Aescape, a tech company building automated, data-driven massage tables that mimic human touch, has announced a US$30m (£24.9m, €28.9m) Series A funding round.

Black Friday, which falls on 25 November, will be one of the busiest retail days of 2022, marking the start of this year’s Christmas shopping season. Now extending into ‘cyber week’ and finishing on Cyber Monday, it's a time when shops and companies offer significant discounts on their products.

Kevin Yates, founder and CEO of Trib3 has been awarded Entrepreneur of the Year in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. He joined eight other winners in the health and beauty section, which includes the fitness industry.

Sport for Health, a collaboration between The World Health Organisation (WHO), FIFA and Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health, has released an app called GenMove Season 1, aimed at increasing physical activity among children.

The director and founder of Sport for Confidence believes operators can change lives by working with occupational therapists to provide for people from marginalised populations

The CEO of Jetts Fitness Australia talks to Kate Cracknell about leading the recent MBO and the company’s plans for expansion driven by their culture of love

The pandemic has prompted an escalation in eating disorders, with some sufferers over-exercising. Kath Hudson looks at how the industry can respond

The PGA Catalunya resort in Spain has launched a 360-degree wellness programme based on a smart business model, as Neena Dhillon discovers

The failing health of the UK population is undermining economic growth, presenting a significant opportunity for the sector, says Liz Terry

The CEO of l’Orange Bleue talks to Frances Marcellin about its new-style gyms and preparing the company for European expansion

We hear from DLL’s Russell Barnes, Andrew Power from Swim England and GLL’s Gareth Kirk

Duncan Anderson, CEO at South Downs Leisure, is transforming his operational outcomes by engaging his team in radical change based on people, planet and profit

Martyn Allison reviews the recent Chiles Webster Batson Commission report which casts light on the economic challenges faced by young people when it comes to getting access to exercise

Fit+ is aiming to operate at least 1,000 clubs by 2027. The staffless gym franchise currently has 208 studios across 19 countries, but with master franchise licenses granted in Asia and the USA, is planning to roll out facilities in these territories, as well as others, over the next five years.

Members of Parliament in the UK and their teams are taking part in a physical activity challenge hosted by UK Active and Myzone between 2 and 30 November.

The internationally-recognised sporting goods exhibition Sports and Fitness Taiwan (TaiSPO) will return on 22-25 March 2023. The event will be held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2 (TaiNEX 2) and feature a full range of sporting goods, fitness equipment, sports technology, and workout services for all ages.

The World Health Organization has found the global inactivity crisis will have a $300bn financial impact, says Liz Terry

The co-founder of Reset in Cádiz, Spain, says the club has been designed as an escape, to enable members to follow a more balanced way of life

Driven by new tech and the lure of a zero salary bill, staffless gyms are on the rise. HCM looks at this game-changing trend

The sector is at a crossroads due to soaring energy prices. In this major case study, HCM looks at St Sidwell’s Point, Exeter – the first Passivhaus leisure centre – and talks to the team behind the project about achieving a transformational 70 per cent reduction in energy usage

The CEO of Body Action Gym in South Africa dabbled in the sector with a small corporate gym before getting the fitness bug and going large. Now he’s building a six-star health club chain and taking on some major competitors

The founder of The Shredquarters is growing a self-funded franchise business with the aim of making it affordable for franchisees

Europe Active is working to unite the sector across the continent. CEO Andreas Paulsen reflects on the opportunities, directions and challenges faced by operators and policymakers and outlines key policies

The CEO of the Body Fit Training franchise is pushing out globally – including a UK launch – following a major deal with Xponential Fitness

As more health clubs venture into wellness, operators are looking for space-efficient, cost-effective options that enable the delivery of useful health interventions. Frances Marcellin investigates the latest kit available for health clubs wanting to add contrast bathing to their offering

In a bid to better connect members to trainers and vice versa, Fitness First UK has integrated Fisikal’s world class personal training functionality into its digital ecosystem.

Myzone is exploring Web3 and metaverse possibilities through a partnership with digital fitness company OliveX.

Centred Wellness – a travel and lifestyle platform connecting members with health and wellness services and products – has acquired Bua Fit, a UK marketplace providing outdoor and online fitness classes. The companies claim that the combined entity is estimated to be worth around US$25m.

Korean scientists have developed a dynamic way of adjusting the difficulty of video games – by estimating the players' emotions based on in-game data.

Mobility app Pliability has integrated with digital health and fitness tracker Whoop to create a smart, personalised tool that helps users recover quicker and maintain optimal health based on their body data.