Regular gym-goers have accused “two-week” newcomers taking advantage of cut-price trial deals of behaving at David Lloyd leisure centers as if they were on holiday in Benidorm.
Affluent members who pay more than 200 a month to use their gym and spa facilities say discount trial offers, some of as little as 20, risk delaying them as newcomers walk in” half-dressed” and downing beers. to exercise
It comes as David Lloyd Leisure revealed plans to invest £500m in 15 new clubs and 50 spas over the next few years, as it hailed a boost to regular ‘work from the gym’.
The company says membership has reached a record 761,000 and highlighted the Covid-19 pandemic as a key factor, with people more motivated to get fit.
But some members are concerned about the antics of new recruits tempted by temporary offers of reduced prices, with claims of an increase in theft, assault and intimidation.
David Lloyd Leisure has £500m plans for 65 new establishments to add to its existing 133 establishments.
The leisure company’s current portfolio includes this gym in Chigwell, Essex
The company, which offers gyms like this one, generated revenues of 241 million last year
Holidaymakers are seen enjoying themselves on the beach in Benidorm, the Spanish resort which has been mentioned in comparisons over David Lloyd’s trial offer to new arrivals.
New figures from last week revealed that David Lloyd Leisure now runs 133 clubs – 103 in the UK and a further 30 in Europe – and had profits last year of £241m.
Company president Glenn Earlam spoke of his outlook, based on an increase in membership despite the three-figure monthly fees most people charge.
He said: “Our business has done particularly well post-Covid. People are willing to prioritize health, fitness and wellbeing in a post-Covid world relatively more than they were before.
“We have a lot of people who work from clubs. We have a very nice environment, separate work spaces where you can take out your laptop.
“A lot of people go to the office two or three days a week and for the other two or three days it’s a bit too much to be at home all the time, so they break it up and go to work at a David Lloyd club for half . one day.’
But not everyone is impressed by recent experiences, with some regulars suggesting that so-called “two weeks” making use of temporary deals were destroying sites.
David Crutchlow, 45, told the Times he was too scared to return to his local branch in Rugby, Warwickshire, after complaining about a group of men making too much noise in the hot tub.
He claimed the men “pushed”. [him] in the dressing room where there is no CCTV’.
Mr Crutchlow added: “It’s like going back to school in the changing room with the bullies. I thought, why am I paying 200 for this situation?
Meanwhile, Oliver Newell, 27, raised concerns about his experiences at the company’s Southampton centre.
David Lloyd chairman Glenn Earlam said: “Our business has performed particularly well post-Covid.”
Gym members are seen here working out at a David Lloyd leisure center in Leicester
He said: “Towels go missing, weights are never turned correctly, equipment is never cleaned. There’s been damage to people’s cars in the car park – there’s been theft.”
And another member, who uses the Gloucester branch, said the two-week deal makes the site feel “more like a council-run leisure center for the duration of the deal”.
He added: “The two-week-olds will be walking around half-dressed, grabbing beers and sitting around the pool like it’s Benidorm.”
A David Lloyd spokesman said: “We run a small number of trials each year to give members the chance to share the club with their friends and family.
“Our expectations of behavior are high, and any concerns are addressed quickly and taken seriously. We ask our members to report any issues to us.”
The business was founded by former tennis player David Lloyd in 1982, with the first club opening in Heston, Middlesex, that year.
It grew rapidly to become, by revenue, the largest health, fitness and leisure business in Europe.
By 1985 there were 18 clubs in the UK, at which time the company was bought by leisure giant Whitbread.
It was bought in 2013 for £750m by private equity firm TDR, which is said to have approved the proposed £500m new investment and also co-owns supermarket giant Asda and yard operator EG Group.
The money will also go towards the construction of 60 new padel courts, following a surge in interest in the sport described as a cross between tennis and squash.
A group of young women are seen on a hen weekend at a seafront bar in Benidorm, Spain – one David Lloyd user said the new arrivals are “sitting around the pool like it’s Benidorm”.
This was a scene from British Fancy Dress Day in Benidorm in November 2015, part of one of Europe’s biggest fancy dress parties and a tradition that began three decades ago.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the company held talks with the Government about the possibility of turning gyms into emergency field hospitals, at a time when the lockdown forced the closure of leisure centres.
Earlam also spoke out in July 2020 criticizing ministers for allowing pubs and restaurants to reopen but not gyms, which he described as “the ‘wonder drug’ of exercise that can keep Britain healthy”.
He said at the time: “Evidence suggests that keeping your body fit and healthy could be one of the best things you can do to prevent Covid-19.
“But I think gyms and leisure centers are pretty far down the pecking order of getting things back open, which seems pretty counterintuitive.”
MailOnline has approached David Lloyd Leisure for further comment on its new investment plans and criticism of the behavior of temporary members.
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