Move Smart: Personalising fitness in Malta

Move Smart, a new gym concept in Malta based around high levels of personalisation and customer care, is gearing up for an official launch in January.

Located in the town of Kalkara in the south of the island, the new club is the brainchild of owner Xandru Grech, who set out to create a high quality, high value offering.

“I wanted to create an offering that was very much tailored to the individual, so everyone gets a bespoke programme,” he says.

“Many operators assume consumers know exactly what their goals are when they come into a club. That isn’t true. In fact, you have to work with them to understand exactly what they want to achieve. We do this, and then we design a personalised programme for them based around these goals – and we make sure there’s an element of fun to keep them engaged.”

The club sits within the SmartCity technology park, which is being developed by the same company that created Dubai’s SmartCity. The goal: the regeneration of the area. As a local, Grech is keen to play his part in this, and he approached SmartCity to come on board as one of the businesses in the new development.

“The south of Malta is beautiful and has been Malta’s Cinderella for way too long,” says Grech. “This is the second Move club in Malta, but the first in the south and definitely not the last on the island.”

He continues: “In line with the objectives of the regeneration scheme, I wanted our project to deliver social benefits, so we’ve made it very affordable: it costs €275 a year for gym access, while €49 a month gives you everything – functional training and use of the milon circuit, as well as the gym.”

Alongside milon, other suppliers include Pulse, Technogym, MYZONE, Precor and Life Fitness, with Rephouse flooring. Many of the interior design finishes were put in place by AD Consulting.

The club itself measures 480sq m, but there’s also a large outdoor space where additional activities are offered: classes, bootcamps, running groups and so on.

Already used by a number of corporate clients following a soft launch, the finishing touches are now being put to the club – including a juice bar – in time for its doors to be opened to the public.