1Rebel looking to expand in London and 'down under'
27 Dec 2018 . BY Tom Walker
James Balfour – whose father Mike Balfour is the founder of Fitness First – hopes to have up to 15 1Rebel clubs in London within the next five years
Boutique fitness operator 1Rebel is looking to expand its London portfolio – as well as enter the Australian wellness market.
With a recently secured £6.6m investment from venture capital fund Codex Capital under its belt, 1Rebel plans to add to its existing five clubs in the UK capital.
The operator opened three new clubs in London in 2018 – Southbank in February, Bayswater in March and Victoria in June – and, according to co-founder James Balfour, already has three sites in the pipeline for 2019.
“We’ve certainly got to a point where the model is right for rollout,” Balfour told Health Club Management – adding that even more openings are possible.
He also revealed that plans are currently advancing to open the first 1Rebel outside of the UK.
The company has appointed a CEO and management team in Australia and plans to open its first club in either Sydney or Melbourne in the first half of 2019.
“There’s lots of opportunity in Australia and we know people too, from the days when Australia was the jewel of the Fitness First crown,” Balfour said.
“We’ve used our network in Australia to put a great team in place – a team we implicitly trust to execute the plan.
"The reason we like Australia is that, behind America, it’s the biggest market – and the Americans are already very good at boutiques. The market in the US is quite saturated too, plus, actually, they do things a bit differently. I think they’re best left alone.”
Balfour – whose father Mike Balfour is the founder of Fitness First – hopes to have up to 15 1Rebel clubs in London and eight or more in Australia within the next five years.
"We summarise what we do in two words – functional art," says Gian Luca Innocenzi, CEO and
founder of MyEquilibria, which specialises in high-end outdoor exercise equipment.
Cryotherapy supplier Art of Cryo has created a new 12-person walkthrough cryotherapy chamber
at Cryo Center Coolzone Madeira, claimed to be the largest cold therapy treatment experience
in the world.
Egym has introduced Open Mode on its Smart Strength machines, enabling them to be used as a
replacement for traditional weights on the fitness floor, rather than solely as circuit-based
machines.
Myzone has announced the launch of MZ-Open, an access function that enables Myzone gym users
to experience all the benefits of Myzone’s world-renowned heart rate training biome through
their pre-owned Apple or Android smartwatch.
PerformX Live, the premier business of fitness event, has announced Dr Jonathan Leary,
founder
and CEO of Remedy Place, as the headliner for its 2024 event.
Elevate, the premier event in the physical activity, fitness, sports therapy and performance
sector, is thrilled to announce that registrations for its 2024 conference are now live –
and the response has been nothing short of exceptional.
Cardiff-based gym design and installation company, Absolute Performance, has been awarded
the contract to design, supply and install three gyms for Team GB for the 2024 games in
Paris.
As Third Space unveiled its latest club in Wimbledon at the end of 2023 as part of its growth
development into suburban, residential locations, it also revealed a new state of the art
Reformer Pilates studio at the new site in response to members seeking a low-impact, full-
body workout for all abilities.
Developed for the world of medicine, tailored to the needs of modern fitness studios. The
seca TRU seamlessly provides medical expertise for health-focused training with a clinically
validated body composition analysis meeting the health and fitness industry's evolving
demands.
1Rebel looking to expand in London and 'down under'
27 Dec 2018 . BY Tom Walker
James Balfour – whose father Mike Balfour is the founder of Fitness First – hopes to have up to 15 1Rebel clubs in London within the next five years
Boutique fitness operator 1Rebel is looking to expand its London portfolio – as well as enter the Australian wellness market.
With a recently secured £6.6m investment from venture capital fund Codex Capital under its belt, 1Rebel plans to add to its existing five clubs in the UK capital.
The operator opened three new clubs in London in 2018 – Southbank in February, Bayswater in March and Victoria in June – and, according to co-founder James Balfour, already has three sites in the pipeline for 2019.
“We’ve certainly got to a point where the model is right for rollout,” Balfour told Health Club Management – adding that even more openings are possible.
He also revealed that plans are currently advancing to open the first 1Rebel outside of the UK.
The company has appointed a CEO and management team in Australia and plans to open its first club in either Sydney or Melbourne in the first half of 2019.
“There’s lots of opportunity in Australia and we know people too, from the days when Australia was the jewel of the Fitness First crown,” Balfour said.
“We’ve used our network in Australia to put a great team in place – a team we implicitly trust to execute the plan.
"The reason we like Australia is that, behind America, it’s the biggest market – and the Americans are already very good at boutiques. The market in the US is quite saturated too, plus, actually, they do things a bit differently. I think they’re best left alone.”
Balfour – whose father Mike Balfour is the founder of Fitness First – hopes to have up to 15 1Rebel clubs in London and eight or more in Australia within the next five years.
"We summarise what we do in two words – functional art," says Gian Luca Innocenzi, CEO and
founder of MyEquilibria, which specialises in high-end outdoor exercise equipment.
Egym has introduced Open Mode on its Smart Strength machines, enabling them to be used as a
replacement for traditional weights on the fitness floor, rather than solely as circuit-based
machines.
Myzone has announced the launch of MZ-Open, an access function that enables Myzone gym users
to experience all the benefits of Myzone’s world-renowned heart rate training biome through
their pre-owned Apple or Android smartwatch.
Cardiff-based gym design and installation company, Absolute Performance, has been awarded
the contract to design, supply and install three gyms for Team GB for the 2024 games in
Paris.
As Third Space unveiled its latest club in Wimbledon at the end of 2023 as part of its growth
development into suburban, residential locations, it also revealed a new state of the art
Reformer Pilates studio at the new site in response to members seeking a low-impact, full-
body workout for all abilities.