Pure Gym makes list of top ten disruptive UK businesses

LEEDS gym chain Pure Gym has been named as one of the top ten most disruptive businesses in the UK.

The Virgin Media Business Disruptor 10 sees Virgin Media Business and Fast Track combine to recognise companies for having a business model, product or service that is creating a new market, or transforming existing markets and rapidly taking market share from competitors.  
 
Since launching in 2009, Pure Gym has grown to 170 sites in the UK and around 850,000 members. The company pioneered the model for affordable high-quality fitness facilities in the UK.
 
Humphrey Cobbold, chief executive of Pure Gym, said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised as one of the top ten most disruptive businesses in the UK. Pure Gym has helped redefine the gym industry and technology has been at the heart of our story, allowing us to offer affordable and flexible memberships, without sacrificing quality. We’ve opened up the market to new members with a third of our members having never belonged to a gym before, evidence of our role in democratising access to the fitness in the UK.”
 
Peter Kelly, managing director, Virgin Media Business, said: “These disruptors are re-writing the business rule book. Many of our 10 have gained an edge over larger companies by using the crowd to attract customers, develop new products or secure funding, and primarily rely on social media and word-of-mouth recommendations to help them gain traction in new markets.
 
“At the core of the disruptive forces in all these businesses are digital innovation and technology platforms. The success of these disruptors shows how digital has progressed in just one generation and is the now the backbone of successful companies who are taking market share away from companies who are less digitally focused.”
 
Pure Gym also appeared in the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 for the fourth consecutive year, placing 25th in a league table ranking the top 100 private British companies with the fastest-growing sales over the last three years.