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Foundry Gym

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Success Stories

Foundry Gym

The customer service is fantastic!

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From One Facility to Eighteen (and Counting!)...

Unlike the other independents we have covered so far in our Ashbourne Success Stories, The Foundry isn’t a single gym. In fact, if you live in and around the West Midlands, there is a good chance you could pass by several Foundry Gyms on your daily commute. A force to be reckoned with, this thriving Independent Gym franchise has made huge in-roads with 18 gyms ranging from their Birmingham stronghold with outposts as far as Newcastle-Under-Lyme and even across the Welsh border in Wrexham.

Their partnership with Ashbourne has helped them not only grow to this size but enabled them to maintain their size. With Ashbourne’s focus on membership management and administration, Foundry Gym has been able to avoid many of the pitfalls that come with over-expanding. The partnership has ensured that neither growth nor maintenance have been neglected during this crucial and exciting time for the business.

And the march of the Foundry Gym across the country is by no means over. A quick glance at their website confirms that at least nine new Foundry Gym are planned across England and Wales, in locations as far-flung as Bristol, Swansea, Kent and Stafford.

As good partners should always do, we want to emphasise the success of the Foundry Gym formula in this impressive expansion. In turn, they have also reinforced that working with Ashbourne has been key to both growing clubs and opening new facilities around the country.

Location

Multiple Locations Around the Midlands, UK

Gym Size

2000+ Members

Facilities

Open Gym

Access Control

Unmanned, 24/7, Full-Height Turnstiles, Fingerprint Reader, Magnetic Lock

Price Point

£ (out of £££££)

Most Valued Ashbourne Feature

Customer Service Team

Origin

“We treated it as more of a hobby initially” - Joe, Foundry Gym

So how did this burgeoning fitness empire begin? As with many great businesses, it started as a father and son project. Foundry Gym’s journey started in Walsall, prompted by the closure of the gym they had been working at and lacking alternatives. They decided to take a do-it-yourself approach. The property they found ended up giving them the perfect name. An old Midlands Foundry helped to forge the Foundry Gym we know today. 

At the time, Joe was working as a van driver, while his retired father brought decades of business experience to the table. Their venture into fitness wasn’t part of some grand plan, just a desire to create a great space to work out, one that the area sorely needed. 

With modest savings they jumped in, treating it as much a hobby as a business at the beginning. 

The early days were a learning curve. There were some mistakes, but many more smart decisions.

Every small profit went straight back into the gym, better equipment, improved facilities and a relentless focus on member experience. Joe noted with satisfaction that great feeling of watching the facility improve, the appreciation of old members and the influx of new ones.

Gradually, word spread. The community noticed their dedication, and a loyal following grew. By the time they hit 1,000 members, Joe knew he could leave van driving behind and commit to the gym full-time.  

Five years of refining their model paid off. What started as a single, no-frills gym became the blueprint for expansion. As we covered in the intro, Foundry Gym boasts 18 locations now, with more on the way. 

Reflecting on how far they’ve come, Joe admits the gyms now are “unrecognisable” compared to their humble beginnings. Each new site builds on lessons from the last, and with every opening, the Foundry formula gets sharper.  

The secret? A mix of focus, adaptability and a community-first approach. From manual entry systems and cash payments to seamless automation with Ashbourne, Foundry Gym’s evolution mirrors its ethos: keep improving, keep growing, and always put the member first. 

And Joe has every faith that the next Gyms they have planned will be even better still!

Ashbourne: Would you recommend Ashbourne to other gym owners?

Joe, Foundry Gym: "Absolutely. Though maybe I should be selfish and say no, so I can keep them all to myself!" Joe joked. "If someone asked, I would say yeah, definitely use Ashbourne!"

What started as a solution to a closed gym has become a fitness empire and Joe was happy to acknowledge the significant part that Ashbourne has played in the rise. 

Going from Strength to Strength...

While the Foundry Gym model was one always destined for greatness and success, there were always going to be teething issues. As Ashbourne has seen with so many independent gyms, a good portion of the trouble came from overly complex systems that had formed naturally in the early days but had become part of the Business-As-Usual setup.

Once these systems are in place, they often prove hard to dislodge. With over 25 years of experience combatting this issue, it is something Ashbourne has become adept at helping our partners to solve in a painless and constructive manner. 

 Another key concern that Foundry Gym had was the lack of automatic entry systems. This is something Ashbourne specialises in, personally (as opposed to contracting out) installing automatic entry systems for hundreds of partner gyms. 

We appreciate that making changes on this scale to an independent gym requires a significant amount of communication in order to make the transfer seamless. Our support team was on hand to make sure Foundry Gym never felt in the dark during the process, providing regular and professional communication. 

Ashbourne: How easy was the onboarding and transition process to Ashbourne?

Joe, Foundry Gym: “Pretty easy. When you do a big move like that, not everything will be smooth, but Ashbourne did everything they could to support us. Overall, it was a good experience.” 

Ashbourne: Since partnering with Ashbourne, what results have you seen in your business?

Joe, Foundry Gym: “Our business has exploded in popularity, really, and I think Ashbourne has played a big part in that. Ashbourne allowed us to put the stuff in place to be able to do that."

As a business run by club owners, for club owners, we know the importance of getting the transition right. Our commitment to a seamless transition ensured Foundry could upgrade its systems without major disruptions.

From our experience, we know that an independent gym either switching membership management company or signing up with one for the first time can represent a substantial change and a substantial risk. Irrespective of the omnipresent concern that it may not work out, there are more immediate, practical considerations. The potential disruption to business, the re-training, the actual disruption on the gym-floor if new equipment or access controls need to be installed.

All of these are very valid concerns that Foundry Gym could have had as their partnership with Ashbourne commenced, but through communication and cooperation Ashbourne was able to start making improvements immediately to their systems and access controls.

The benefits of Foundry Gym’s partnership didn’t end at the transfer process however, with Ashbourne leading to a large increase in Direct Debits all gyms. While there are many reasons for this increase, it comes down to a combination of Ashbourne’s expertise and integration combined with Foundry Gym staff being freed up to focus on what really matters.

Ashbourne Membership Management pride ourselves on our ability to manage direct debits for independent gyms. The integration of a gym’s direct debit payment ecosystem across web, app and in-facility means that there are more ways than ever for a member to sign-up safely, easily and efficiently with Ashbourne.

Ashbourne: How does integrated access control on the turnstiles impact your daily operation?

 

Joe, Foundry Gym: “It just makes it so much easier for staffing. With the turnstiles and fingerprint system Ashbourne has in place, we don’t need staff on reception all the time”.

This automation has freed up staff to focus on classes, cleaning, and member support, boosting efficiency and member satisfaction.  

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Ashbourne: Before Ashbourne, were you doing a lot of cash transactions?

Joe, Foundry Gym: "Yeah, it was all cash, just physical cash and card payments. We knew we needed to switch to direct debits for a better customer experience and a much better experience for us."

But our contribution doesn’t stop there. Just as we demonstrated with the transfer process, it isn’t just about signing up members, but maintaining their membership. And this is where our professional, in-house (UK based) support team comes in. Their close proximity to the beating heart of Ashbourne means that they are in the best position to ensure that Foundry Gym’s paying members are getting the same industry-first support as the gym management and staff.

Ashbourne’s philosophy of improving the experience for both management, staff and members doesn’t end there. Another benefit of a fully integrated payment ecosystem is our improved till management system. A lot of independent gyms will initially use one system for membership, another for their till and perhaps even a third and fourth for classes and their shop. Ashbourne’s ability to streamline these functions into one, easy to manage and monitor system can help reduce time-intensive admin and give gym management insight into areas that would have been previously inaccessible.

Ashbourne: What were the key challenges Foundry Gym faced before working with Ashbourne?

Joe, Foundry Gym: “Actually getting them to pay! That was one of the biggest challenges Ashbourne sorted,” Joe responded. Following up with citing Ashbourne’s ability to handle Direct Debits, which made the switch from cash and card payments much easier. 

Before Ashbourne, Foundry’s first two gyms relied on a manual entry system, a gate with a mag lock that required staff to verify members, check them in, and manually unlock the door.

 “The staffing for entry was a nightmare, having to have someone there all the time”

Ashbourne’s approach to partnership isn’t just about giving independent gyms like Foundry Gym the best technology. It is about giving them the support and expertise to use that technology in ways that will ensure the best experience for both members and staff.

Our support team is able to talk to each and every independent gym partner to determine what their facility needs, what it doesn’t need and how that tech can best be utilised. Our strength is that we are interested in what works for each gym and their needs, not just upselling the most expensive equipment.

We’ve worked with enough independent gyms to know that the needs of every gym vary. A 24/7 open gym will vary dramatically from a tennis club. Our vast width and breadth of knowledge has allowed us to build archetypes that we can work on, but never rely on. Every independent gym has a different story and circumstance. We knew that Foundry Gym had ambitions well beyond their existing gyms, and we were eager to work out solutions not only to their current concerns, but to work with them on their future issues. 

A partnership with Ashbourne isn’t a one off deal, it is a living partnership that will grow with a gym as their needs change and their business grows.

Ashbourne: How has Customer Support been?

Joe, Foundry Gym: Couldn’t ask for better. Every gym we open, they’re always helping us with stuff they don’t need to help us with, but they do anyway. There’s always someone to talk to. Ashbourne seems genuinely keen to grow our business”.

We know that partnerships rely on a system of constant communication, which is why we place so much value on our support team as the key link to the partnership. This has clearly been felt by Joe and his team.

Foundry Gym and the Future of Franchising with Ashbourne

Joe, Foundry Gym: “When it comes to a new franchisee coming on board we basically have a preferred list of suppliers and we have some that you have to have as mandatory"

"Ashbourne is one of the mandatory ones"

 

It is clear that Ashbourne is viewed as a key part of the formula for Foundry Gym’s successful franchising. We think a statement like Joe’s speaks volumes. Foundry Gym has relied on Ashbourne for years and knows that no matter where or when, Ashbourne will deliver, gym after gym. 

As with all of Ashbourne’s partnerships, our story with Foundry Gym doesn’t end here. Their journey is well underway and they have shown incredible resourcefulness to expand through a challenging economy, with new locations planned near and far. 

Ashbourne: Did Ashbourne help in allowing you to franchise and expand your gym business to 18 locations?

Joe, Foundry Gym: “Absolutely yes”, Joe confirmed. “It allowed us to put a 24-hour system in place. The ability to collect direct debits and pre-sales was invaluable.”  

Ashbourne’s scalable systems provided the infrastructure needed for rapid expansion, helping Foundry turn their operation from local gyms into a successful franchise. 

We here at Ashbourne Membership Management are proud of the role we have played so far in their journey but there is always more for us to do. We aren’t the sort of company happy to sit back.

Whether it is helping with their promising new facilities across England and Wales or helping to maintain and sustain the growth in their impressive portfolio of current franchises, Ashbourne is proud to be a partner that can be relied upon at every stage of an independent gyms journey. 

The future looks bright, and we have no doubt Foundry Gym will be on our success stories again. Keep your eyes sharp, a Foundry Gym might be coming to a city near you soon.

Ashbourne: What advice do you have for any independent gym thinking of switching to Ashbourne?

Joe, Foundry Gym: "Just do it. Take the leap. Don’t look back."

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