Business

Anytime Fitness to launch in Northern Ireland with £1m investment

Pictured at the new Anytime Fitness are (from left) Patrick Farrell (general manager), Laura McClune (assistant general manager) and head coach Ben McCourt
Pictured at the new Anytime Fitness are (from left) Patrick Farrell (general manager), Laura McClune (assistant general manager) and head coach Ben McCourt Pictured at the new Anytime Fitness are (from left) Patrick Farrell (general manager), Laura McClune (assistant general manager) and head coach Ben McCourt

GLOBAL health and fitness brand Anytime Fitness is set to launch in Northern Ireland with two boutique style gyms opening in Belfast in the new year.

The Belfast-based gyms will be locally owned and operated and represent an investment of £1 million, with the creation of 20 full and part-time jobs.

The first Anytime Fitness gym will open at the end of February in central Belfast, a 6,500sqft space in Great Victoria Street’s Lincoln Building, with the second location planned to open in Stranmillis soon afterwards.

And further locations are also being explored for more gyms in Northern Ireland.

Launched 15 years ago in the United States, Anytime Fitness is one of the world’s leading health clubs, with more than 3,500 clubs operating around the world and over 3 million members.

Known for its high-end touches and equipment paired with an approachable gym atmosphere and opening hours for members to train 24/7, Anytime Fitness is also popular among business travellers because of its global community which allows all members to take advantage of their closes club while away from their home gym.

Anytime Fitness's Northern Ireland club manager Patrick Farrell said: “We are delighted to be bringing this globally recognised brand to Belfast and believe it will shake up the local fitness offering.

"In addition to world-class fitness equipment we have built a strong team with outstanding expertise in the health and fitness industry and together these attributes are helping us bring a fresh approach to our members in Belfast.”

Building on the brand’s reputation for quality, Anytime Fitness’s Belfast locations will break the mould by featuring state-of-the-art equipment by Life Fitness and Olympic-standard Elieko’s newest SVR Platforms, which are a first for in Northern Ireland and ensure minimal sound from weights when dropped.

Incorporating responsive equipment, a suite of apps worth over £1,300 available to members, and an emphasis on one-to-one coaching to ensure members are taking a smart approach to fitness, Anytime Fitness says it will cap its membership at 1,500 to avoid the common issue of overcrowded classes and unavailability of equipment.

The Anytime Fitness Belfast fit-out will be carried out by Somerville, an established Northern Ireland contractor with a high-end project portfolio including the Bedford House Belfast refurbishment, Lunn’s the Jewellers and Claridge’s.

Its site manager Peter Quinn said: “The outstanding level of finish of the Anytime Fitness Belfast gyms is something that has not yet been seen in Northern Ireland.

"The high-quality fit-out executed by the Somerville team will rival that of any luxury health club in the USA or Australia.”