Case Study: Fitness First Group achieves faster hiring and 100% applicant responses with PeopleFluent RMS

Fitness First Strengthens Recruiting with PeopleFluent RMS

Fitness First, the world’s largest gym group with more than 540 clubs and a 20,000‑strong workforce, faced an inefficient manual recruiting process across its 160 UK clubs. General Managers handled high volumes of applications—about 45,000 for 1,500 annual hires—creating heavy administrative burdens, slow time‑to‑hire and a poor candidate experience (65–70% of applicants previously received no response), all of which threatened staff retention and member satisfaction.

Fitness First implemented PeopleFluent RMS, a branded web‑based recruitment portal and centralized talent team that screens applicants, manages communications and provides real‑time reporting. The phased three‑month rollout enabled personalized follow‑ups to 100% of applicants, automated candidate re‑engagement, and reporting that halved time‑to‑hire to an average of 15 days (sometimes 12), improved hire quality and retention, and supports the company’s goal to save £10m.

Fitness First Group

Neil Tune

Human Resources Director