A lasting partnership

Speedflex is working with Bannatyne to create the ultimate customer experience

Bannatyne is the first national club chain to offer Speedflex’s unique high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions, by installing dedicated Speedflex studios in its clubs.

Utilising the scientifically advanced Speedflex machines, sessions provide all the benefits of HIIT training, without the associated risk of injury. Machines provide isokinetic resistance, making them suitable for all abilities and ages.

In true Bannatyne fashion, the move to Speedflex provides an inclusive experience for members.

The Concept
Speedflex was founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Graham Wylie CBE, CEO and former Newcastle United physio and player Paul Ferris and former Newcastle United and England captain Alan Shearer.

Speedflex offers HIIT training with a twist, allowing up to 16 people to train together, regardless of their fitness level.

A typical Speedflex studio houses a combination of eight Speedflex machines and eight auxiliary stations. This sequence provides an ever-changing dynamic exercise experience.

During the session, participants can receive feedback through state-of-the-art heart rate monitoring by MyZone.

This enables members to optimise their training by ensuring they’re working in the ideal heart rate zone and allows trainers to track progress and offer motivation through instant feedback, improving the effectiveness of coaching.

The Partnership
Initially, Speedflex entered the partnership with Bannatyne to launch its training concept at its Darlington site.

“Understanding the needs of our members is fundamental to everything we do here at Bannatyne,” says Anthony Elliott, operations director. “Our members have told us they want a rounded lifestyle, so we try to take a 360° approach to our offering. We do this through a variety of options, ensuring there truly is something on offer for everyone, no matter what their ability.

“We’re constantly looking at ways we can improve our offering with exciting experiences,” he continues. “The addition of Speedflex is the perfect solution, providing members with a unique, challenging and adaptable workout.

“Speedflex sessions provide a high-intensity, low-impact workout, so every individual can train at their optimum level.

“The sessions have proven to be hugely successful, with members hooked from the first one and waiting lists building up quickly,” he explains. “The Speedflex team also provides fantastic support.”

Future plans
Since launching in January 2017, Bannatyne has rolled out the concept to Coulby Newham, Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Durham, Norwich, Manchester and Mansfield, with Belfast opening later this year.

Find out more at: www.speedflex.com

Bannatyne CEO Justin Musgrove (left) with Paul Ferris and Alan Shearer at Speedflex Mansfield

Transforming payments

Fitness Space revolutionises its Direct Debit solution with help from GoCardless

Ross Pert, GoCardless

One of Europe’s fastest growing fitness and health club franchises, Fitness Space, has recently taken on GoCardless as its new Direct Debit solution, with the payments provider now handling up to 70 per cent of all membership payments.

Fitness Space has 23 sites in the UK, with another 16 in the works. Much of its success to date is down to offering a highly personalised and bespoke service.

“With other gym and fitness operators members are paying for access to the facilities and equipment. With us, they’re paying for a service that’s bigger than the four walls of our studios,” explains Fitness Space operations director John Pye.

With such a high proportion of monthly membership payments coming from Direct Debit, Fitness Space required a solution that could handle an ever-growing number of payments.

The franchise was also moving to a new CRM system, called ClubRight, meaning the existing integration between GoCardless and ClubRight was key.

Rather than targeting the volume of members, Fitness Space instead focuses on higher yields-per-head. This means its service needs to reflect this, and additional products and services, like hot yoga, nutritional programmes and DNA testing are available to accommodate even the most demanding of members.

Instant payment visibility
This progressive approach carried over to its way of thinking across all areas of the business, including payments. “We saw GoCardless as the most forward-thinking option and a good fit for us,” says Pye. “We like the fact that it integrates with ClubRight and gives us an instant view of the status of member payments and mandates.”

The GoCardless reporting functionality means Fitness Space is much better equipped to communicate with members regarding payments and subscriptions.

With the new Direct Debit solution in place, the franchise was able to improve its effectiveness. Previously, it was limited to doing one Direct Debit run a month – to the frustration of employees and members alike – however, with GoCardless, Fitness Space now has the flexibility to take payments at any time, removing a significant barrier in the joining process.

It’s not just during the initial sale and sign-up process where payments became a key consideration for the franchise, but also for the benefit of existing members.

It can now tailor its payment to suit the needs of individual members, including splitting off pro-rata payments.

An unexpected, but very welcome side effect for Fitness Space is the option to take one-off payments via Direct Debit, rather than by card. This transition has helped the fitness franchise save costs, as transaction fees on Direct Debit are lower.

Ross Pert, payments specialist at GoCardless, says: “As Fitness Space continues to focus on offering a top-quality experience to members, GoCardless will be there to take care of payment processing, compliance and regulations on their behalf.”

Find out more: www.gocardless.com/gyms

“Fitness Space is focused on member experience. At GoCardless, we strive to provide a payment solution that adds to this experience” - Ross Pert, GoCardless

With GoCardless, operators can take Direct Debit payments for add-ons like classes and nutrition plans at any time