John Truslove gives fitness trainer a lift with first gym premises

By Peter Davison

30 October 2023

Share

The Business Magazine article image for: John Truslove gives fitness trainer a lift with first gym premises

Physical trainer Harry Williams is living his dream of running his own fitness gym in Redditch thanks to help from the team at property agency John Truslove.

James Haynes, apprentice surveyor at John Truslove, worked with Harry so he could launch his gym, The Body Box, at a former warehouse unit at 83A Arthur Street, in the Lakeside area of the town.

“I’ve dreamed of being a personal trainer and having my own gym since I was 16,” said Harry. “Even when I was stacking shelves at Tesco I was aiming for that gym.

“I was furloughed during Covid so I took the opportunity to pursue a PT course and then started my own personal training business, Trained By Haz. I’ve been working as a self-employed trainer at Elite Fitness in Redditch while I saved up.

“I started looking at premises and when James Haynes from John Truslove showed me the unit in Arthur Street I knew it was exactly what I wanted – I could envision it just as I had always dreamed of.

“James was really great to work with, really helpful, and made sure everything went smoothly.”

Visit Hampshire Biz News for bright, upbeat and positive business news from the county

Following a fit-out to install gym equipment, the newly opened Body Box Redditch is already doing well. “I’d built up a strong customer base over the last few years and most of them have come with me,” said Harry. “I’ve also been building up membership here with classes throughout the week.

“The focus is on strength and fitness, and I’ve a lady coming in to run a spin class as well. We’re breaking even already and everything is well ahead of schedule so I’m able to keep adding new bits of exercise equipment to increase our offering at the gym.”

James Haynes added: “It’s been great to see how hard Harry is working to make a success out of his business. Getting the right premises is crucial for a new venture, and I’m glad I was able to help Harry find the most suitable property.”

By Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country.

An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts.

Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.