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	News \| Jobs \| Sign up for our free e-zine	31 March 2023

Latest news

Priceless Shakespeare artefacts go on show together for first time
Visitors to Shakespeare’s New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, are able to view three priceless artefacts together for the first time. To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is displaying a copy of the Folio itself, a ring which is .... more

New federation – World Active – reveals its charter and manifesto ahead of inauguration at FIBO
World Active has finalised its charter, which it plans to adopt at its first-ever general assembly held during the FIBO Global Fitness in Cologne in April. The charter will act as the organisation's founding document, defining the scope, structure and governance. World Active was launched in June 2022 as a .... more

Disney reveals plans for robot designed to have 'emotional connection' with people
Disney has revealed a new animatronic robot, designed to have an “emotional connection” with people. Revealed at SXSW Media Festival earlier this month, Disney unveiled a two-legged droid that is able to perform a multitude of tricks – such as using rollerblades and executing small somersaults. When .... more

ACE receives ISO accreditation for its fitness and exercise training certifications
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has secured ISO accreditation for its certification of fitness training programmes. ISO – the International Organization for Standardization – is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies and is considered one of the the highest globally accepted benchmark of .... more

NBA's Orlando Magic and Lake Nona sign health tech partnership
Lead Lake Nona, a company that sources, funds and drives the growth of early-stage sports and health tech startups globally, has signed a partnership with US NBA franchise, Orlando Magic, that will see the two organisations work together to develop sports and health tech solutions. Orlando Magic will serve as .... more

Xponential Fitness' US franchisees break the billion dollar barrier with $1.03bn system-wide sales
Xponential Fitness reported a 58 per cent increase in revenue for 2022 to US$245m, in a year during which it saw 511 new studio openings across its franchised estate globally and sold 1,026 franchise licenses. The company currently has around 2,600 locations – 2,000 in the US and the remaining 600 elsewhere. .... more

London Resort Company grapples with CVA
London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), the company behind plans to build a theme park resort in Swanscombe, Kent, has called in administrators with the aim of completing a CVA. The company says it is aiming to agree terms with creditors in relation to its liabilities with a view to continuing with the .... more

'Skills Garden' based on movement concept developed in the Netherlands to open in Portsmouth
A new type of multi-activity, outdoor exercise space – designed to get people moving by challenging them to think outside the box – is being built in Portsmouth. Called Playce, the Skills Garden will use a pioneering scientific model for movement with the intention of anyone being able to use the space, from .... more

Technogym launches connected ecosystem for corporate wellness
Technogym has launched a connected ecosystem for corporate wellness. Called Technogym Corporate Club, the service is driven by the Technogym App Plus that uses AI to deliver a wide range of services, including hybrid workouts and guidance on nutrition and meditation. The move will deliver new services to a .... more

Number of visits to UK attractions are bouncing back says ALVA
Visitor numbers at the UK’s leading attractions have bounced strongly, getting to 78 per cent of pre-pandemic numbers. Figures published by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) show that the number of visits to its sites rose by 69 per cent in 2022 when compared with the year before, only 22 .... more

World's first Play-Doh attractions to be built in Saudi Arabia by Thinkwell and Seven
Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven) has revealed plans to develop and operate the world’s first Play-Doh attractions in Saudi Arabia. Seven, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), said it will open Play-Doh sites at eight of its entertainment destinations across the country .... more

Actic sells its German operations to Injoy to focus on Scandinavian markets
Swedish fitness operator, Actic Fitness, has sold its German subsidiary – Actic Fitness GmbH – to German fitness operator, Injoy Quality GmbH, a subsidiary of fitness and wellness group ACISO Holding. Actic's 21 clubs in Germany and its single site in Austria – with a combined total of 21,000 members and 256 .... more

Swim England partners with Royal College of GP’s to promote swimming as medicine
Healthcare professionals should consider recommending swimming and aquatic activities to their patients, as they can sometimes be ‘far more powerful’ compared to other healthcare interventions. That is the message of a new campaign launched by Swim England and Royal College of GPs, which promotes the .... more

Fitness employers 'need to take action' to improve workplace mental health
Employers within the fitness and physical activity sector could do more when it comes to ensuring their workforces have the support they need to deal with mental health issues. The results of The 2023 Workforce State of Mind Survey, published today (17 March), shows that there is a widening gap between .... more

The Gym Group opens record number of new gyms as revenues inch back towards pre-COVID-19 levels
The Gym Group saw an upswing in EBITDA, to £38m for 2022, well above the £5.7m it reported for 2021. Membership also grew steadily during the year, with total membership within the estate reaching 812,000 – a 14 per cent increase on the 2021 figure of 718,000. The increase in membership was driven partly .... more