When Glasgow-based social enterprise Smart Gym opened opposite Silverburn, its mission was simple: make fitness affordable and accessible for parents by tackling two barriers – cost and childcare. Backed by Scottish EDGE, founder Dean Hardie launched a low-cost gym with an on-site crèche, building a loyal member base in Pollok.
Now, the business is moving into its next phase of growth with the launch of “Unit 2” at The Wedge – a multi-use sports and fitness hub developed in partnership with seven independent clubs and service providers. The expansion creates a one-stop commercial fitness centre where families can access gym facilities, play services, coffee, martial arts, gymnastics, sports clubs, performance coaching and on-site physiotherapy in a single location.
Dean Hardie, Founder of Smart Gym, explained the vision: “We built Smart Gym as an affordable, family-friendly gym with a crèche to tackle the main fitness barriers for parents: cost and childcare. Now, with three older kids, the biggest challenge for my wife and I is juggling their clubs and finding time for ourselves. We know we aren’t alone in this. The only way to solve it is to partner with well-established, highly respected clubs. By bringing their specialised training under one roof, the kids get high-level coaching and caregivers get their time back. Instead of dashing around or sitting in the car waiting, parents can grab a workout or coffee in the gym next door.”
The new hub, created in an adjacent vacant unit at The Wedge, gives Smart Gym a platform to increase capacity, add new revenue streams and deepen its relationship with local families. Confirmed partners include Tulach Ard Muay Thai, Praxis Performance, Sapphire Gymnastics Club, Pro Judo, Soccer Stars, Quinn Physiotherapy, and Les Mills Born to Move.
For the independent clubs, the move delivers a permanent, professional-grade base with access to an established member community. For Smart Gym, the model creates a pipeline of footfall and repeat visits that can support further expansion.
Jim Garrity, Operations Director at Greater Pollok Enterprise Trust (GPET), which operates The Wedge, said: “It is no surprise to us that SmartGym is now expanding into bigger and better things. At our premises at The Wedge, we’ve watched as families have found a place that works for them. We welcome this expansion as it will only strengthen our ties to the local community and we’re proud to have SmartGym at the heart of our home here at The Wedge.”
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With renovations underway and Unit 2 expected to be fully operational as early as next month, Smart Gym is already looking ahead to how the model could scale beyond Pollok. The combination of a low-cost gym, childcare, and curated partner clubs provides a repeatable template that could be replicated in other communities facing similar barriers to fitness and family activity.
Smart Gym has confirmed that its core gym and crèche memberships will continue to operate exactly as normal, with access to partner clubs offered via optional pricing plans or directly through the independent providers. If successful, the Unit 2 partnership model could become a blueprint for social enterprises seeking to combine commercial growth with measurable community impact.
