Virgin Active has appointed New Yorker Israel Rivera in a newly-created role of head of group exercise - further evidence of the operator focusing energies on its product offering.

Rivera joins from Town Sports International in New York, US, where he was interim senior director of group exercise. He also spent nine years at Town’s Boston Sports Clubs brand.

His role at Virgin will be to concentrate on strengthening the brand’s offering across all clubs in the UK.

“Virgin Active’s increased focus on group exercise and their continued mission to make exercise irresistible to all puts them at the forefront of the UK’s lifestyle and fitness industry," said Riversa. "I’m excited to be joining them on this journey and look forward to using my experience to develop the brand into the ultimate member-focused fitness experience.”

As reported in February, Virgin decided to offload a number of its clubs so it could concentrate on its city locations and focus on developing classes such as The Pack, a team-based tech-enabled group cycle programme; ballet-inspired Barre; and a range of yoga classes, including Calm by Candlelight.

More recently it has launched Ro, a group rowing class, and Run Tribe, a treadmill session.

Andy Birch, Virgin Active product and fitness director, said the brand was “constantly re-evaluating and improving” its offering, adding: “Bringing with him a wealth of international experience at some of the best fitness brands in the world, Israel’s appointment is set to inject even more energy into the classes on offer.”