The Original Fit Factory has acquired eight wellbeing and lifestyle companies to help develop its ecosystem of products and services.
The Glasgow-headquartered business was launched in 2016 by fitness industry entrepreneur David Weir, with two core services: workout programme creator TV.FIT Productions and fitness app TRUCONNECT.
At the inception of TRUCONNECT, it entered 71 countries with two deals, including a global insurance company and Indian outfit, worth £7.5m and £30m respectively.
The business has since expanded into a group of brands under The Original Fit Factory name.
This umbrella group has now bought Wolfson Brands, an e-commerce company focused on online retail in the sports nutrition sector.
The deal should enable The Original Fit Factory to access research and brand development specialists through the Wolfson Innovation Lab, alongside global affiliate network FanFuel. The transaction also includes industry publication Muscle & Health’s digital and print arms, which should significantly increase customer engagement.
Pierre van Niekerk, chief financial officer at The Original Fit Factory, commented: “The $137m acquisition of these brands will help us scale at speed, not only allowing us to ensure we have an expanse of wellbeing offerings for customers across the world, but also allowing us to focus on driving profitability.”
The acquisitions have been completed over the course of the last 12 months and also include nutrition brand Smart Protein, holistic employee wellbeing platform Elf at Work, fun run provider Cool Events, fitness and yoga studio franchise TruFusion, sustainable lifestyle apparel brand Niyama Sol , remote events platform Virtual Run and military fitness programme Battle Ready 360.
David Weir, founder and chief executive of The Original Fit Factory, commented: “It was the realisation that the fitness and wellness community was strong, but splintered which originally inspired me to start the business, and since then the vision has always been to change that through the provision of synergistic products and services with ‘access for all’ at their core.
“We want to elevate the wellbeing journey for everyone and so have thought holistically in making these acquisitions, to ensure each business is aligned with our purpose and values, as part of our vision to become the most loved and accessible wellbeing company on Earth.”
Former AOL chief executive and group chairman, Jonathan Miller, added: “From a heightened appreciation towards the importance of mental wellbeing to an increasingly hybrid work model, we are expanding and curating our ecosystem to provide accessible products and services that meet the needs of ever-evolving lifestyles, learning from the needs of society.”
The group is set to expand its presence in the Middle East during the first quarter of next year, with the launch of its first non-US based Cool Events’ programme in Dubai.
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