Fitness chain Pure Gym in good health as turnover hits £99.5m May 8, 2016 Pure Gym, Britain’s biggest gym operator, has seen its turnover soar from £68.6m to £99.5m following a 50 per cent increase in membership. However profits for the budget chain dropped from £7.5m to £2.6m thanks to exceptional expenses, the latest accounts filed for 2015 showed. The Leeds-based fitness operator, that has 160 gyms across the [...]
Fitness chain Pure Gym in good health as turnover hits £99.5m May 8, 2016 Pure Gym, Britain’s biggest gym operator, has seen its turnover soar from £68.6m to £99.5m following a 50 per cent increase in membership. However profits for the budget chain dropped from £7.5m to £2.6m thanks to exceptional expenses, the latest accounts filed for 2015 showed. The Leeds-based fitness operator, that has 160 gyms across the [...]
Fitness advice: Bulking up is about more than just protein shakes. Here’s how to make gains October 4, 2017 During initial consultations, clients will often say that they want to lose weight and gain muscle. In theory this is what we all need to do, but in a short space of time, such as three months, you shouldn’t expect to see much muscle actually being added. While most of the top transformations at [...]
Microwave meal maker Bakkavor set for London float January 15, 2017 Ready meal maker Bakkavor is considering a float on the London stock market, according to reports. The firm, founded in 1986, manufactures microwave meals for supermarkets including Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Marks and Spencer. The company also supplies fresh goods such as lettuce, tomatoes and sweet potatoes. According to the Sunday Times, Bakkavor has enlisted Rothschild to [...]
UK equity firm 3i Group mulling IPO of Dutch discount gym chain Basic-Fit February 17, 2016 The UK’s largest private equity firm, 3i Group Plc, is reportedly considering an initial public offering valued at €1bn (£779m), including debt, for the Dutch discount gym chain Basic-Fit. If the IPO is launched it could see Basic-Fit listed in Amsterdam by the end of this year. Morgan Stanley and ABN Amro Group NV have [...]
Pure Gym avoids overstretch as it confirms it has pulled the plug on a £190m London IPO October 11, 2016 Pure Gym confirmed this morning it has abandoned plans to proceed with an initial public offering (IPO), citing concerns about a "challenging" and volatile market. The company, which is the UK's largest gym operator, announced it was planning a £190m share sale in mid-September. Pure Gym had planned to use the proceeds to repay its existing [...]
Private equity firms checking out Pure Gym after company proved not quite fit enough for IPO market October 15, 2016 Private equity firms are believed to have expressed interest in Pure Gym after the company withdrew its flotation plans this week. And the company’s board and US private equity backer, CCMP Capital, are understood not to have dismissed the informal approaches. Read more: Pure Gym avoids overstretch as it pulls the plug on IPO plans [...]
Ko Samui has long had a reputation for being a backpackers’ paradise – but it’s got a rather unexpected stylish and grown up side June 30, 2017 The taxi taking me on the ten-minute journey from Ko Samui’s tiny, open-air airport terminal to my hotel on Chaweng beach, one of the island’s most popular resorts, slows to a crawl when it hits Chaweng Road. The main artery into this area, the route comes to life after sunset when a host of raucous [...]
TI Fluid Systems has withdrawn its plans for a London listing October 12, 2016 TI Fluid Systems became the latest casualty of uncertain market conditions as it pulled its London listing before it even had to chance to garner interest from cornerstone investors. The Bain Capital-backed group was eyeing up a €600m (£540m) listing. But less than two weeks since announcing its intention to float, sources close to the company [...]
Sports software company Zwift secures bumper investment from London private equity house November 17, 2016 A software company promising to turn indoor sport on its head announced a $27m (£22m) investment from a London-based private equity house. Zwift, which currently focuses on creating an outdoor virtual reality for indoor cycling, said the cash boost would give them the "powder" to take the business to the next level. Gaming private equity specialist Novator Partners provided the [...]