Member Article

Tyneside entrepreneur launches fitness services venture

Fitness services comparison website OFFPEEK.com has been created by a local entrepreneur and Gateshead-based digital agency, Climb Creative.

OFFPEEK.com is the brainchild of NHS health trainer, Adam McGill, who spotted a gap in the market for a digital platform which allows users to compare health and fitness deals in their local area including gym memberships, gym passes, personal training and group classes.

The ecommerce site, which is set to launch in December, will provide exclusive deals to interested parties based on users’ locations.

The self-funded project has already shown great promise with hundreds of independent establishments and personal trainers signed up to provide offers.

Tyneside-born McGill said: “Currently there isn’t a way for people to compare gyms, personal trainers, bootcamps and fitness classes around the UK so often people can get overwhelmed with what is out there and what is best for their lifestyles.

“Working in the NHS, obesity is very apparent and is something we should all be gravely concerned about. A staggering 87% of people in the UK do not have a gym membership and a lot of the time you hear that it’s the cost associated with gyms that puts the public off attending. By giving the public a free platform to access up to date offers, tailored to their needs, should hopefully encourage more people to keep fit.

“There are no hidden fees and no lengthy membership contracts, people simply pay for what they would like to do. If they happen to like the gym they attend then they can join it following our deal.

“By giving customers the opportunity to rate the featured businesses, people can feel confident in knowing how good they are before purchasing any deals.”

Managing director at Climb Creative, Chris Henderson, said: “When Adam first approached us with this project we were very excited as it was the perfect project for us to deliver, given our extensive knowledge in software development for the web.

“The site is complex on many levels, it needed to be visually appealing and easy to use so user experience played an integral part in the design process both from a customer experience and a business perspective. It also required a bespoke content management system to allow businesses to manage their offers and promotions as well as Offpeek staff to maintain the site from an administration level.

“We have made it as bulletproof as possible; the areas accessible to businesses automatically formats all content to the Offpeek style and, of course, we will be thoroughly policing and regulating the site.

“We decided to integrate the site with PayPal to allow users to pay for their deals in the safest, easiest way possible.”

OFFPEEK.com is set to launch in December 2014. Interested parties can register now at: www.offpeek.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .