Stärka has been appointed by swim!, the nationwide learn-to-swim provider, to help with its expansion across the UK as the company aims to grow to 24 sites by 2028. Stärka will provide strategic consultancy on the roll-out strategy, as well as securing specific locations.
Swim! was founded by four-time Olympic medallist, Rebecca Adlington OBE, and fellow Olympic medallist, Steve Parry MBE in 2017, and currently operates 12 sites around the UK.
The state-of-the-art facilities devised by Adlington and Parry provide vital swimming lessons for children aged 0 to 11 years. They provide small class sizes, teachers in the water with beginners and weekly themed lessons. Each venue has an air-conditioned viewing lounge, child-led facilities and ample parking.
As the brand rolls out, Stärka is focusing on 5,000sq ft to 10,000sq ft units in highly visible and easily accessible locations serving a catchment population of at least 100,000 people within a 15-minute drive. With strong financial backing, swim! typically invests over £12m in each new facility, creating best-in-class child-led swimming experiences.
Rebecca Adlington, co-founder of swim!, commented: “Swim! was created to fill a gap in the market, providing child-led swimming courses in exceptional facilities with a consistency that is new to the sector. Having established the business in a number of leading locations, we are ready to expand and Stärka is the perfect partner. They have the reach, the resources and the reputation to help take swim! to the next level.”
David Bell, co-founder of Stärka, added: “The swim! concept has received strong backing and is already working with a number of leading landlords, including M&G, Legal and General, and Schroders. We are excited to be working with Rebecca and Steve to build new relationships and secure further high profile sites across the UK.”
Launched in 2022, Stärka is an innovative leisure real estate advisory business co-founded by Sammy Jones and David Bell, acting on significant transactions and re-gears totalling over 800,000sq ft for clients such as Gravity Active Entertainment, Blacklock, Côte, Bundobust, Oxygen FreeJumping and Bean Coffee.
