British gym chain David Lloyd Leisure is said to be considering putting in a bid to buy Aspria, the luxury health and wellness group with a large footprint in Brussels.
According to the Sunday Times, bosses at David Lloyd Leisure, which is headquartered in Hertfordshire in the UK, are “in talks over a potential swoop” for Aspria, which runs upmarket wellbeing and fitness clubs in Brussels and other major European cities.
No further details were given on whether the putative bid is likely to be accepted, but recent reports suggest Aspria is seeking new investors.
When contacted by The Brussels Times, both Aspria and David Lloyd declined to comment on the matter.
A Brussels status symbol
Founded in 2000 by Brian Morris, Aspria is said to be worth around €200 million. The group has three high-end wellbeing and fitness clubs in Brussels: a sports and wellbeing club in Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, an adult-only centre on Avenue Louise and a city-centre health and fitness club in Arts-Loi.
A fourth Brussels club, Aspria Roosevelt, is under construction and is scheduled to open later this year. Aspria also runs wellness clubs in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and Milan.
An Aspria club membership has become something of a status symbol in Brussels. People join the club not only for the health benefits, but also for the networking potential it can offer.
As the Sunday Times points out, the club is particularly popular among the capital’s lobbyists, politicians and policymakers. Last year, Morris told Politico that the firm “had every prime minister pretty much since the time we opened”.
David Lloyd Leisure was founded in 1982 by British tennis star David Lloyd. There are over 100 David Lloyd gyms in the UK and the firm has a growing presence in mainland Europe, including gyms in Uccle and in Sterrebeek, Zaventem.
