Gold’s Gym International, Inc., has selected a pair of companies to take its pro-shopping online. The company, based in Falls Church, Virginia, and Venice, California, has signed with the Fitness Venture Group (FVG), a major Web service provider, which, in turn, has a strategic alliance with Bob O’Leary Sports Science (BOSS), a distributor of vitamins, supplements, and training accessories. The alliance is designed to deliver a new, fully outsourced profit center in the form of virtual pro shops. Through its FitnessInsite service, FVG provides clubs with interactive, private-label Websites, which they can use, among other things, to manage online membership leads, communicate with trainers, offer interactive fitness and nutrition programs to members, and engage in e-commerce.

Among the other club companies utilizing FitnessInsite are FitWorks, Sport Excel, Body of Change,Lifestyle Family Fitness, and TheRush 24/7.

Peter F. Moore, the director of business development for FVG, notes that an estimated 85% of all health club members are regular users of the Internet, and observes that many already buy vitamins and supplements online. “Given that health club operators own these relationships with their members,” he says, “we firmly believe that clubs can benefit from e-commerce sales related to fitness and nutrition.” (For related information, see page 72.)