The fitness concepts TrainMore,High Studios, andClubSportive, founded by entrepreneurs Han Doorenbosch and Marjolijn Meijer, were incorporated into the parent holding company Urban Gym Group as of December 2018. The new holding company has raised at least 16 million euros in growth capital from Rabobank and the Dutch Mezzanine Fund (DMF). This funding will be used to accelerate growth starting in January 2019. Han Doorenbosch: “Our goal is to become the market leader in the downtown areas of the Netherlands’ major cities within the next three to four years.”
With TrainMore, High Studios, and ClubSportive, Doorenbosch and Meijer have succeeded in expanding their presence in the Dutch fitness market in recent years. Since the launch of TrainMore in 2010, both the number of clubs and the number of members have doubled. This growth can be attributed, in part, to the unique concept: the more you work out, the less you pay. In 2016, Doorenbosch and Meijer, together with Barbara den Bak, opened High Studios—the first boutique fitness club in the Netherlands. High Studios has since grown into a chain of three boutique clubs in Amsterdam.
Investor and shareholder
Jordy Kool, former CEO of Infotheek and currently active as an investor and advisor, has been involved with TrainMore as a shareholder since 2016. Thanks to his investment, TrainMore has opened five new clubs over the past two years. At the same time, the company has been working to raise fresh capital. “In addition to our position as the market leader in the centers of major Dutch cities, we have other ambitions. We want to expand across the border and are exploring the possibilities of opening our first club in Antwerp. In addition, High Studios will grow within Amsterdam with three clubs, and new boutique clubs will also be opened outside Amsterdam, including in Utrecht and The Hague,” said Kool.
Finally, these new developments have been used as an opportunity to involve management more closely in the holding company. Marjolijn Meijer: “Teamwork is a top priority within our organizations. To further promote employee participation, we offer our management the opportunity to share in the holding company’s growth as shareholders.”
