Frame, which operates boutique studios across London, has been acquired by Wellverse Fitzrovia Ltd, owner of the Rowbots brand. The business is helmed by Sam Green and Greg Zimmerman and previously had footballer Gareth Bale as an investor.

Green and Zimmerman also own Flow LDN, which is launching in London Bridge in Q3 this year and will trade as part of a business called Crown GV Limited.

Flow LDN will have three studios – one for barre and strength workouts; one for yoga and mat Pilates and another for reformer Pilates studio. There will also be a Rowbots launching at the same location.

Joan Murphy and Pip Black, co-founders of Frame, said they're delighted with the deal: “Wellverse is run by a London-based team who truly get it," they told their members. "They understand the fitness world, the shifts we’ve all experienced post-COVID and – most importantly – the heart and soul of Frame.

“They’re privately-owned and deeply aligned with the values that have always guided us. We’re excited for the new opportunities and fresh energy this change will bring. We believe wholeheartedly in Frame’s future and can’t wait to see what’s next.”

Pay-as-you-go city centre boutiques had a tough pandemic and Frame was no exception, Murphy and Black had to buy the business back in a pre-pack administration deal in 2022 and then took some tough decisions to keep their much-loved business going, while Rowbots has also been through a liquidation, with losses around £2 million and the assets being bought by the founders via the Wellverse business in 2024.

“Fourteen years after we originally launched, it was humbling to have to pare back the costs and take everything into our own hands – writing emails and cleaning toilets – and put in all the hours and the grit again,” Pip Black, told HCM in a ad HCM Life Lessons, interview in February 2025.

“Having been growth-focused since 2009, the hardest thing of all was making the tough decision to shutter two of the eight sites, when expansion plans had been to increase the footprint nationally. We'd always had a goal of opening more sites and of more sites equaling more success, so having to close studios felt as though we were going backwards. For ambitious self-starters, it was a knock to our confidence.”

Over the past year they’ve been searching for the right partners to help the brand grow, but having worked so hard to get it back to a good space, both partners wanted to step back a bit. Murphy is now in Australia to be closer to family.

“Frame was never just about fitness,” they said. “From day one, it’s been about feeling good, about joy and connection and about creating a space where people feel free to show up exactly as they are. A space that celebrates movement, community and inclusivity, a place that feels like home.

“It’s been an incredible journey, with many highs and a fair few lows. Frame was our first baby and we’ve loved it with all our hearts, building up to eight studios and then dealing with the challenges of COVID and building from scratch once again.”

Based in Fitzrovia, Rowbots offers a range of full-gas, 50 minute workouts which use the rower and floor-based strength and explosive movements. A range of block payment and membership options are available, including £225 for unlimited sessions each month.