DW Sports Fitness

DW Sports Fitness was a British retail and fitness business established in 2009 after entrepreneur Dave Whelan acquired 50 JJB Sports fitness clubs together with their attached retail stores for £83.4 million. The transaction created a combined sports-retailing and health-club operation at a time when the JJB Sports estate was being broken up and reorganised. The business initially operated clubs with integrated retail outlets, but subsequently broadened its format. It developed stand-alone sports stores as well as stand-alone gyms, ultimately building a network of more than 140 sites at its peak across the United Kingdom. Its retail offer focused on sports clothing, footwear, equipment and related products, while its fitness division provided gym memberships and club-based exercise facilities. In April 2011, DW Sports joined the international buying group Intersport. The relationship was intended to strengthen the profile and purchasing capability of its retail business, and Intersport branding was added to DW Sports store facias. The company later opened its first stand-alone retail store in November 2012 at Wigan's Grand Arcade shopping centre, using a former JJB unit. By March 2020, the group operated 75 retail stores. The fitness operation expanded materially in 2016 through a joint purchase of the United Kingdom Fitness First business with The Gym Group and Greenwich Leisure Limited. DW Sports Fitness acquired all 62 UK Fitness First clubs from Oaktree Capital Management as part of the transaction, subsequently selling 14 clubs and continuing to operate 48 under the Fitness First name. By August 2020, the wider DW operation was reported to include 73 gyms, 43 of them operating under the Fitness First brand. The business was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the United Kingdom's lockdown restrictions. In June 2020, it announced the closure of 25 retail stores. On 3 August 2020, DW Sports Fitness announced that it would enter administration. Its website closed immediately and store closing-down sales began, while the company worked with administrators to preserve some of its gym locations. Fitness First clubs were operated through a separate company and were not included in the administration in the same way as the DW-branded retail and fitness operations. On 24 August 2020, Frasers Group agreed to acquire 46 leisure clubs and 31 retail outlets for £37 million. The purchaser did not retain the DW Sports Fitness brand. The transaction reportedly preserved 922 of approximately 1,700 jobs. Former DW locations were subsequently associated with Frasers Group's Sports Direct and Everlast Fitness Club formats, while some Fitness First locations continued under that brand. The DW Sports and DW Fitness names are now owned by Maddox Holdings Limited, which also owns Fitness First, but the original DW Sports Fitness operating business is defunct.

DW Sports Fitness emerged from the restructuring of JJB Sports' fitness and retail estate. In March 2009, Dave Whelan purchased 50 JJB Sports fitness clubs with attached retail stores for £83.4 million, creating the foundation of a new sports and leisure business. The resulting operation combined gym membership services with the sale of sports apparel, footwear and equipment. The company expanded beyond the original club-and-store format. It opened stand-alone retail locations and stand-alone fitness clubs, eventually operating more than 140 sites. Its retail strategy received an international purchasing and branding connection in April 2011, when DW Sports joined Intersport. The Intersport identity was incorporated into DW Sports store facias as the company sought greater visibility and buying-group support. In November 2012, DW Sports opened its first stand-alone retail store at the Grand Arcade shopping centre in Wigan. The location occupied a former JJB unit and illustrated the company's move toward a broader retail estate separate from its gyms. By March 2020, the retail division had 75 stores. The fitness side of the business developed further in 2016 through a joint acquisition of Fitness First's UK business with The Gym Group and Greenwich Leisure Limited. DW Sports Fitness acquired all 62 United Kingdom clubs in the transaction from Oaktree Capital Management, later selling 14 and continuing to run 48 under the Fitness First name. This created a multi-brand fitness portfolio in which DW-operated clubs existed alongside Fitness First locations. In August 2020, the overall operation was described as having 73 gyms, including 43 under the Fitness First brand. The COVID-19 pandemic placed significant pressure on the retail and leisure sectors. In June 2020, DW Sports announced the closure of 25 retail stores. On 3 August, it announced its intention to enter administration. The website was closed immediately and clearance sales began in the stores. The company stated that it was working with administrators to preserve some gym sites. Fitness First clubs were held in a separate company and were treated separately from the DW-branded business during the administration process. On 24 August 2020, Frasers Group agreed to purchase 46 leisure clubs and 31 retail outlets for £37 million. The buyer did not continue the DW Sports Fitness name. The deal reportedly protected 922 jobs from a workforce of around 1,700. Former sites were subsequently used for Sports Direct and Everlast Fitness Club operations, while certain Fitness First clubs continued under their existing brand. The DW Sports and DW Fitness trademarks are owned by Maddox Holdings Limited, which also owns Fitness First, but the original DW Sports Fitness business no longer operates.

• 2020

  Retail closures announced

  [1]DW Sports Fitnessen.wikipedia.org

  The company announced the closure of 25 retail stores during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown period.

• 2020

  Administration and asset sale

  [1]DW Sports Fitnessen.wikipedia.org

  DW Sports Fitness entered administration in August. Frasers Group later acquired selected clubs and stores, but did not retain the DW brand.

• 2016

  UK Fitness First acquisition

  [1]DW Sports Fitnessen.wikipedia.org

  DW Sports Fitness jointly acquired the UK Fitness First business with The Gym Group and Greenwich Leisure Limited, taking on all 62 UK clubs before selling 14.

• 2012

  First stand-alone DW Sports retail store opens

  [1]DW Sports Fitnessen.wikipedia.org

  The first stand-alone DW Sports retail site opened at the Grand Arcade shopping centre in Wigan in a former JJB unit.

• 2011

  The retail business joins Intersport

  [1]DW Sports Fitnessen.wikipedia.org

  DW Sports joined the international Intersport buying group, and Intersport branding was added to the facias of DW Sports retail locations.

• 2009

  DW Sports Fitness is established

  [1]DW Sports Fitnessen.wikipedia.org

  Dave Whelan purchased 50 JJB Sports fitness clubs with attached retail stores for £83.4 million, forming the basis of DW Sports Fitness.

A vertically integrated British sports and fitness operator combining sports retail with membership-based gyms and leisure clubs.

• Sports retail · 2009

  DW Sports retail stores

  DW Sports stores sold sportswear, sports footwear, fitness equipment and other sporting goods. The retail estate began with locations attached to fitness clubs and later expanded to stand-alone stores, including a 2012 site at Wigan's Grand Arcade. The business operated 75 retail stores by March 2020. Some stores used Intersport branding after the company joined the buying group in 2011.

• Fitness clubs · 2009

  DW Fitness clubs

  DW Fitness clubs provided membership-based gym and leisure facilities. The club network originated in the 2009 acquisition of former JJB Sports fitness clubs and later included both locations integrated with retail outlets and stand-alone gyms. The DW-branded fitness operation was affected by the 2020 administration, with selected locations subsequently transferred to Frasers Group and rebranded.

• Fitness clubs · 2016

  Fitness First UK clubs

  Fitness First was the separate fitness-club brand incorporated into the wider group's UK portfolio after the 2016 joint acquisition. DW Sports Fitness acquired all 62 UK clubs in the transaction, later selling 14 and operating 48. The Fitness First business was held separately from the DW Sports administration and continued under its own brand.

• 2020

  Enter administrationStrategy

  Background

  The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions placed severe pressure on the company's retail and fitness operations after earlier store-closure plans.

  Action taken

  DW Sports Fitness announced administration, closed its website, began store closing-down sales and worked with administrators to preserve selected gyms.

  Aftermath

  Frasers Group acquired selected leisure clubs and retail outlets but did not use the DW Sports Fitness name. The original operating business became defunct.

  Selected DW Sports Fitness assets acquired by Frasers Group. £37 million (24 August 2020)

  Source

• 2016

  Acquire the UK Fitness First businessM&A

  Background

  DW Sports Fitness participated in a joint purchase of Fitness First's United Kingdom business from Oaktree Capital Management.

  Action taken

  Together with The Gym Group and Greenwich Leisure Limited, DW Sports Fitness acquired all 62 UK Fitness First clubs, later selling 14 and continuing to operate 48 under the Fitness First name.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded the group's fitness portfolio and resulted in a substantial number of clubs operating under the Fitness First brand.

  Source

• 2011

  Join IntersportStrategy

  Background

  DW Sports sought to strengthen the profile and purchasing position of its sports-retail business.

  Action taken

  The company joined the international Intersport buying group and incorporated Intersport branding into its retail-store facias.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement connected DW Sports retail stores with the Intersport group while the company continued operating under its own brand identity.

  Source

1. 1DW Sports Fitnessen.wikipedia.org