From One Facility to Thirteen (and Counting!)...
Foundry Gym isn’t a single gym. In fact, if you live in and around the West Midlands, there is a good chance you could pass by several Foundry Gyms on your daily commute. A force to be reckoned with, this thriving Independent Gym franchise has made huge in-roads with 13 gyms ranging from their Birmingham stronghold with outposts as far as Newcastle-Under-Lyme and even across the Welsh border in Wrexham.
Their partnership with Ashbourne has helped them not only grow to this size but enabled them to maintain their size. With Ashbourne’s focus on membership management and administration, Foundry Gym has been able to avoid many of the pitfalls that come with over-expanding. The partnership has ensured that neither growth nor maintenance have been neglected during this crucial and exciting time for the business.
And the march of the Foundry Gyms across the country is by no means over. A quick glance at their website confirms that at least nine new Foundry Gyms are planned across England and Wales, in locations as far-flung as Bristol, Swansea, Kent and Stafford.
As good partners should always do, we want to emphasise the success of the Foundry Gym formula in this impressive expansion. In turn, they have also reinforced that working with Ashbourne has been key to both growing clubs and opening new facilities around the country.
Reduced
Admin Time
Reduced
Pass Sharing
Membership
Growth
Location
Multiple Locations Around the Midlands, UK
Gym Size
2000+ Members
Facilities
Open Gym
Access Control
Unmanned, 24/7, Full-Height Turnstiles, Fingerprint Reader, Magnetic Lock
Price Point
£ (out of £££££)
Most Valued Ashbourne Feature
Customer Service Team
While the Foundry Gym model was one always destined for greatness and success, there were always going to be teething issues. As Ashbourne has seen with so many independent gyms, a good portion of the trouble comes from overly complex systems that had formed naturally in the early days but had become part of the Business-As-Usual setup.
“More Direct Debits. Much better till management”
The benefits of Foundry Gym’s partnership didn’t end at the transfer process however, with Ashbourne leading to a large increase in Direct Debits at all gyms. While there are many reasons for this increase, it comes down to a combination of Ashbourne’s expertise and integration combined with Foundry Gym staff being freed up to focus on what really matters.
We pride ourselves on our ability to manage direct debits for independent gyms. The integration of a gym’s direct debit payment ecosystem across web, app and in-facility means that there are more ways than ever for a member to sign-up safely, easily and efficiently with Ashbourne.
But our contribution doesn’t stop there. Just as we demonstrated with the transfer process, it isn’t just about signing up members, but maintaining their membership. And this is where our professional, in-house (UK based) support team comes in. Their close proximity to the beating heart of Ashbourne means that they are in the best position to ensure that Foundry Gym’s paying members are getting the same industry-first support as the gym management and staff.
Ashbourne’s philosophy of improving the experience for both management, staff and members doesn’t end there. Another benefit of a fully integrated payment ecosystem is our improved till management system. A lot of independent gyms will initially use one system for membership, another for their till and perhaps even a third and fourth for classes and their shop. Ashbourne’s ability to streamline these functions into one, easy to manage and monitor system can help reduce time-intensive admin and give gym management insight into areas that would have been previously inaccessible.
We were struggling getting members onto Direct Debit payments before Ashbourne.
Foundry will continue working with Ashbourne to focus on growth and opening new clubs.
The Customer Service Team Are
Fantastic!
Ashbourne’s approach to partnership isn’t just about giving independent gyms like Foundry Gym the best technology. It is about giving them the support and expertise to use that technology in ways that will ensure the best experience for both members and staff.
Our support team is able to talk to each and every independent gym partner to determine what their facility needs, what it doesn’t need and how that tech can best be utilised. Our strength is that we are interested in what works for each gym and their needs, not just upselling the most expensive equipment.
We’ve worked with enough independent gyms to know that the needs of every gym vary. A 24/7 open gym will vary dramatically from a tennis club. Our vast width and breadth of knowledge has allowed us to build archetypes that we can work on, but never rely on. Every independent gym has a different story and circumstance. We knew that Foundry Gym had ambitions well beyond their existing gyms, and we were eager to work out solutions not only to their current concerns, but to work with them on their future issues.
A partnership with Ashbourne isn’t a one off deal, it is a living partnership that will grow with a gym as their needs change and their business grows.
It is a system of constant communication, which is why we place so much value on our support team as the key link to the partnership.
As with all of Ashbourne’s partnerships, our story with Foundry Gym doesn’t end here. Their journey is well underway and they have shown incredible resourcefulness to expand through a challenging economy, with new locations planned near and far.
We here at Ashbourne Membership Management are proud of the role we have played so far in their journey but there is always more for us to do. We aren’t the sort of company happy to sit back.
Whether it is helping with their promising new facilities across England and Wales or helping to maintain and sustain the growth in their impressive portfolio of current franchises, Ashbourne is proud to be a partner that can be relied upon at every stage of an independent gyms journey.
The future looks bright, and we have no doubt Foundry Gym will be on our success stories again. Keep your eyes sharp, a Foundry Gym might be coming to a city near you soon.
Get your club in shape.
Want to discover how? Let us show you.
Simply select your preferred timeslot and we’ll be in touch to have a chat about your health club,
the goals you want to achieve, and how our system can help you.
the goals you want to achieve, and how our system can help you.
Get your club in shape.
Want to discover how? Let us show you.
Simply select your preferred timeslot and we’ll be in touch to have a chat about your health club, the goals you want to achieve, and how our system can help you.
Get your club in shape.
Want to discover how? Let us show you.
Simply select your preferred timeslot and we’ll be in touch to have a chat about your health club, the goals you want to achieve, and how our system can help you.
