February 25, 2008

News Release

Dal Clayton, Chief Operating Officer

Titan Fitness

Phillip Mills, Director

Les Mills International

HUGE GOLD’S GYM CHAIN MAKES GROUP FITNESS A CENTERPIECE

World-class group fitness programming classes are key to a growth plan to create a chain of more than 60 Gold’s Gym locations across the United States.

“We highly value the contribution that strong group exercise programming provides in creating successful clubs,” says Dal Clayton, Chief Operating Officer of Titan Fitness. “Group exercise is a critical component in creating an attractive, energetic, fitness-focused atmosphere in our clubs.

“Great classes create a sense of community that attracts a different membership profile and enables us to broaden the appeal of the Gold’s Gym brand. That culture is vital for us to attract and retain members,” Dal Clayton says.

“Recruitment, referrals and retention are all stronger when a club has top-notch group exercise.”

“That’s why all of Titan’s Gold’s Gym locations will offer the Les Mills group fitness classes,” Dal Clayton says. 

Titan Fitness is the only Gold’s Gym franchisee supported by institutional private equity, and recently announced an aggressive strategy to grow to at least 60 Gold’s Gym locations during the next five years. Its goal is to become the world’s largest Gold’s Gym franchise. 

Titan’s executives have more than 50 years’ direct experience in the fitness industry, and they will rely on Les Mills to provide essential processes, systems and tools.

“For gym members, the benefits of Les Mills programming are very visible,” Dal Clayton says. “They get consistency and quality that, in my experience, cannot be achieved any other way. People know that a BODYPUMP® class is going to be great no matter who the instructor is or which gym they attend.

“Behind the scenes, Les Mills helps us run our gyms more efficiently and profitably, and with much less hassle than trying to create our own group programming.

“The support that Les Mills provides is, bar none, the best we’ve seen. The Les Mills formula virtually guarantees your success, because it provides a systematic approach from beginning to end,” he says.

“For club management, Les Mills eases the burden of how to develop lively and energetic programming with lots of variety. Most exercise programmers fully embrace this solution.”

Titan has acquired 14 Gold’s Gym locations since mid-November 2007, eight in the greater Minneapolis MN area, and another six in and around Raleigh NC. 

The Raleigh locations were already offering the Les Mills group fit formulas when Titan purchased them. The Minneapolis clubs are putting the Les Mills programs in place now, starting with gala launches of BODYPUMP® in three clubs on Saturday, February 16.

“We are delighted with Titan Fitness’s decision to go with Les Mills,” says Phillip Mills, co-founder and director of Les Mills International. “Our US agents will be delighted to support Titan and its clubs as the company expands across the country.”

Les Mills is the preferred group-fitness vendor of Gold’s Gym International.