Member Article

Fitness entrepreneurs open Ouseburn CrossFit gym with £250k investment

Aspiring fitness entrepreneurs Jordan Wallace and Colin Carter have opened a CrossFit facility in Newcastle, after being backed by a £250k Growth Fund investment.

Moving their Reebok CrossFit Tyneside operation into a purpose-built, 13,500 sq ft space in Ouseburn, the pair have created six new jobs at the Ouse Street site.

CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that improves every aspect of a person’s general fitness through constantly varied functional movements that are executed at a high intensity.

Hoping the venture will be the first of a many similar centres in the region, the duo intend to capitalise CrossFit’s growing popularity as a way for people to improve their fitness.

Supported by the Growth Fund, managed by NEL Fund Managers, the pair have used the capital to make equipment purchases, alteration work on the new premises and a new year marketing campaign.

Classes at Reebok CrossFit Tyneside are led by two coaches who will ensure that everyone is performing the exercises correctly to get the best workout and avoid any injuries.

Alongside the CrossFit facilities, the new gym also includes free weights and cardio equipment, a Naked Deli café, merchandising and nutrition supplements, all of which have been designed to provide an environment in which members can meet all their fitness goals and also enjoy some relaxation time.

Reebok-sponsored athlete Jordan Wallace is one of the UK’s leading CrossFit coaches and a regular competitor in the UK and European CrossFit Games, while Colin Carter has been responsible for designing and fitting out around 500 gyms in the UK and Europe during a 20-year career as a fitness equipment supplier.

Colin Carter explained: “CrossFit has grown exponentially in the UK in the last seven years, but the locations in which classes are held are often quite small and basic, and having researched how the demand is growing in places like Scandinavia and the US, we know there is a great opportunity to create this type of hybrid facility that hasn’t previously been seen in the UK.

“Our new gym is designed to be a welcoming environment for people of all fitness levels, and our industry experience means we know precisely what sort of equipment our target audience needs, the space required for the workouts they want to do and the facilities needed to support the social aspect of CrossFit which is such a key part of the overall concept.

“We’re excited to have officially opened our doors at a time of year when a lot of people are looking for new ways of fulfilling their New Year fitness resolutions, and it’s natural to be looking to extend the concept to elsewhere in the region as and when we find the right sites in the right locations.

“The NEL team understood the ideas that we were looking to bring to life, had experience of working with fitness industry businesses and saw the strength of the management team that will be taking the concept forward.”

David Thomas, investment manager at NEL Fund Managers, added: “The CrossFit concept has become phenomenally successful, and the CrossFit Tyneside team presented us with an exciting plan for how they could shape the next phase of its evolution with our investment support.”