Bannatyne's Fitness invest £850,000 in equipment for four North-east clubs

Bannatyne's has invested in new equipment for its Coulby Newham and Ingleby Barwick health clubs

Health club chain Bannatyne’s Fitness has invested £850,000 in equipment for four of its North-east clubs.

The company, which revealed a sharp rise in pre-tax profits in its company results earlier this month, has upgraded some of the cardiovascular workout equipment at branches including Coulby Newham, Ingleby Barwick and Darlington.

Around £250,000 has been invested in the Coulby Newham club and £180,000 at Ingleby Barwick in equipment from treadmills, bikes, cross-trainers and vario machines, which allow users to work out using a running action without the impact.

Colin MacGillvray, North-east regional manager at Bannatyne Fitness, said: “Continually investing in new workout equipment is hugely important because it ensures that members are always able to access the very best and most up-to-date equipment to help them achieve their personal fitness goals.

“As well as docks to enable members to watch movies and listen to music, the new equipment has enhanced technology which ensures a smoother operation for a more effective workout.”

The annual results for the companies behind the Bannatyne Health Club chain showed a rise in pre-tax profits - up by almost a third.

Boss Duncan Bannatyne said it was down to growing internet bookings and the introduction of three different health club levels, which have boosted members and activity.

Pre-tax profits before exemptions and impairments for the Darlington-based business were up 30%, from £8.8m to £11.5m. Turnover for the chain was up from £91.7m to £92.4m, while operating profit before exemptions and impairments was up from £13.3m to £14.7m.

Bannatyne Fitness, which is part of the Bannatyne Group, is the UK’s largest independent health club operator with more than 60 sites across the UK.

It has around 170,000 members and employs 5,000 people.

The Bannatyne’s Health Clubs chain began in 1997 with the first club on Teesside after Duncan was involved in a skiing accident and needed regular exercise to recover. He could not find facilities locally and decided to use some of the proceeds from the sale of his previous business, Quality Care Homes plc, to establish the fitness chain.