Couple launch new small group gym in Redditch

A Redditch couple have launched a new gym catering for small groups after securing premises with the help of commercial property agents John Truslove.

And after just a few months Evolve Performance Gym is proving a big hit with the area’s fitness enthusiasts.

Matt Gwillam has worked as a personal trainer almost since leaving school, most recently at the Redditch Puregym for five years.

“I’ve done a lot of one-to-one sessions and larger groups – say ten to 20 people – but I think smaller groups of four or five provide all the social and team benefits of a larger session with much more individual attention, without the cost of one-to-one,” explained Matt.

“And our clients seem to find the same thing. They feel they’re getting a lot more out of it.

“I’d been running sessions out of our garage while we looked for premises in Redditch.”

Wife Lindsey Faulkner, who handles the paperwork and admin side of the business, is an experienced property lawyer and worked with the team at John Truslove to find the right premises.

“It only took us two months. I really got on with James Haynes, the apprentice surveyor at John Truslove. We’d looked at one set of premises but that fell through. James suggested a unit at Heming Road which had just become free.

“It was a much better fit for us, the price was better and the landlord, Phil Dutton, was really good to work with.”

James Haynes helped the couple seal a three-year lease deal, at £7,800 per annum, on 555sq ft of space at 32H Heming Road and Evolve Performance Gym opened in November, offering one-to-one, paired and small group training.

Matt added: “I was always an athlete at school, but when I suffered some injuries I really saw the impact a good physio and trainer can have. It became my dream to become a personal trainer and this is the next step, running our own place.”

James Haynes of John Truslove said: “Lindsey and Matt make a good team; they had a clear idea of how they needed their premises to work for them. They also understand the benefits of a good relationship with their landlord. They are just the sort of tenants we enjoy working with and we are delighted that they are doing so well."