In this weeks 60 Second News; At the LeisureDB headquarters we’re busy putting together our annual state of the industry reports. This year’s fitness report includes a new top operator in the private sector and is due to be published late April. Head to the publications sections of our website to receive a notification when our reports are published.

After attending IRHSA last month our director, David Minton, will be attending Fibo in Germany this month. With more than 725 exhibitors from 40 countries there is everything from equipment suppliers to studio concepts and IT systems. If you’re one of the 138,000 people attending don’t forget to say hi if you see him.

Fitness First UK’s managing director, Martin Seibold, has reported a significant amount of interest in the chain from both investors and buyers. The number of clubs has gone from 185 to just 65 since Seibold took over in 2012, but membership has grown by 15% since May 2015. Fitness First Owner Oaktree Capital Management has said all possibilities remain on the table for the future of the company.

Lastly, Fit4Less in Derbyshire has come under criticism this month after an anti-bullying charity called its new ad ‘offensive’. The billboard poster showed Aliens abducting a person with the text ‘they’ll take the fat ones first’. Fit4Less said it wanted to create a “light hearted and humorous” ad. This isn’t the first time an industry ad has sparked controversy. Last year Protein World were called offensive and irresponsible with its ‘beach body ready?’ poster. We want to know whether you were offended by these ads? Send us a tweet to @TLDC_UK to let us know your views.
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