Virgin Active buys Esporta clubs
Virgin Active today flexed its muscles with a £77.6m deal to buy 55 Esporta gyms - a move that will nearly double its size in the UK.
The operator of 71 fitness clubs in the UK is stepping up its pace of growth with the first major acquisition since it bought Holmes Place almost five years ago.
The Milton Keynes-based company also reported that it was in good shape after underlying profits increased 13 per cent to £114.6m in 2010, helped by the opening of new clubs overseas.
Virgin, which is majority-owned by Sir Richard Branson, described trading in 2011 as strong after it powered through the one million membership barrier for the first time.