A Virgin plan

The first of the new buildings is planned for Gardens, Cape Town which will be launch-ready in January 2006. Also on the cards is the opening of a new club in Sunninghill, Johannesburg, with launch date soon to be announced.

Virgin Active has identified Cape Town's northern suburbs as one of the biggest potential growth areas and said that it is undertaking feasibility studies and investigating viable sites for the opening of further clubs in the region.

Chris Rolfe, CEO: Virgin Active South Africa, says: "Virgin Active's Road to Wellness expansion plans will have two core focus areas to ensure sustainability, namely retention of current members and also the acquisition of new members through the launching of new services and facilities.

"The plan naturally follows the company's philosophy of bringing about positive change to peoples' lives by moving beyond exercise through the promotion of health and wellness."

"One such initiative includes the launching of our Club-V youth offering at relevant clubs countrywide. This club within a club concept will cater to children from six-months to 13 years and will assist South Africa in combating the rapidly increasing childhood obesity statistics with our Broadacres club in Fourways being the first one launched."

The goal of Club-V is to reinforce healthy habits from a young age, to assist in reducing child obesity and associated risks such as coronary heart diseases and the onset of diabetes. Designed with children in mind, Club-V will offer fun group fitness activities that are studio, floor and pool based. Club-V will also offer basic arts and crafts, and even the integration of interactive PlayStation games to make the offering as appealing as possible and to entice the youth out of their armchairs and into an environment conducive to exercise.

Over and above the new facilities, Virgin Active has also aligned itself with the increasing holistic health trend and will be incorporating a range of new classes into its repertoire: "The more mature members will most certainly be interested on our new Mind Body Studio which will provide Pilates, yoga and stretching relaxation techniques amongst other wellness regimes. All in all, we are confident that our multifaceted growth strategy will appeal to members, staff and stakeholders alike thereby ensuring success."