New Member Series: Fitness Cartel

Fitness Cartel is an Australian owned and operated success story, with 11 open clubs and 5 more set to open across the country and more in New Zealand in the coming year.

On track to a company objective of opening 60 clubs by 2029, the brand benefits from CEO Nathan James’ more than 20 years’ experience in the fitness market.

Mr James has owned or assisted in more than 30 fitness-related businesses over the years, plus worked in many other ventures. His last three fitness clubs achieved profits of more than $1 million per annum.

Mr James is a former owner of Genesis Fitness Clubs, Australian Sports Nutrition (ASN) and World Gym Australia Master franchisor and says he joined the industry because “I was a skinny teenager and wanted to meet more girls”.

He says Fitness Cartel is more than a gym and is actively pursuing expansion, with offers of sites welcome from other businesses in the Large Format Retail Sector.

“Our clubs are not a gym. We focus on making it a comfortable, ‘feel good’ environment with a shake bar, healthy meals, body scans and transformation challenges,” Mr James says.

“They’re premises that have finishings similar to a five-star hotel.

Fitness Cartel takes pride in a unique layout that’s suitable for Large Format Retail precincts that offer easy access for clients from all ends of the fitness spectrum.

Mr James says that Fitness Cartel is ideal for hard to lease locations in these precincts.

The introduction of a new wellness brand, Merse, as a Fitness Cartel offering has given the brand a more sophisticated health and care approach to complement the clubs’ surroundings.

Fitness Cartel focusses on rounded premium memberships, with fewer members using each facility and therefore a different type of gym-goer.

They brand proudly has a 65% female membership base, with frequent visits by mothers with young children part of a strategy that is be yielding revenue 6% higher than the industry average.

Mr James says the Merse Wellness Spa only launched in January in the northern Brisbane suburb of Virginia as a space for members to relax, recover and recharge.

“It is targeted towards everyone but plays a special role in that it is the ideal space for a gym goer to go to recover after their workout sessions.

“The vision is to establish 200 wellness such centres across Australia.”

For more information, check the website: www.mersewellness.com.au