UK-based The Original Fit Factory has announced the completed purchase of 8 international wellbeing and lifestyle companies, as it becomes a global leader in delivering physical and mental health services and products to communities across the world. The combined transactions total over €128 million.
Physical and mental wellbeing are two intertwined elements that we are now taking more awareness of. From making sure we fuel our bodies right, get the rest we need, exercise well, and, make use of holistic wellbeing and stress relief tools, it’s meant that the wellbeing sector is rapidly growing.
And it’s refreshing to see. Employee burnout is becoming an all-too-familiar experience and mental health issues are negatively impacting the lvies of people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. Thankfully, we are now (as a global society) more open to talking about mental health and sharing tools on how to avoid and overcome burnout, but, is still frighteningly prevalent.
Glaswegian firm The Original Fit Factory has been aiming to elevate people’s wellbeing journey since 2016. Now, the firm has announced it has snapped up 8 brands as it builds a global wellness ecosystem.
The details
- Acquisition of 8 international wellbeing and lifestyle companies
- Combined transactions exceed €128 million and boost projected 2022/2023 revenue to over €100 million
- Gives the company access to a community of over 10 million customers across 100 countries worldwide
David Weir, founder and CEO of The Original Fit Factory: “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. The culmination of these acquisitions will be bolstered by the performance driving engine from Wolfson Brands’ innovation lab. This will not only increase our sales performance through a global affiliate network, but will enhance our capabilities to be able to manage our products with its own end-to-end ecommerce and logistics platform.
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.”
Wellbeing ecosystem
Launched in 2016 by David Weir, The Original Fit Factory was developed with two core services – TV.FIT Productions (creator of workout programmes) and TRUCONNECT, the leading global fitness and wellbeing community app. The idea was to elevate the wellbeing journey for everyone through an ecosystem of accessible products and services.
Since then, the company has grown rapidly and adopted new services and brands to grow a growing community. TRUCONNECT has experienced 792% growth, for which it was recently acknowledged by Deloitte, as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the UK. The business has since expanded into an ecosystem of brands under one parent group ‘The Original Fit Factory’.
Now, as the brand grows, it has been snapping up wellness brands across the world to create a global community, spanning different sectors within the growing wellness sphere – including e-commerce, nutrition, mental health, events, fitness, activewear and virtual tech. The acquisitions form an important part of the company’s growth strategy and also feature some high-profile figures like J-Lo and Dame Kelly Holmes.
Former AOL CEO and group chairman of The Original Fit Factory Jonathan Miller: “It’s a really exciting new chapter for the business in building a community that’s more accessible and innovative than ever before. Whether it’s wellness content, physical experiences, or our products spanning nutrition and activewear, we want to ensure we are putting unrivalled options in reach for consumers.
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 Acquisitions
The acquisitions have been completed over the course of the last 12 months and will serve to strengthen a community that’s making a healthier way of living easier and more accessible through a diverse offering of products and brands, interlinked with a distinctive set of values at the heart of wellbeing.
The brands are:
- Wolfson Brands: A global end-to-end ecommerce company focusing on online retail in the sports nutrition and wellness sector. Wolfson has created a unique closed-loop ecosystem comprising three fully integrated functions, operating with the strength of standalone businesses but utilising the synergies of a group.
- Smart Protein: A nutrition and wellness brand with an extensive range of products that help anyone take control of their nutritional needs, across mind, body and beauty.
- Cool Events: A fun run provider in the US. Cool Events’ fun runs bring people of all ages, sizes, abilities and backgrounds together for the shared experience of having fun, being active, and supporting a cause.
- TruFusion: A US-based all-encompassing fitness and yoga franchise with world-class instructors, specially trained to cater for all fitness levels. Currently 15 locations across the US with the first international site successfully opening in Dubai in October 2022.
- Niyama Sol: A fashionable, sustainable fitness apparel brand, inclusive for those of all shapes and sizes and adaptable to different workout or wellness environments. Jennifer Lopez was a founding investor.
- Virtual Run: A virtual event network, providing consumers with unrivalled options to create their perfect race, anywhere, anytime and at their own pace.
- Elf at Work: A holistic employee wellbeing platform originally founded by Dame Kelly Holmes, now integrated into the TRUCONNECT app. Elf at Work’s provision of mental health tools is designed to help individuals, businesses and their employees achieve improved mental wellbeing. The dashboard technology embedded within the Elf At Work platform has increased the opportunity for further corporate wellness partnerships, including leading corporations such as Sage and Westfield Health.
- Battle Ready 360: A military-inspired fitness program curated by SAS: Who Dares Wins duo Jason Fox & Ollie Ollerton, now integrated into the TRUCONNECT app.
Pierre van Niekerk, Chief Financial Officer at The Original Fit Factory commented: “The recent $137m acquisition of these brands will help The Original Fit Factory scale at speed, elevating it to be recognised as a leading global wellness brand. These investments will not only allow us to ensure we have an expanse of wellbeing offerings for customers across the world but will also allow us to focus on driving profitability.”
