Awakn founder Kam Panesar plans five London sites and international expansion
by Tom Walker | 06 Feb 2020
Kam Panesar, founder and CEO of boutique fitness studio Awakn, has revealed plans to open sites across London – and ultimately take the brand global.
The first Awakn studio opened in London's Canary Wharf in October 2019.
The 6,000sq ft site spans two floors and features two studios: the Arena and the Zone.
Describing the Awakn concept, Panesar told HCM: "The Arena focuses on functional movements making you feel powerful as you 'Awakn Your Inner Athlete'.
"There's nothing more exhilarating than working as a team to flip a 200kg tyre or riding on top of a tank with the music pumping and the lights ablaze!
"The purpose of the Zone studio, meanwhile, is to push our customers out of their comfort zones. This is where growth occurs.
"The Zone has beautiful leather boxing bags hand-crafted in New Zealand, Technogym SkillRun treadmills and custom luxury benches I spent two years designing in partnership with Escape.
"To supplement our workouts, we will be offering rejuvenating activities, including meditation and yoga, allowing our customers to recover in order to make their workouts as optimal as possible."
Following the success of the first site, Panesar said he is "currently negotiating heads of terms" for a second site.
"Wheels are in motion to open at least five Awakns in London before expanding internationally," Panesar told HCM.
"I’m closely monitoring developments in Manchester, but also have active leads for locations in mainland Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
"We believe the world is certainly in need of some Awakn’ing."
Awakn’s pricing reflects the luxury offering, as prices are set at £22 per class.
Panesar says the brand's target market consists of "those who have been let down by regular gyms" and who have not achieved the desired results.
"Awakn is for everyone who understands the importance of fitness but finds traditional workout environments boring, intimidating or demotivating," he added.
• To read a full interview with Kam Panesar, click here for the HCM January issue 2020
Awakn Kam Panesar London Technogym Escape
Kam Panesar, founder and CEO of boutique fitness studio Awakn, has revealed plans to open sites across London – and ultimately take the brand global. The first Awakn studio opened in London's Canary Wharf in October 2019. The 6,000sq ft site spans two floors and features two studios: the Arena and the Zone. Describing the Awakn concept, Panesar told HCM : "The Arena focuses on functional movements making you feel
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