Ladypace UK, the women-only fitness brand, has opened a site in Oxfordshire and plans to open 20 other new sites over the next two years.

The company was launched by husband and wife Paul and Pam Cary last year after discovering the popularity of women-only fitness centres in the US. Unhappy with only being able to obtain the programme in the UK on an expensive franchise system, the pair signed an exclusive UK supply deal with the originators of the equipment, PACE (Programmed Aerobic/ Anaerobic/ Accommodating Circuit Exercise).

Ladypace UK opened its first site in Leamington last March and has since supplied a further seven more franchise-free centres, which operate independently under the Ladypace brand. Another 15 sites are waiting for planning approval.

The centres offer a 30 minute programme involving a warm up followed by three circuits of hydraulic resistance equipment and aerobic exercise. The company offers a money-back guarantee for any members who do not lose inches, body fat or weight in the first month of exercising three times a week.

The centres are an alternative for women who feel disillusioned with the traditional health club offer, says founder Paul Cary. “A huge number of ladies don’t want to go to a gym to see men pushing big weights and shouting at the top of their voices and 18 to 20 year-old lycra-clad lovelies. They also don’t want to see themselves in the mirror when working out, so we don’t have any of those things.”