimum balance between quality of product and value for money, and you have to take into account which will be the most suitable to the type of club that you are going to operate. With a franchise they have already gone through this process for you and will organise the purchase and delivery of all the equipment that you require. This saves hours of time and frustration and allows you to concentrate on the smaller things that will make your club individual to you.

Having looked through the numerous franchises available I decided that Clubhealth was the one that I wanted to entrust with helping make my club a success. I chose Clubhealth because I feel that there are a number of deficiencies in the fitness industry surrounding the quality of experience a member receives. For me these deficiencies are catered for at Clubhealth.

Its unique 30 minute workout: People are a lot more time conscientious with todays hustle and bustle lifestyle. With the circuit style workout combining cardiovascular and resistance training in only 30 minutes I felt it would be an attractive quality to many potential members.
Interaction between staff and members: The fact that there is always an instructor over looking the circuit was a big plus for me. I think that in a lot of mass station gyms the quality of experience that a customer receives is devalued by the lack of interaction with instructors and club members can feel isolated and ignored. At Clubhealth the experience a member receives is a far more intimate and personal affair. I think that this will also help retention figures be sustained at a better level than the industry average.
Non intimidating environment: Due to the pleasant surroundings; no mirrors, subtle rather than blaring music, non competitive environment, and user friendly equipment, you can attract customers who might usually be put off by standard gyms. Opening up your membership opportunities to a larger section of the local population.

Members' case studies

Marie Pike


Marie Before	Marie After

I have never used gyms before, so this was completely a new experience for me. When I visited Club health for the first time I was astonished to find a place that had no mirrors and felt welcoming as I walked in. The décor and building is beautiful and made me feel at ease. I was welcomed by Kirsty who gave me my initial assessment. Kirsty was friendly and managed to put me at ease straight away. Firstly she helped me set my goals and explained exactly how I would reach them. Then Kirsty explained exactly what the concept was about, so on my first work-out I was shown how to use the machines and what to do. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to do. A voice prompted me to move from 1 station to the next, spending 30 seconds on each station. The thing I loved most about this new concept is that it is so simple, you don’t need any co-ordination or fitness experience. The circuit runs continually so you can join in whenever you arrive. Kirsty stayed with me for the whole workout ensuring I was doing it correctly and also keeping me entertained! She really did look after me from the moment I walked in through the door until the moment I left. The whole experience was thoroughly enjoyable which is amazing as I have never really liked exercise before. For the first time ever I feel I have found an exercise routine that I will stick to and I have already achieved amazing results. In just 3 months I have lost 1.5 stone in weight, 6% of body fat and 22.5 inches from all over my body. I am so excited.

Rene Jefferies


Rene Before	Rene After

In 61 years I have never set foot in a gym. I once had a look at one about 10 years ago, I was given a tour of a daunting place by a young lad who took me round the gym showing me all these young trim people pumping weights on strange equipment and that was as far as that foray went.

I don't lead a sedentary lifestyle, I'm always on my feet but, over the years I felt the pounds just slowly creeping on. It was when I reached just over 13st, the heaviest I've ever been, and I started getting out of breath when I was moving around that I realised I needed to take control of the situation.

A friend of mine had started going to a new health club (Clubhealth) and was telling me about the good results she was achieving. I wasn't sure I'd like it but I thought I could just go and have a chat with the staff anyway, clearing my conscience that at least I'd made that first step. I went down with a pretty negative picture in my mind of how it was going to look, from all the pretty young people using the equipment to the staff who wouldn't be interested in me.

What confronted me when I arrived couldn't have been further from what I'd imagined!

The first thing that I noticed when I arrived was the beautiful stain glass window, not the most important thing to worry about when choosing a gym but it seemed to start things off in the right way. As I was surveying the layout of the club one of the friendly staff approached me with a big wide smile, welcomed me and invited me in. The layout was comfortable, there was a very relaxed feel to the club and it came across as a lot classier than my last experience.

Allan (club employee) was very knowledgeable, he seemed genuinely interested in me as a person and the reasons that had brought me to this point. We discussed how we could go about making a change in my lifestyle to help me shed some of those pounds I had accrued. I was also introduced to a wonderful new machine called the Vibrogym, it really helped me with my muscle tone and helped reduce my water retention.

I've been going to Clubhealth for 3 months now. With a combination of their weight loss programme, a sensible diet and 3 times a week working out on the circuit, and using the Vibrogym I'm seeing great results. I get a monthly assessment so that I can keep a track of how I'm getting on and it really motivates me to know how well I'm doing, without that I might not have been so enthusiastic to keep going. I can also see in the faces of the staff how excited it makes them to be able to give me such positive feedback and that shows to me that they really care about how well I'm doing.

To date I have dropped down from 13st 2lb to 12st 1lb, a loss of 1st 1lb and I have had a reduction of 17.25 inches in size around my body. These results are absolutely fantastic and have given me such a boost to my confidence, I feel 10 years younger.

Mark Edwards

Mark

This was just the sort of thing i needed to hear. Like countless people before, i had tried and failed with the conventional gym programme, 10 minute warm-up followed by 20 minutes cardiovascular workout, then a full circuit on specific weights (always having to wait for a machine to come free!) 20 mins cardiovascular again, cool down and lastly stretch. it could last anything from 60-90 minutes. This was just too much 2-3 times a week. Was there a better way? Clubhealth is different! Using the latest resistance equipment in a clean modern setting, backed up by the friendly approachable staff. A total body workout in 30 minutes 2-3 times a week is 'Achievable and surprisingly fun!'. I have lost 6lb, 3% of body fat and 8.25 inches.