Franchise Blog

After more than a decade as the franchisee of Energie Fitness East Grinstead, James Daniels has built one of the network's strongest-performing clubs. A great example that it's never too late to change careers, James made the move into fitness in search of greater job fulfilment and hasn't looked back. From navigating rising operating costs to implementing strategic price increases and maintaining exceptional member retention levels, his approach has always centred around long-term thinking, operational discipline and delivering an outstanding member experience.

Building a successful gym takes more than great equipment and competitive pricing. It takes consistency, strong leadership and a genuine commitment to the local community. We caught up with James to discuss his journey into franchising, the lessons he's learned along the way and the strategies that have helped drive the club's success.

Since joining Energie Fitness as Head of Performance in May 2025, Ashley Lutchmunsing has played a key role in strengthening the support, systems and commercial performance strategies that help franchisees thrive across the network. With a career spanning personal training, operations, sales, business development and leadership roles at some of the UK's biggest fitness brands, Ashley brings a unique blend of industry expertise and commercial insight to the business. We sat down with him to discuss his journey into fitness, the evolution of the Central Performance Team, and his vision for building a stronger, more resilient Energie Fitness network.

As marketers in the fitness industry, we see the same narrative emerge every year as summer approaches. The pressure to achieve a "summer body". The quick-fix promises. The countdowns to holidays. The implication that fitness is something we should only focus on for a few months of the year. At Energie Fitness, we believe there's a better way.

Energie Fitness has officially opened the doors to its newest and largest gym in Ireland, with the launch of Energie Fitness Tallaght on Wednesday 15th April. The highly anticipated opening marks a major milestone for the brand’s continued expansion across Ireland, bringing a premium, community-focused fitness experience to the heart of Tallaght.

If you’ve been considering investing in a franchise, 2026 presents a compelling opportunity - particularly within the health and fitness sector. With strong market growth, evolving consumer habits, and increasingly sophisticated business models, franchising continues to offer a structured and scalable route into business ownership. Here’s why now is the right time to take the next step.

The latest report from ukactive confirms what many in the industry have already been feeling: fitness in the UK isn’t just recovering, it’s booming. For brands like Energie Fitness, this surge represents more than just positive headlines. It signals a powerful shift in how people view health, wellbeing, and the role gyms play in everyday life.

Following the opening of his fifth Energie Fitness gym in Tallaght, Dublin, we sat down with franchisee Narinder Kaushal to reflect on his journey into franchising, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and what it takes to successfully build and scale a multi-site gym business. From his early days in wholesale and retail to becoming a leading Energie Fitness multi-site franchisee, Narinder shares insight into the realities of business ownership, the importance of choosing the right model and investing into marketing, and how he has grown a portfolio of thriving clubs.

1: The health and fitness market continues to grow. Information published in the middle of 2024 revealed that the UK health and fitness sector is in its best shape ever.