Jonathan Fisher, CEO of Holmes Place Brands

Beginning with one health club in London, Holmes Place has cemented its place as a premium operator. But changing with the times, it’s ushering in the next generation of well-being with a portfolio of fast-growing concepts under the Holmes Place Brands banner.

At the helm, CEO Jonathan Fisher sees group exercise as the secret to success in an evolving European market. He joined us to discuss the escalating demand for franchise studios like TRIB3 and developing new brands around reformer Pilates and healthy coworking.

Give us an update on the Holmes Place portfolio.

Jonathan Fisher: Holmes Place has been a leading European brand in the premium health and fitness segment for over 40 years.

Over that period, some core competencies and expertise have naturally been developed in areas where Holmes Place aimed to outperform the market – namely in the areas of group exercise, service standards and a holistic approach to personalised wellness.

Particular momentum in group exercise gave us the confidence to enter into the boutique HIIT segment with TRIB3 and the premium low-cost format with !CON Fitness, a club that integrates group exercise.

This year, we are launching two new brands: PILAT3S, a dynamic reformer studio concept, and FLOW, a holistic coworking concept inspired by our Iberian executive team.

How are you aligning with a more holistic-minded consumer?

JF: Holmes Place has been actively moving toward whole-body wellness over the last 15 years. Our vision of helping people to “enjoy the journey” of life is underpinned by three pillars: Move Well, Eat Well and Feel Well.

Central to this, we continue to refine and innovate service. For example, some of our clubs are now being refitted with our Healthy Kitchen concept, which takes a “show-how” approach to preparing delicious plant-based food.

The FLOW work space concept launching later this year is purpose-built around these three pillars as well.

How are you reaching new members?

JF: One of the benefits of a strong brand is that word of mouth and reputation attract new members, and for Holmes Place, the highest level of service keeps them coming back.

Meanwhile, with TRIB3, our emphasis continues to be on gamifying the workout and the member journey through the integration of our Heart Rate System. Using technology to quantify performance and progress, we can overcome an obstacle all too common in fitness – exercise adherence.

What are your expansion plans?

JF: We are focusing our growth in the boutique segment with TRIB3 and PILAT3S.

We are seeing considerable organic growth from our existing franchise partners in Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Finland. But, we are also seeing increased demand from more traditional operators looking to upgrade their group exercise offering with a scalable boutique experience.

Growing with existing franchise partners or operators whom we know is a preferred route for us, as we can ensure that there is an alignment of business values.

What developments are on the roadmap for the next six months?

JF: Experiential fitness, propelled by authentic boutique fitness concepts, is a trend that continues to motivate me – and also that drives our brand forward.

With TRIB3, we are excited to open our first studios in the UAE and Portugal, in addition to openings scheduled in Ireland, Spain and Finland.

A concept to watch out for, PILAT3S will launch across four countries both as standalone boutique and as boutique-in-gym.

If you’re interested in having your company featured in our Q&A series, send an email to hello@welltodoglobal.com.