With four successful Anytime Fitness gyms already operating and their fifth about to open, the Hoyle family knows a thing or two about how to run a successful business and what members of Anytime Fitness are looking for.
The family’s first gym opened in a vacant office building in the small historical town of Knutsford two years ago. At just 3,650 sq ft, they needed to maximise space in the gym, but also wanted to capitalise on the current trend towards functional training and boutique facilities, and so incorporated a versatile corner Queenax unit to fulfil the role.
Sophie Hoyle, manager, said: “We wanted to utilise the space as much as possible, and with the demand for functional training on the rise, the 2.5 sq m Queenax corner unit was a natural choice for us.”
The wow factor
Following the same form and principles that worked for their first gym, just over a year later the family opened its second and largest gym in Macclesfield. At 10,764 sq ft the gym showcases a large Queenax Format Unit which stands alone, and, according to Sophie’s brother, James Hoyle, ‘creates a wow factor’ that puts them on the map.
He said: “A favourite with members and personal trainers, the Queenax provides a versatile offering for small group exercise classes and one-to-ones. It also taps into the current trend for a boutique experience.”
Macclesfield was an instant success, which James puts down to its location and the fact that they learnt so much from their first opening. “Our family’s not new to business, but we were new to the fitness industry and so needed a dependable supplier to support us on our journey,” he says.
“The quality of the Precor equipment is high-end, but equally important is the fact that the company is reliable and accessible. Staff are friendly and go out of their way to help – not just to sell equipment. For example, we had an issue with the acoustics at Stockton Heath and our Precor sales representative took time to help us rectify this, even though it had nothing to do with the equipment.”
Fun and games
The Hoyles aim to open around 10 gyms over the next three years and, to date, each one has been fitted with a Queenax, with the most recent, Allerton Road, also benefiting from an Assault AirBike Elite and Assault AirRunner, completing the high impact interval training experience.
James continued: “We’re very happy with our equipment choice of Precor. When members use it they realise just how good it is. The P82 console really makes a difference and benefits from apps such as Netflix and games. My sisters and I are very competitive – we’ll each play the same game while on the treadmill and whoever gets the lowest score has to either raise the incline or go an extra kilometre!”
