Fitness First has announced it will double the pace of its UK and Australia club transformation programme – citing encouraging business results – as the gym chains bids to ignite a roaring recovery.

The company is reporting the first growth in UK membership since 2009, with revenues up by between 5 to 15 per cent in each of the 19 UK clubs to have been rebranded so far this year, prompting the decisive march forward. As a result, 66 UK clubs and 50 clubs in Australia will be transformed by the end of 2014.

Of the rebranded sites, two of the standout performers have been the Tottenham Court Road and South Kensington clubs. Encouraged by this, Fitness First is now looking for potential sites predominantly in central London amid plans to open up to 10 new clubs over the next five years.

The strategy came into force with last week’s launch of the new flagship Bishopsgate Fitness First – the gym chain’s first new opening since its scrape with administration in 2012. The site boasts a raft of innovative equipment and looks set to rival the two ‘tech-savvy’ London offerings recently announced by Virgin Active.

“London has always been a strategic focus for us and opening a hi-tech club like Bishopsgate, our seventh club in the square mile, further stakes our claim as the capital’s top fitness brand,” Fitness First CEO Andrew Cosslett.

“Our new brand will now reach 155 clubs globally and over half-a-million members by the end of 2014 – sending a clear message that we aim to continue rewriting the rules of the fitness industry.”

The Bishopsgate launch marks a milestone in the company’s ongoing recovery and comes at a time when the group is undergoing a £270m global makeover, implementing a widespread training overhaul and planning major expansions in Asia.

“We’re attracting and retaining more members, which shows that the enhanced experience and transformed clubs are already helping members to crack the motivation code,” added Cosslett.

“This puts us in a position to go further for our members, and rollout transformed clubs, personalised expertise and new workouts even quicker than we’d planned. We know our business works best when our members are getting the most from their workout, so we’re delighted to be taking our recovery up a gear so soon.”

To read an exclusive interview with Fitness First CEO Andrew Cosslett – from the March edition of Health Club Management magazine – click here.