The Hut Group, Europe’s fastest growing online Health and Beauty brand owner and retailer, has acquired Hale Country Club & Spa in Cheshire. Operating across 50,000 sq. ft., Hale Country Club provides its 5,000+ members with best-in-class fitness, leisure, spa and beauty facilities.

The acquisition of Hale Country Club is a continuation of The Hut Group’s commitment to substantial investment in infrastructure to support the growth and durability of its core online Health and Beauty businesses. Similar recent investments by the Group include: the £120 million design, build and acquisition of a one million sq. ft. distribution centre; and £10 million invested during 2015 into the Group’s sports nutrition and weight management production centre.

The Hut Group will continue to expand Hale Country Club’s industry-leading health and beauty facilities for the benefit of the membership and the Group’s key brands, Myprotein and Lookfantastic.

Myprotein is the world’s largest online sports nutrition brand and, in re-branding the gym facility to Myprotein, Hale Country Club will become the focal point for the brand’s 200+ ambassadors. With a social media following of over two million, Myprotein’s ambassadors are elite athletes drawn from over 30 different sports and 30 different countries. Recent members to join #TEAMMYP include:

Danny Willett, Masters Golf Champion 2016; Max Whitlock, the gymnastics World, European, Commonwealth and British champion and Olympic medallist; and Michael Bisping, the UFC Middleweight Champion of the World.

Retailing over 800 prestige brands, The Hut Group is the world’s second-largest online beauty retailer. Members of Hale Country Club will now have access to this broader prestige brand offering as more brands are retailed within its spa, wellness pool, thermal suite and treatment facilities. Hale Country Club will be a focal point for the 90+ Lookfantastic beauty ambassadors who, with a social media reach of 15 million, support The Hut Group’s commitment to prestige brands, product innovation and unrivalled infrastructure.

The Hut Group recently announced record results for 2015 with sales +35% to £334m (2014: £248m), EBITDA up +33% to £30m and £42.2m of cash generated from operating activities (2014: £38.2m). The Hut Group had a 2015 year-end cash position of £141.5m (2014: £54.6m), providing it with significant resources for further strategic initiatives.

Group Chief Executive Officer and founder, Matthew Moulding, commented: “As we continue to build enduring and scalable brands we are committed to investing in the infrastructure which supports our core online Health and Beauty businesses. This acquisition is a continuation of our investment strategy, with Hale Country Club & Spa’s unrivalled facilities providing a step-change in Myprotein and Lookfantastic.”