A British fitness equipment maker is taking another go at the U.S. market—this time from Irvine.
London-based Power Plate International Ltd. set up operations in Chicago two years ago in a move that proved disappointing for the maker of exercise gear based on vibration technology developed by the Soviets in the 1960s.
When Power Plate North America Inc. launched in the U.S., it went after a range of customers, including gyms, consumers, sports teams and even chiropractors and physical therapists.
“Their original approach was to try and tackle each business segment,” said Mark de Gorter, who joined as North American president in Irvine earlier this year. “As a result, they weren’t getting the results they expected.”
Now de Gorter, who got his start in advertising before moving to the fitness industry, said he’s focused on getting a foothold in Southern California, with its plentiful gyms and exercise culture.
“This market is certainly large enough to support the business in the initial phases,” de Gorter said. “Once we’re growing in Southern California, we’ll turn to other markets like New York, South Florida and Texas.”
Power Plate doesn’t disclose U.S. sales. De Gorter said the company has struggled in the recession.
“We’ve been down, but better than some in this downturn,” he said.
Power Plate has about a dozen workers in Irvine.
Its parent company in Britain has estimated yearly sales of about $70 million.
The company’s machines are made in China and India. They’re housed at warehouses in Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles.
The Irvine office oversees the sales, marketing and education about Power Plate’s products, which look sort of like a standing scale found in a doctor’s office.
The bottom generates vibrations that flow through the body to stimulate muscle contractions.
The machines can be used while doing a preprogrammed workout, calisthenics, yoga, weightlifting or other exercises.
The technology behind Power Plate’s machines was developed by Russian scientists for use by the Soviet cosmonauts and later by the country’s Olympic athletes during their 1970s and ’80s heyday.
Power Plate has some high-profile fans. The company’s Web page includes testimonials from tennis star Serena Williams, singers Madonna and Sting and actor Clint Eastwood.
The company’s challenge is winning over skeptics who could see the machines as a fad.
“We’re not talking about some magical diet or a new gadget that going to get people magically into shape,” de Gorter said. “This is something that has tremendous anecdotal and clinical studies with many athletes swearing by it.”
Power Plates recently commissioned two studies of its machines by the University of Southern California and Florida State University in Tallahassee.
“We have chosen to focus on commercial fitness with science to back up our claims,” de Gorter said.
The machines sell for $1,900 for a home model and $4,500 for gyms and other commercial settings.
Marketing Strategy
The company hopes to rely on celebrity and athlete testimonials to market the machines, which are tough to explain in conventional advertising, de Gorter said.
The testimonials from people who rely “on their fitness as part of their livelihood gives the consumer shorthand to introduce them to the product,” he said.
Power Plate has signed deals to have its machines used by all of Southern California’s sports teams except the Los An-geles Dodgers, which is in talks with the company.
“We signed the Los Angeles Kings last week and our machines are already being used by Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,” de Gorter said.
Several football teams also use Power Plate’s machines.
De Gorter said his goal is to get the machines into more gyms, which will serve as marketing for the product.
Power Plate has machines at several local gyms, including Equinox in Newport Beach.
The company set up a studio in Brentwood called the Power Plate Experience that offers group sessions and personal training and serves as a showroom for the machines.
De Gorter joined Power this June and also oversees marketing for Power Plate’s parent company. He has a long background in getting people to the gym.
Before Power Plate, he served as chief operating officer for Anaheim-based Velocity Sports Performance, a franchisor of youth sports training centers. De Gorter said he first encountered Power Plate at Velocity Sports.
Earlier, he managed advertising and marketing efforts for Chicago-based Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp. and was a marketing executive at Irvine’s Met-Rx USA Inc., now part of NBTY Inc. in New York.
De Gorter started his career at what’s now WPP Group PLC’s JWT advertising agency.
