Online virtual fitness classes and exercising from home have experienced huge demand since the UK Government ordered all gyms and leisure centres to close on Friday 20 March as part of the national response to COVID-19.
Figures released by leading leisure social enterprise GLL – which trades under the Better brand – showed that there were 3,467 downloads of the ‘any time, anywhere’ Better Virtual Fitness Class and Better Exercise from Home since Friday as Better members looked to continue their health and fitness routines while observing the ‘stay at home’ advisory.
Better customers can choose from hundreds of trusted workouts delivered by fitness professionals from 15-60 minutes in length including core, agility, fat burn, mindfulness and yoga. Playable on any device, the high-quality classes can be done anytime offering convenience, flexibility and choice.
The fitness options are made available via Wexer Web Player as part of Better’s new strategic partnership with Wexer. Planned before the current public health emergency to enable out-of-club workouts, its popularity has taken the not-for-profit by surprise.
Marco Coppola, National Head of Health and Fitness for Better, says:
“For some time, leisure providers have been aware of the need to make it easier for their customers to be active at home when they can’t get to the gym. Now circumstances demand it.
“The current crisis will pass, and we want to do our bit to ensure Britons come out the other side in the best physical and mental condition possible.
“We’ve been absolutely delighted by the popularity of our workout from home offer. Better Virtual Fitness Class and Better Exercise From Home are a great way we can support members to stay active wherever they are.”
Better manages over 270 leisure centres in partnership with more than 50 local councils and sporting bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its mission is to improve the physical, mental and social health of communities.
Paul Bowman, Wexer CEO, adds: “We are delighted to be able to support GLL in the continued evolution of its digital member journey, working with the GLL team to create a 24/7 fitness offering that reinforces positive perceptions of the brand and drives customer satisfaction.”
Notes to editor:
The Wexer Web Player is a password-protected, white label web portal that allows users to stream their choice of hundreds of world-beating virtual classes – any time, anywhere, to any internet-enabled device.
It allows Better Leisure Centres to offer their members a guarantee of quality in their workouts, even when they aren’t in a Better facility. Every one of the Web Player’s hundreds of virtual group exercise classes is led by one of the world’s top instructors, ensuring members are guided through an effective, safe, motivating workout wherever they are.
Not only that, but as a white label platform, all of this content is presented to members as a seamless extension of their Better experience.
About GLL/Better
Established in 1993, GLL is the largest UK-based charitable social enterprise delivering leisure, health and community services. Operating under the Better brand, we manage over 270 public sport and leisure centres, 113 libraries and 10 children’s centres in partnership with 50 local councils, public agencies and sporting organisations. GLL has 850,000 members and welcomes 54 million customer visits per year.
Alongside our core leisure and library divisions, we also operate in sport and legacy development, health intervention and education – as well as running the GLL Community Foundation focussed on supporting local projects and the GLL Sport Foundation; the largest independent athlete support programme in the UK, focussed on helping today’s and tomorrow’s athletes.
About Wexer
As a digital fitness market leader, our mission at Wexer is to make world-class exercise accessible to more people through the use of technology. We partner with our clients to ensure health clubs remain at the heart of this experience. Our technology creates a bridge between the digital and physical worlds, enhancing in-club products and experiences; broadening the audience for clubs’ expertise, talent and programming via new ‘always-on’ channels; and enabling every user touchpoint to be shaped by data and personalised insight.
For more information please contact ross.payne@wexer.com