Major expansion plans for Preston-founded gym chain targeting over 35's
A Preston-founded gym franchise has announced huge expansion plans for 2026.
Transform Hub, which was founded by Penwortham personal trainer James Calderbank, and is the fastest-growing gym franchise of its kind, designed for busy adults aged 35 plus.
It currently has 27 gyms across the country and now intends to open in 11 new locations: Worcester, Cheltenham, Southampton, Altrincham, Hull, Cambridge, Northampton, Nottingham South, Winchester, Gosforth and Pontefract in the coming months.
Transform Hub, which is now headquarted in Knutsford, offers coaching-led personal training within high-energy group sessions designed to help people over 30 lose weight and build strength. Members also receive individual coaching on nutrition, accountability, and lifestyle habits. Within Transform Hub’s initial 6-Week Challenge, members typically report losing a stone.
Transform Hub is aiming to reach 100 UK gym sites by 2028. The franchise has also recently secured IP trademarks in both the US and Europe as it plans for gradual expansion overseas.
James Calderbank said: “When I first created Transform Hub, I saw a huge gap in the market for people to access personal training in a different way. Online coaching delivers incredible accountability and lifestyle change, while in-person training creates energy, community, and real momentum. But most people were forced to choose one or the other. Transform Hub connects the two.
“Our members receive expert coaching around nutrition, habits, and lifestyle, while also training together in high-energy group sessions that build strength, confidence, and community. That combination is why we see such powerful transformations — and why our members stay with us for the long term.
“What’s also exciting is the opportunity this creates for franchise partners: people looking to open gyms under the Transform Hub name. Our franchisees aren’t starting from scratch. They plug into a proven system with established programming, marketing, technology, and operational support that allows them to launch quickly and build profitable fitness businesses that genuinely change lives.”
Revenue
In 2025, Transform Hub saw its total revenue rise by 61 per cent to £1.7 million (up until December 31).Transform Hub’s gym memberships grew by 28.4 per cent over the course of the last year, increasing from 2,878 to 3,695 active members. Calderbank says that there has been over 1,000,000 total member workouts delivered to date across Transform Hub gyms.
Around 80 per cent of members are aged 30-60. Transform Hub received a £1 million investment from investors Andy Bell and Fergus Lyon in 2023 to help aid the franchise’s growth.
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