Sandwell Leisure Trust

What Sandwell Leisure Trust does

Sandwell Leisure Trust, operating commercially as Kore Sandwell, is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee (Charity Number 1102431) that manages five leisure facilities across the Sandwell borough in the West Midlands: Portway Lifestyle Centre, Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Tipton Leisure Centre, Tipton Sports Academy, and Wednesbury Leisure Centre. Founded in 2004–2005 under the Sandwell Leisure Trust name, the organisation rebranded to Kore in 2024 and serves individual consumers, families, children, corporate clients, and concessionary users with a broad portfolio spanning gym access, group fitness classes, swimming lessons, aquatic clubs, racquet sports (tennis, padel, badminton, squash, pickleball), children's programmes (KoreKids, including HAF holiday provision and Aqua Mayhem), and professional training courses (NPLQ lifeguard qualification, First Aid at Work).

The core technology layer consists of the PerfectGym Client Portal, which underpins online membership joining, activity booking, and timetable access across all five centres, supported by a multi-channel digital marketing presence (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, email, website SEO). The operating model is product-led for consumers (self-serve sign-up and class booking) with a sales-led overlay for corporate memberships and team-building events such as Padel Days.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid of recurring subscriptions (Kore+, Kore, Joint, Student, Corporate, Gym Only, Swim Only memberships), transaction-based fees (pay-per-use court bookings, swimming sessions, Aqua Mayhem, roller disco), one-off educational course fees (NPLQ, First Aid), and concessionary access passes (Portway Pass, Casual Concession Pass). The trust maintains a strategic relationship with Sandwell Council, evidenced by alignment to the council's Climate Change Strategy and operation of council-supported community programmes. The entity holds UK Active Award 2025 recognition alongside Quest, ROSPA, and UK Active Standard accreditations.

Name

Sandwell Leisure Trust

Legal name

Sandwell Leisure Trust

Website

https://slt-leisure.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sandwell Leisure Trust, operating as Kore Sandwell, is a UK-registered charity managing five leisure centres across the Sandwell borough, offering gym memberships, swimming lessons, racquet sports, children's programmes, and corporate team-building to local consumers, families, and businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community leisure and fitness services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Fitness, Personal Training & Wellness Coaching (EDALAIAE)

Keywords

• Leisure centre operations
• Fitness memberships
• Swimming lessons
• Community recreation
• Sports facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Tipton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fitness Memberships: Recurring monthly and annual subscriptions for gym access, group fitness classes, and multi-facility use. Includes Kore+, Kore, Joint, Student, Corporate, Gym Only, and Swim Only membership tiers.
2. Activity-Based Fees: Pay-per-use revenue from individual court bookings (tennis, padel, badminton, squash, pickleball), swimming sessions, and roller disco/Aqua Mayhem activities.
3. Educational Courses: Revenue from training courses including National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), First Aid at Work qualifications, and swimming lessons.
4. Concession Passes: Reduced-rate access passes for concessionary users including casual passes and the Portway Pass program.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sandwell Leisure Trust, operating as Kore Sandwell, manages five leisure centres across Sandwell in the West Midlands, UK. It sells gym and fitness memberships, swimming lessons, racquet sport court bookings (tennis, padel, badminton, squash, pickleball), children's activity programmes, and accredited training courses (lifeguard and first aid qualifications). The organization is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, focused on community health and wellbeing services.

Product overview

Sandwell Leisure Trust, operating as Kore Sandwell, offers a unified multi-facility leisure and wellness platform. The organization manages five leisure centers across Sandwell (Portway Lifestyle Centre, Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Tipton Leisure Centre, Tipton Sports Academy, and Wednesbury Leisure Centre). The product portfolio centers around branded sub-brands: KoreFit (fitness and gym), KoreAquatics (swimming and aquatic activities), KoreRacquets (tennis, padel, badminton, squash, pickleball), and KoreKids (children's activities). Membership offerings range from comprehensive Kore+ and Kore memberships to specialized options including Gym Only, Swim Only, Student, and Corporate memberships, plus flexible passes. Additional services include swimming lessons, professional training courses (NPLQ, First Aid), and corporate team-building packages. The 2024 rebrand from Sandwell Leisure Trust to Kore unified these offerings under a single wellness identity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KoreFit: Fitness and gym membership offerings including state-of-the-art facilities and classes.
• KoreAquatics
• KoreRacquets
• KoreKids

Products and services

• Fitness and Gym Memberships

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sandwell CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandwell Council appears to be the parent/local government partner. The organization references Sandwell Council's Climate Change Strategy and operates as a registered charity and company limited by guarantee under council oversight. The trust maintains a partnership working and wellbeing programs page indicating ongoing council collaboration.
• PerfectGymcoreTechnology or IntegrationPerfectGym provides the Client Portal software used for online membership management and activity booking. The portal handles Join Online, Book Activity, and Timetable functionality for all Kore Sandwell facilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fusion Lifestyle: Charity that operates public leisure and sports facilities under contract with UK local authorities — operates gyms, pools, and group fitness programming on a comparable council-affiliated, multi-site basis.
• Places Leisure: Charitable leisure trust operating leisure centres and sports facilities on behalf of partner councils across the UK — directly comparable model, customer base, and council-partnership structure.
• Active Nation: Charitable leisure operator running council-contracted leisure centres across the UK — highly comparable in size, governance, and community-leisure mission to Kore Sandwell.
• Everyone Active (Sports & Leisure Management): UK charitable leisure trust operator managing multi-facility leisure centres on behalf of local authorities under long-term contracts — same business model, customer segments, and operating geographies as Kore Sandwell.
• Better (Greenwich Leisure Limited / GLL): The UK's largest charitable leisure trust, operating hundreds of leisure centres, swimming pools, and gyms on behalf of local councils. Closest large-scale analogue to Kore's charitable/multi-site council-affiliated model.

Broad incumbents

• PureGym: UK's largest low-cost gym chain — competing for the same gym-membership customer segment in the West Midlands with transparent sub-£25/month pricing and aggressive site rollout.
• Nuffield Health: UK's largest healthcare charity, operating fitness clubs, hospitals, and physiotherapy services — broader wellness portfolio but overlapping gym/swim/PT offering and overlapping customer base of health-conscious UK consumers.
• The Gym Group: UK-listed low-cost gym operator with national coverage — competing head-to-head for value-oriented gym members in the Midlands and beyond with transparent digital pricing.
• David Lloyd Leisure: Premium UK health club and racquet-sports operator — competes for the same families and racquet-sports participants (especially padel and tennis) but at a higher price tier.

Regional players

• Better Health Ltd (Halo Leisure): Charitable leisure operator focused on the West Midlands / Welsh borders running council-partnered leisure centres — geographically adjacent to Kore Sandwell with comparable council-affiliated operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SLTGetActive
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@KoreSandwell
• Facebookfacebook.com/kore.sandwell
• Instagraminstagram.com/koresandwell
• TikToktiktok.com/@sandwellleisuretrust

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sandwell Leisure Trust