In the latest move for fast-growing operator énergie Fitness, the company has opened new headquarters that puts employee wellness, productivity and the needs of franchisees centre-stage
énergie's office space and on-site gym are closely integrated
To get to their desks, employees at énergie Fitness have access to a running track. And while they might not jog every day, that entrance says something about what énergie CEO, Jan Spaticchia, wants to achieve at his new, state-of-the-art HQ in Milton Keynes, dubbed ‘énergie Central’.
The vibrant design and free-flowing workspace of the 15,000sq ft facility is Spaticchia’s vision; he’s dug into the budget to kit out the space, taking inspiration from tech giants like Google and keeping his employees’ productivity and franchisees’ needs in mind.
Énergie Central feels alive, humming, and, well – full of energy. A vibrant palette of lime green and bright pink accents, in line with the company’s new branding, keeps things fresh, and the open-plan office has been designed to encourage collaboration – a key aim when it comes to how Spaticchia wants his team to work.
Agile working The workspace at the new énergie Central is anything but traditional. From high-standing communal workspaces, to “hot box” desks and quiet pods for concentration, Spaticchia has ensured there’s a space for everyone’s style, mood and needs.
“I’ve been a great admirer of the tech companies coming out of Silicon Valley who have broken the rules,” Spaticchia explains. “They call it Agile working. The whole idea in any Agile work environment is that you don’t have to sit at a desk. It’s a simple concept, but something about that frees the mind, and we believe we get more done that way.”
On any given day, four to five people might be working together on the high bench tables, putting ideas on a large-screen monitor and brainstorming together, while another group might be gathering in a Pow Wow room – a glass-walled meeting space with comfortable chairs where people can discuss a challenge or have a more intimate conversation. For staff who are more comfortable working in a traditional setting, there are options for that as well.
Because many employees are often on the road, Spaticchia has designed “hot box” desks where they can drop in and set up easily, with lockers nearby containing laptops and other office supplies.
But it’s not just the open-plan work environment that gives énergie Central such a spacious feel; the office area faces onto wooded green space, with floor-to-ceiling windows ensuring natural light. Spaticchia says he looked for a space that had a good outdoor facility and room for employees to step outside for fresh air.
“Just being outdoors makes you feel better,” he explains. “We wanted to make sure the views weren’t locked away and people could get out to stretch their legs.”
But Spaticchia took it a step further; in the design of énergie Central, he chose to bring elements of the outdoors inside. This includes a leafy photographic wall in the café area, known as the Woodlands, where employees perch on bleachers each Monday for informal catch-up meetings, as well as a rock-climbing theme in the ‘Never Bored Room’ that includes a view out over a mountain lake and multidimensional boulders.
The power of shutting off énergie Central also has its own VR area for franchisees – the company creates virtual clubs for locations that are under construction, helping drive membership sales before the club physically exists. Clubs are also designed in VR, to get a feel for how members move around the space.
Employees are encouraged to take breaks and play VR golf or tennis to encourage creative thinking.
For some serious brain resetting, énergie Central even has its own napping room. ‘Napland’ is cocooned away in a soundproof corner and cloaked in black, complete with a high-tech napping pod – the same as the one used at Google, says Spaticchia. He’s researched the effects of napping on productivity, and was impressed with the science behind the restorative power of a 20-minute nap.
The napping pod is an enclosed dome that plays nature sounds, along with specially designed lighting, and at the end of 20 minutes, is designed to wake employees up in a similar way to a sunrise alarm. The snooze pod is a statement to employees that it's OK to take time out to recharge batteries through rest. They're also encouraged to do three workouts a week. “We get paid back significantly in productivity and energy levels,” explains Spaticchia.
On-site franchise Workouts are easy for employees to fit in – there’s a 5,000sq ft on-site franchise at énergie Central, a key component of the space. This is not only to benefit employees, who receive a free membership, but also for prospective franchisees.
énergie Central has a large training room for franchisees and the added benefit of the on-site gym. “In terms of the training, having the franchise on-site is essential,” says Spaticchia.
Several times a year, énergie holds “Discovery Days”, where those interested in buying a franchise can learn about the gym model. With the on-site franchise, they can now get to see a working gym while they’re there and see how staff and members interact.
“It’s immediate – you can go and touch and feel and go into a working énergie facility,” says Spaticchia.
And that’s a win-win: employees have easy access to workouts, while franchisees can use the facility for training, and executives have a daily reminder of the end-product – and the real people who use it.
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...]
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...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
PSLT Ltd
PSLT Fitness Solutions manufacture, remanufacture and buy back commercial gym equipment. [more...]
Everyone Active
Everyone Active operates leisure centres in partnership with local councils across the UK. Today, Ev [more...]
In the latest move for fast-growing operator énergie Fitness, the company has opened new headquarters that puts employee wellness, productivity and the needs of franchisees centre-stage
énergie's office space and on-site gym are closely integrated
To get to their desks, employees at énergie Fitness have access to a running track. And while they might not jog every day, that entrance says something about what énergie CEO, Jan Spaticchia, wants to achieve at his new, state-of-the-art HQ in Milton Keynes, dubbed ‘énergie Central’.
The vibrant design and free-flowing workspace of the 15,000sq ft facility is Spaticchia’s vision; he’s dug into the budget to kit out the space, taking inspiration from tech giants like Google and keeping his employees’ productivity and franchisees’ needs in mind.
Énergie Central feels alive, humming, and, well – full of energy. A vibrant palette of lime green and bright pink accents, in line with the company’s new branding, keeps things fresh, and the open-plan office has been designed to encourage collaboration – a key aim when it comes to how Spaticchia wants his team to work.
Agile working The workspace at the new énergie Central is anything but traditional. From high-standing communal workspaces, to “hot box” desks and quiet pods for concentration, Spaticchia has ensured there’s a space for everyone’s style, mood and needs.
“I’ve been a great admirer of the tech companies coming out of Silicon Valley who have broken the rules,” Spaticchia explains. “They call it Agile working. The whole idea in any Agile work environment is that you don’t have to sit at a desk. It’s a simple concept, but something about that frees the mind, and we believe we get more done that way.”
On any given day, four to five people might be working together on the high bench tables, putting ideas on a large-screen monitor and brainstorming together, while another group might be gathering in a Pow Wow room – a glass-walled meeting space with comfortable chairs where people can discuss a challenge or have a more intimate conversation. For staff who are more comfortable working in a traditional setting, there are options for that as well.
Because many employees are often on the road, Spaticchia has designed “hot box” desks where they can drop in and set up easily, with lockers nearby containing laptops and other office supplies.
But it’s not just the open-plan work environment that gives énergie Central such a spacious feel; the office area faces onto wooded green space, with floor-to-ceiling windows ensuring natural light. Spaticchia says he looked for a space that had a good outdoor facility and room for employees to step outside for fresh air.
“Just being outdoors makes you feel better,” he explains. “We wanted to make sure the views weren’t locked away and people could get out to stretch their legs.”
But Spaticchia took it a step further; in the design of énergie Central, he chose to bring elements of the outdoors inside. This includes a leafy photographic wall in the café area, known as the Woodlands, where employees perch on bleachers each Monday for informal catch-up meetings, as well as a rock-climbing theme in the ‘Never Bored Room’ that includes a view out over a mountain lake and multidimensional boulders.
The power of shutting off énergie Central also has its own VR area for franchisees – the company creates virtual clubs for locations that are under construction, helping drive membership sales before the club physically exists. Clubs are also designed in VR, to get a feel for how members move around the space.
Employees are encouraged to take breaks and play VR golf or tennis to encourage creative thinking.
For some serious brain resetting, énergie Central even has its own napping room. ‘Napland’ is cocooned away in a soundproof corner and cloaked in black, complete with a high-tech napping pod – the same as the one used at Google, says Spaticchia. He’s researched the effects of napping on productivity, and was impressed with the science behind the restorative power of a 20-minute nap.
The napping pod is an enclosed dome that plays nature sounds, along with specially designed lighting, and at the end of 20 minutes, is designed to wake employees up in a similar way to a sunrise alarm. The snooze pod is a statement to employees that it's OK to take time out to recharge batteries through rest. They're also encouraged to do three workouts a week. “We get paid back significantly in productivity and energy levels,” explains Spaticchia.
On-site franchise Workouts are easy for employees to fit in – there’s a 5,000sq ft on-site franchise at énergie Central, a key component of the space. This is not only to benefit employees, who receive a free membership, but also for prospective franchisees.
énergie Central has a large training room for franchisees and the added benefit of the on-site gym. “In terms of the training, having the franchise on-site is essential,” says Spaticchia.
Several times a year, énergie holds “Discovery Days”, where those interested in buying a franchise can learn about the gym model. With the on-site franchise, they can now get to see a working gym while they’re there and see how staff and members interact.
“It’s immediate – you can go and touch and feel and go into a working énergie facility,” says Spaticchia.
And that’s a win-win: employees have easy access to workouts, while franchisees can use the facility for training, and executives have a daily reminder of the end-product – and the real people who use it.
According to research which tracked more than 147,000 people for 30 years, 90-120 minutes
of strength training a week may deliver some of the biggest long-term health rewards.
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.
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...]
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...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
PSLT Ltd PSLT Fitness Solutions manufacture, remanufacture and buy back commercial gym equipment. [more...]
