Manchester-based FORM grows its fitness family at Bruntwood’s Riverside campus

Award-winning Manchester fitness brand, FORM, borne out of a desire to make fitness more personal and accessible to busy professionals, is taking the next step at Bruntwood’s Riverside campus – evolving its offering and increasing capacity to accommodate a larger community of members. 

Founded by Libby Smith and Ben Wood in 2017, the business is adding an additional c.3,600 sq ft above its current home at Riverside, bringing its total footprint to c.5,800 sq ft. The move follows eight years of people-led growth and reflects the evolution of FORM at Riverside. 

Bruntwood’s Riverside campus sits on the banks of the River Irwell, offering city-centre proximity and good transport links alongside a more relaxed riverfront ambience. With flexible office space of up to 9,800 sq ft and a landscaped one and a half acres of public space including a private courtyard, water features and timber decking, it reflects the business’ ambitions to bring places to life with people at the heart. 

FORM’s story is deeply connected to Riverside, a campus designed to bring work, wellbeing and community together. The courtyard, coworking spaces and year-round customer events and wellbeing programme have helped foster an environment where businesses and people thrive side by side. As well as FORM’s gym studio, customers can benefit from a cycle hub with repair point, showers and changing facilities, communal lounge and kitchen and access to a broader business community network via Bruntwood’s events and neighbouring buildings. 

The expansion of FORM marks a milestone in the business’ journey from a 1-to-1 personal training studio into a thriving community. Its founders were driven by a mission to deliver life-long, sustainable results that complement their clients’ lifestyles - offering proper coaching, community and results that last.

After the industry faced wider challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, the co-founders rebuilt a stronger, refreshed brand and launched FORM’s sister branch RESET. RESET is located at Bloc, a multi-purpose working environment also in Manchester city centre, and West Village in Leeds city centre. Both locations are a Bruntwood SciTech - a joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G and Greater Manchester Pension Fund - development, and include a yoga, pilates and barre studio. 

Over the past eight years, FORM’s focus on delivering fitness programmes for people who want to work out properly with structure, community and expert support, has transformed how people across Manchester train and belong.

The new upper-floor suite will introduce a large open gym with membership access and a separate area for small group personal training sessions. The existing space will be reimagined as a Reformer Pilates studio, with new changing rooms and a member lounge and ground-floor entrance providing access to both levels. This approach will allow the business to grow its membership base to around 400 people, without losing the intimate, sustainable experience that has defined it since day one.

The open gym membership and Reformer Pilates studio brings together strength and movement under one roof and, coupled with the wider Riverside campus, reinforces Bruntwood’s long-term commitment to creating places that support enterprise and everyday life.

Andrew Butterworth, Chief Commercial Officer at Bruntwood, said: “FORM has become an integral part of the Riverside community and it's great to be able to support their next chapter. Libby and Ben have built something genuinely special and their commitment to personal, sustainable fitness mirrors our belief that workplaces should enhance everyday life, not sit apart from it. 

“Riverside was designed to blend a productive workspace environment with meaningful wellbeing and social experiences. At Bruntwood, we’re committed to building places that contribute to the long-term vibrancy of our cities, and FORM’s expansion is an excellent demonstration of how the right space can unlock potential and create lasting value for the people who use it.”

Libby Smith, Co-Founder of FORM, said: “FORM has existed long before it had a name, when Ben and I met as personal trainers at David Lloyd in Cheadle back in 2008. We aspired to own a training space that was built around quality coaching, real results and a strong community, and it was Bruntwood’s Riverside space that allowed us to achieve this. Our goal was always to be in the city centre and after facing several setbacks early on, we found Bruntwood, whose ethos of creating spaces that bring together work, leisure and community, aligned with our own desire to build a community-driven fitness offering for busy professionals.

“This expansion is about giving more people access to what makes FORM special and being able to do this while remaining in the space where our journey began is a real testament to our partnership with Bruntwood. There’s plenty more on the horizon for FORM but our goal remains the same today as it did at the business’ conception: help people train properly, feel better and be a part of something that lasts.”

For Riverside’s customers, the new space will mean greater access to on-site training and wellbeing opportunities, with preferential access and discounts continuing for existing members.

FORM’s presence is a key part of how Riverside continues to evolve, shaping a place built for people, where wellbeing sits at the heart of everyday working life.