Job search
Job Search
Latest news
More news: (showing 1 - 20 of 13726)           
UK only International

Aussie boxing franchise UBX targets UK for 250 clubs in £50m deal with Empowered Brands

By Liz Terry    20 Dec 2021
UBX Training is bringing its boxing franchise to the UK, with plans for 200 locations / UBX Boxing
UBX was co-founded by world champion boxer, Danny Green and fitness and tech entrepreneur, Tim West
The company has grown to 90 locations in Australia, largely via franchising
Empowered Brands, owner of énergie Fitness, has signed a deal to bring UBX to the UK
The aim is to open 250 locations in five years
We invested heavily in our team and technology and are primed for international growth. The UK is the logical and exciting next step
– Tim West, co-founder, UBX Training
Credit: UBX Training

Boutique boxing brand UBX is coming to the UK and Ireland following the signing of a master franchise deal with Empowered Brands.

Franchise investment business Empowered Brands acquired énergie Fitness out of a CVA in 2020, backed by alternative asset management company, RM Funds.

Australia-based UBX was co-founded by fitness and tech entrepreneur, Tim West, and four-time world champion boxer, Danny Green.

The first club opened in Brisbane in 2016 and the company has since grown rapidly – there are now 90 UBX clubs across Australia and New Zealand and much of that growth has been through franchising.

West said: “Our ability to not only survive, but also to grow, during lockdowns, proves the resilience of the UBX model.

"We've invested heavily in our team and technology and are primed for international growth. The UK is the logical and exciting next step, as it has a long and proud boxing history and we see a huge opportunity to modernise boxing using our proven and innovative model.

"Empowered Brands is the perfect strategic partner because as it has more than 100 fitness clubs already open in the UK and Ireland – and a strategy to build a powerful brand stable across Europe," he said.

"In Empowered Brands, we know we have a partner who matches our ambition to grow fast in a marketplace that demands innovation, flexibility and simplicity, which is what UBX provides.”

John Jempson, who has been named MD of UBX UK, said: “Based on our forecasts, our objective is to ultimately open up 250 clubs across the UK and Ireland.

"We're confident in the product and its potential to grow.

"This is because the UBX product and experience has been tested over a five-year period in a range of environments and has consistently attracted successful franchisees and members."

Chair of Empowered Brands, Pietro Nicholls, said the value of the UK/Ireland UBX deal could exceed £50m over the next five years in terms of the amount backer RM Funds is prepared to invest in franchise funding, systems, technology and infrastructure.

Nicholls said: “Our ambition to be the curator of leading and emerging brands in Europe will be greatly advanced by the UBX roll-out.

"We have hundreds of franchise enquiries every month from people who do not have the capital or appetite to build large fitness clubs and UBX, with its smaller venue requirements and lower cost of entry to the fitness market, is an ideal proven brand to take to a market we believe can only grow.”

Total project cost to open a UBX club is £130k-£200k, for a 1,500sq ft gym, taking into account franchise fees (£30k plus VAT per site), infrastructure investment of around £130k per location and royalties, which run at 8 per cent of turnover.

Set-up can be financed privately, thorough a lease arrangement or via bank finance through RM Funds.

UBX  Empowered Brands  Boxing  Danny Green  John Jempson  Tim West 
Sign up for FREE ezines
Related news
Related features

Company profile

Company profile: Panatta Srl
Panatta's mission is to create machines that are aesthetically pleasing, functional and competitive in price that are entirely produced in Italy. We offer more than 500 products and 2,000 colour combinations to create exclusive, limited edition machines, according to the needs and tastes of each customer.
View full profile >
More company profiles

Featured Supplier

Sprung Gym-Flooring: leading fitness flooring provider paves the way for top performance
Introducing Sprung Gym-Flooring, where innovation meets excellence in the world of flooring and sports solutions.
View full details >
More featured suppliers

Property & Tenders

Location: Loughton, IG10
Company: Knight Frank
Location: Grantham, Leicestershire
Company: Belvoir Castle
Location: Verwood, Dorset
Company: AVISON YOUNG
Location: Hall Place House, Bexley, DA5 1PQ
Company: London Borough of Bexley
Location: 15 Concessions across the nation's forests
Company: Forestry England
More properties & tenders

Diary dates

11-14 Apr 2024
Exhibition Centre , Cologne, Germany
22-24 Apr 2024
Galgorm Resort, York
10-12 May 2024
China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
23-24 May 2024
Large Hall of the Chamber of Commerce (Erbprinzenpalais), Wiesbaden, Germany
More diary dates