Bannatyne Group reopens Rotherham club following £500,000 revamp

Bannatyne Group has completed a £500,000 redevelopment of its club in Rotherham, Yorkshire.

Improvements include the creation of a new functional training area, featuring an Omnia 8 rig, which aims to increase member interaction by allowing up to eight gym-goers to simultaneously swing, balance and hang from the equipment to strengthen core muscles in a fun and engaging way.

The club has also upgraded its technological offering with the installation of virtual class studios, Myzone heart rate monitors and the Bannatyne app, which allows members to keep track of their Fitness progress, complete challenges on their smart phone and book classes.

In addition, there has also been further investment in updated cardiovascular equipment, including SkillMills, Watt Bikes and WaterRowers, which were made famous by the Netflix smash hit, House of Cards.

It is the latest club Bannatyne Group has reopened as it undertakes a refurbishment programme at all of its 66 health clubs.

Mark Hodgkinson, general manager at Bannatyne Rotherham, said: “The refurbishment is fantastic and I’m sure our members will love the finished result.

“The equipment and facilities are of the highest standard and will help our members achieve their fitness, health and wellbeing goals more effectively.

“In addition to the new equipment, we’re also launching a new range of fitness classes, including virtual fitness and spin classes.

“I’m also really excited to see how our members will use the results monitoring equipment. We’re right at the cutting edge of enabling members to incorporate technology into their exercise program to achieve the best possible results.”

The Bannatyne Group ditched plans for a partial IPO earlier this month and is now reassessing its options for raising capital to fuel growth.

The business had been lining up a £300m float on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM). It is understood, however, that market officials expressed concerns over the personal history of company owner Duncan Bannatyne.

In November last year, a judge ruled that Bannatyne had provided false evidence in a divorce case.

The group currently operates 66 health clubs and has 195,000 members and employs in the region of 3,000 people.

The group’s other leisure businesses include Bannatyne Hotels, which operates Bannatyne Hotel incorporating Maxine’s Restaurant in Darlington, County Durham, The Bannatyne Spa Hotel in Hastings, Bannatyne’s Charlton House hotel in Shepton Mallet, Somerset and BannatyneHotel in Durham City.