July 3, 2013
The team at award winning, Yorkshire based, gym chain, Xercise4Less are raising their water bottles this week to toast the completion of a new deal that sees them partner with retail giant Tesco, to bring their full range of gym facilities in-store for shoppers. Leading retail property advisors, Morgan Williams advised Tesco on the deal.
The first site to be taken on has just been passed through planning, for Xercise4Less to take on the 31,910 sq ft mezzanine floor of the existing Tesco Durham Rd store in Stockton-on-Tees, where residents will soon be able to combine their weekly shop with their weekly workout, fitting in a Boxercise class after stocking up on baked beans and fresh bread.
As part of Tesco’s commitment to ‘helping customers and colleagues live healthier lives’* they have been looking for ways to add more value to the services they provide and Xercise4Less has now been rubber stamped as a partner in this mission.
The gym, which is to create up to 50 new jobs is to be branded Xercise4Less at Tesco, and is to be the first of many, nationwide.
With a successful chain of gyms in Yorkshire & Humberside, the North East, the Midlands and North West, Xercise4Less has been heralded ‘The People’s Gym, as their mission is to make a healthy lifestyle accessible to all, and make fitness fun whatever your age, or fitness level. The new facility will house over 300 pieces of the very best equipment and will be ‘zoned’ for different activities such as cardio, weights, a combat zone, a large ladies only gym with a wide selection of female friendly weights, and a dedicated personal training zone.
Xercise4Less’s concept of budget gyms has grown quickly over the last 12 months, with their growth now showing over 250% increase on the management’s initial 5 year plan targets, with an expectation that turnover will have more than doubled from 2012, by the end of this financial year. The target for the brand is now to open another 100 clubs in the next 3 years.
Xercise4Less MD, Jon Wright said: “We are delighted by the growth of Xercise4Less this year and very excited to be partnering with Tesco on this new format, as this helps us further extend our reach, and get closer to people who really need our services. By making fitness accessible to more people we hope to have a positive impact on the region as a whole and really add value to the Tesco shopping experience. We realise that members use our facilities for lots of different reasons and for us, it’s all about offering flexibility, and taking away as many barriers as possible to help people fit exercise into their everyday lives”.
He added: “The Xercise4Less concept is growing because we believe that a budget gym shouldn’t offer a budget experience. We work hard to ensure our members benefit from many added value services and are passionate about ensuring fitness is accessible for all. We also have a bit of fun with our brand, and this is something that members really seem to enjoy”.
Xercise4Less at Tesco will also offer over 40 free classes per week for members, ranging from Boxercise to TRX, to Circuits, to Pilates to the hugely popular Zumba. The spin studio will also incorporate MyRide, a new ‘virtual spinning’ experience, making the most of the very latest technology using forward-motion video, taking indoor cycling ‘outdoors’, so participants can experience cycling tracks from around the world, and take on a wide variety of challenges in different kinds of terrain.
Whilst a budget gym, with monthly memberships starting from £9.99, there is nothing budget about the facilities and technology will play a key role in the high level of service provided. Class instructors will also be hooked up to cameras so their sessions can be streamed to members who can log in at home to join in, if they can’t make it into the gym.
Doug Wilson, Tesco Corporate Affairs Manager said: “As part of our plans to make our Stockton store an even better retail destination for our customers we are delighted to partner Xercise4Less in this exciting new venture. Our store will continue to offer everything our customers need for their weekly shop with the added benefit of a gym to help our customers lead a healthy lifestyle. The health and wellbeing of our customers and staff has always been a key focus for us. Fitting exercise into our days is never easy but having a gym alongside the Tesco store means our customers can access the facility at a time that suits them.”
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