The Royal Mint made its last circular coin in January. The impact on the leisure industry will be wide ranging, especially in locker management. Current £1 coin return locks will in the main NOT work with the new coin, which is a slightly different size and shape.
Bev Sharpe from Ojmar’s UK agency Simple Locking Solutions Ltd answers questions from various sport and leisure operators on how the change from the old to new coin could be an opportunity for change in their clubs.
What can I do now? Ojmar locks for 2016 have been modified to work with both coins, with a new distinctive decal and a new shape lock body to avoid confusion.
Do I have to change all my locks? No, Ojmar locks have removable cylinders which can be used in a new style lock body.
Will I definitely need to change? Can’t my locks be adjusted? Many Ojmar locks sold over the past 10 years were supplied with adjustable coin slots and these will be able to be adjusted with a tool template, new coin slots and decals so there’s no need to replace locks or lock bodies. Contact us for details on how to identify an adjustable lock.
Would this be a good time to change away from coin locks? There has never been a wider range of Ojmar locks as an alternative to the more traditional coin locks.
We are on a really tight budget – what other products would you recommend? Our Hasp lock is a simple but attractive robust alternative to the coin lock which can very easily be retrofitted to the coin lock footprint.
What if I wanted to increase revenue in my club? Our range of card/coin or coin retain locks are the simplest options.
The card/coin lock gives you the opportunity to allow members free locker access but to charge a small fee to non-members (therefore increasing the benefits of membership) and helping to pay for locker room maintenance.
What about your RFID locks with wristbands? Ojmar’s market-leading OTS RFID lock is a quick easy retrofit to the coin lock.
You can utilise the strap return unit to take a small deposit on the bands and vend back a £1 coin. This can encourage secondary spend and allows you to change the cost of the locker for different groups of users fairly. Bands can also be returned in place of F&B, increasing footfall in the café.
Is there anything else that could work with the RFID lock? Yes, you could use existing Precor bands, Gladstone access / membership bands, Technogym wellness keys and many other membership access or student cards.
I’m fed up with dealing with keys and locker reservations. Is there any other alternative? What about our OCS digital lock? No keys, great for wet and humid environments, changeable master codes and a simple user defined code which resets every time. You can set the locks to Auto Open at night or after a few hours to maximise locker space.
When should I switch? It may seem like we have all the time in the world, but this will affect most clubs in the UK in some way, so the sooner you take action the better. Even if that is by staging the replacement coin lock bodies over the next 10 months, it will avoid being in a panic in the weeks before the changeover.
How can I find out more? Why not start with a conversation to see if you can improve the running of your facility? Talk to us at Ojmar or to your locker manufacturer or maintenance provider. Or visit Ojmar at FIBO to find out why less is more, or at Elevate London to discuss your options with our team.
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
The Royal Mint made its last circular coin in January. The impact on the leisure industry will be wide ranging, especially in locker management. Current £1 coin return locks will in the main NOT work with the new coin, which is a slightly different size and shape.
Bev Sharpe from Ojmar’s UK agency Simple Locking Solutions Ltd answers questions from various sport and leisure operators on how the change from the old to new coin could be an opportunity for change in their clubs.
What can I do now? Ojmar locks for 2016 have been modified to work with both coins, with a new distinctive decal and a new shape lock body to avoid confusion.
Do I have to change all my locks? No, Ojmar locks have removable cylinders which can be used in a new style lock body.
Will I definitely need to change? Can’t my locks be adjusted? Many Ojmar locks sold over the past 10 years were supplied with adjustable coin slots and these will be able to be adjusted with a tool template, new coin slots and decals so there’s no need to replace locks or lock bodies. Contact us for details on how to identify an adjustable lock.
Would this be a good time to change away from coin locks? There has never been a wider range of Ojmar locks as an alternative to the more traditional coin locks.
We are on a really tight budget – what other products would you recommend? Our Hasp lock is a simple but attractive robust alternative to the coin lock which can very easily be retrofitted to the coin lock footprint.
What if I wanted to increase revenue in my club? Our range of card/coin or coin retain locks are the simplest options.
The card/coin lock gives you the opportunity to allow members free locker access but to charge a small fee to non-members (therefore increasing the benefits of membership) and helping to pay for locker room maintenance.
What about your RFID locks with wristbands? Ojmar’s market-leading OTS RFID lock is a quick easy retrofit to the coin lock.
You can utilise the strap return unit to take a small deposit on the bands and vend back a £1 coin. This can encourage secondary spend and allows you to change the cost of the locker for different groups of users fairly. Bands can also be returned in place of F&B, increasing footfall in the café.
Is there anything else that could work with the RFID lock? Yes, you could use existing Precor bands, Gladstone access / membership bands, Technogym wellness keys and many other membership access or student cards.
I’m fed up with dealing with keys and locker reservations. Is there any other alternative? What about our OCS digital lock? No keys, great for wet and humid environments, changeable master codes and a simple user defined code which resets every time. You can set the locks to Auto Open at night or after a few hours to maximise locker space.
When should I switch? It may seem like we have all the time in the world, but this will affect most clubs in the UK in some way, so the sooner you take action the better. Even if that is by staging the replacement coin lock bodies over the next 10 months, it will avoid being in a panic in the weeks before the changeover.
How can I find out more? Why not start with a conversation to see if you can improve the running of your facility? Talk to us at Ojmar or to your locker manufacturer or maintenance provider. Or visit Ojmar at FIBO to find out why less is more, or at Elevate London to discuss your options with our team.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate
of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK,
creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following
a £17m transformation designed to secure the long-term future of the public leisure asset and
reposition it as a community wellbeing hub.
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued
through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.
Luxury boutique Pilates and wellness studio, X-Club, officially launches a
4,000sq ft flagship at
Marylebone on 16 July Built around X-Club’s four pillars of wellness – mind,
movement,
nutrition and therapy – the facility features two group exercise studi
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
