Empowered Brands announces opening of first of anticipated 250 clubs

Innovative boxing and strength training concept UBX has launched in Media City, Salford, with six further clubs expected to open their doors by September

Empowered Brands, the Milton Keynes’ headquartered fitness franchise investor spearheading the growth of the UK’s leading gym franchise, Energie Fitness, which has over 80 clubs and 114,000 members across the UK and Ireland, has announced the launch of a new, innovative boxing and strength training concept to the UK, UBX.

Having opened in Media City, Salford, its first site as a franchisor is to be launched by local co-owners and franchisees Ben Waldron and James Worrall as a landmark moment for Empowered Brands.

Amidst announced post-Covid network sales of £33 million across its Energie Fitness portfolio, the ambition is to open 250 UBX clubs within six to eight years, its next six confirmed clubs expected to open their doors before the end of September.

As the world’s fastest-growing boxing and strength training concept, UBX was co-founded in 2016 by four-time world champion Australian boxer Danny Green, and fitness and tech entrepreneur Tim West, and now boasts over 90 clubs across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

The innovative concept is based on a unique blend of non-contact group boxing and strength training, backed by science, delivered by world-class coaches, and with convenience, enjoyment and results at its core.

As an elite training experience, members can simply arrive when they want, choose a round, and will always have coaches guide them from start to finish as an easy-to-learn, full-body workout in under 45 minutes.

John Jempson, managing director of UBX Boxing + Strength, UK and Ireland, and chief financial officer at Empowered Brands, explains: “Convenience, variety and trainer support are among the top three priorities when it comes to selecting a fitness activity, and UBX delivers on them like no other concept.

“UBX is an environment where results are just an additional benefit to pure enjoyment – through the combination of team-based training and coach interaction, our clubs will be communities, where anyone can learn new skills, working with each other towards a collective goal and going away with a sense of achievement following every session.”

The opening of the first UBX franchised site comes at a time when demand is clearly there from consumers too, with membership levels across their Energie Fitness portfolio having recovered to 114 per cent of pre-covid levels.

John is also keen to emphasize the unique opportunity UBX’s flexible model presents to potential franchisees, which he expects to be a driving force in helping Empowered Brands open no fewer than 22 clubs across both UBX and Energie Fitness this year, and 30 to 40 clubs a year through the next six to eight years.

He comments: “The UBX model is unique because such a small space is required as compared to other fitness franchise investments, only around 1,500sq ft a club, but possible member capacity is high. Start-up capital required is low too, in the region of £130k - £200k factoring an initial personal investment from franchise owners starting from £40,000, but it’s a high returning financial model, easy to operate and highly scalable.”