With a background in construction, Mr Abbey had been heavily involved in building all the gyms in his portfolio alongside his business partners, including his Go Gym chain with locations in Limerick, Meath and Dublin.
But the Energise Fitness gym in Greystones, Co Wicklow, was his own personal project and is one of the cheapest in the greater Dublin area. It has been open since 2021 with annual membership costing €300 a year. An Irish Independent gym membership price analysis surveyed 177 gyms across the country, with annual membership ranging from €195 to €749.
“I built 90pc of the gym myself,” said Mr Abbey. “What might be €10,000 in construction costs for someone else, I can halve. In this way I have used my skill set to offset costs for our members.
“I built Energise Fitness during Covid. My other gyms were closed and it began as a passion project and grew over time. There was no deadline, which meant I could take my time.
“I contacted a friend who is an electrician to help and a plumber for the fittings I couldn’t do myself.”
The businessman, with a background in shop fittings, said the gym was targeted at a specific market.
“We recognised there was a market for a less intimidating, more inviting gym for the so-called average gym-goer.
“Cost is a part of this, along with the feel of the environment itself.
“We are in the era of ‘fitness gurus’ and influencers. It can be off-putting for certain members to watch others exercise at a much higher level than themselves or set up tripods to capture social media content. Of course you can’t police this but you can make the space more inviting.”
People make an effort to know each others’ first name here
Weights in Energise Fitness are limited in range to focus on the average user and the music played in the space is curated with a welcoming atmosphere in mind.
Mr Abbey said his customers felt more comfortable because of the more compact nature of his gyms.
“People make an effort to know each others’ first name here. We have a number of mothers who come to the gym after the school run and have built friendships with other mothers here. They go on hikes and meet up outside of the gym. It’s nice to see.”
While sheltered from certain costs due to his construction background, Mr Abbey recognises the cost of business is still challenging.
“It is almost impossible to run a low-cost gym any more. Heating, electricity, prices, wages and gym equipment have all gone up. A treadmill can be anything from €5,000 to €10,000. A full set of weights can be upwards of €500,” he said.
However, the gym owner said members were understanding of recent fee increases as they could also see the inflation in their own bills.
Mr Abbey remains intent on keeping the space as “homely as possible”.
“It’s an exciting time for the health and fitness industry. There’s been an influx of members in the last four years. For young people the gym is a cool space to be. Ireland has not had that until now.”