NEWSPAPER STORY: Membership Boom

A health club in Shrewsbury which hopes to open franchises across the UK has seen a 20 per cent growth in membership over the last year.

Bodytech's Shrewsbury club, which added over 200 new members to the 1,000 it had at the beginning of 2011, is now aiming to increase by a further 20 percent during 2012. Owner Jeff Anderson said: "We think we have the right package in today's economy to attract people who are looking to get fit and maintain fitness levels in a sensible and fun way without it costing them the earth, and we believe that is why we are growing as a business.

"We have invested heavily in premises and equipment to ensure that we offer the best on the market and that is now beginning to pay off as more and more people realise what is on offer at Bodytech clubs."

The company, which also has health clubs in Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Chester, launched a franchising arm just before Christmas and is looking for entrepreneurs all over the country to take out a franchise of the successful formula.

The business model works on around 500-600 members a year and will return a profit of over £50,000 a year, with an annual turnover of around £180,000.

Mr Anderson founded Bodytech in 1998 when he opened his first club, now the company's head office, in Shrewsbury. Along with his business partner Peter Metcalfe, he opened the second club in Market Drayton in 2006, followed by Whitchurch and Chester in 2007 and Oswestry, - which has recently doubled in size - in 2009.

Story taken from the Shropshire Star on the 7th February 2012