Will Boutiques work outside of the cities?

With the rise of the boutiques in London and the outskirts coming from across 'The Pond' we begin to ask the questions?

• What makes a boutique? The dictionary definition is:

boutique

buːˈtiːk/

1. a small shop selling fashionable clothes or accessories.

2.a business serving a sophisticated or specialized clientele.

So from this we can take that it will be a high end, specialised place that customers want to find something a little different from the norm. Boutique hotels for example are high end, quirky guest houses with a hotel feel.

Since 2010, Frame and Boom Cycle began the London boutique market having seen the emergence of SoulCycle, Flywheel, Barrys Bootcamp etc in the US and this started the trend that has spiralled upwards with a 'boutique' facility opening up alongside the very different Budget sector gyms.

Why Open a Boutique Facility?

It is a very inviting place for the customer to train in a group and get beasted and then pampered with a lovely smoothie at the end. The fact that the training is intense, sometimes monitored with another emergence (Wearables- Myzone, Garmin, PIQ, etc), but not so painful, as there are others around you working as hard and feeling as bad as you feel. It is Group Exercise that has been around for ages in clubs but this time separate to the Health Club.

The fact that you can Pay as you go, and get discounted if you commit to more classes. No monthly commitment can be enticing. The fact that if you want to try out a different format you can.

It is the feeling of you 'CAN DO' what you want, when you want?

For the entrepeneurial owners, the boutique is also relatively inexpensive to open, to rent (smaller spaces and business rates), and to close down if you have to (less equipment), ie less risk.

The fact that 'Rock Star' instructors (your hires) will bring in the crowds is the same as a superstar singer brings in their audience so a great instructor will demand the bigger customers.

The fact that there are so many types of classes so you can always create your own niche.

Popular Boutiques?

Cycle studios, Boxing spaces, Yoga and Pilates, HIIT or VIT studios, Bootcamp, PT Studios and even CrossFit could all be classed as Boutique (small and uniquely different). Some of the larger Health Clubs (Third Space, GymBox, KX etc) could also hold that Boutique mantle as they are high end, serving the 'sophisticated clientele' with an edge to them.

Will they come out of London and the cities?

As a new owner of a small PT Studio (www.ptplusone.com) in the countryside I think there can be an element of Boutique outside of the Smoke but it will be a different kind of Boutique with less footfall but higher pricepoints. More the ability to rent out the facility to PT's/Rock star instructors wanting to make an impact to the community.

Rents will be lower than in the city and properties will be easier to find.

The wow factor outside of London will not be required as much as the competition will be less to start with.

The Cycle studios will always work anywhere as cycling is growing and everyone from a child up can use a bike. This is an area where the indoor bike equipment is so important and must be unbreakable as downtime means less ROI.

The choice here is cycling to a rhythm (SoulCycle esque) or cycling with 'a purpose', a metric performance goal. I think there is a space for both and the music should always be a driver in either modality.

Music has been proven to encourage, to give a beat, a cadence and thus it MUST be used.

Links to Wexer, Zwift or MyZone or the like will become a virtual buddy too in the studio deadtimes.

Other Bootcamp (Fitness Experts, Fit Space, YourZone), PT, Yoga or Pilates boutiques will become the norm but I feel outside of London will they be called 'boutiques' or just 'studios'.

Instead of village halls, catteries (Ptplusone was!), church halls, open spaces I think this will be the movement especially if UKActive get their message across 'More People, More Active, More Often'.

In my world it has always been Fun, Fit and Fresh when it comes to clubs, gyms or sales. .

I welcome your feedback. I love to learn and am passionate about the industry, the boutique sector and wearables. As my schedule gets busier at this time of year, I would urge you to call me on 07842552719 or email me to ian@gymjediconsultancy.com.

My name is Ian Daniell and I am a battle scarred leisure industry JEDI. I am here to offer my advice, and have a fun time helping people get fitter. Always known as having a Fun, Fit and Fresh outlook. Watch for more articles in the future.