BBC The Apprentice winner Rachel Woolford's gym business has 'never made a profit' since opening
After twelve gruelling weeks, Rachel Woolford walked out of The Apprentice final a winner - but could the profit she boasted while flaunting her business have been fabricated?
During her stint on the BBC One
But twenty-four hours following her victory against Bognor Regis pie maker Phil Turner, Rachel is the target of claims she could have provided false information about her own business. On Friday, April 19, a publication claimed to have hold of "figures filed this week with Companies House", which put R Nation Ltd, the firm behind her gyms, "£336,346 in the red" in 2023, an increase from the £288,409 she owed the previous year.
While many of the expenses could be justified by the purchase of gym equipment, R Nation Ltd has been valued at -£124,992 with assets. The Sun reports that Rachel's representative "said the gym has no third-party debt" and remains assured it will turn a profit by the end of the year. The Daily Mirror has reached out for comment.
The 27-year-old empowered young women with big dreams on Thursday when she was hired by Lord Sugar, a victory she deemed was "beyond (her) wildest dreams." Although she was only catapulted into the spotlight by the third episode of this year's series, Rachel stood out from her rivals with calm, cool-headed temperament and astounding negotiation skills.
"I went into The Apprentice promising I would just be myself, and not turn it on in any way in front of the cameras, throw anyone else under the bus or be b*****", she said, "I wanted to prove you don’t need to be the loudest voice and screaming at the others."
Throughout her journey to the top of the business pyramid, self-made Rachel defended her business, North Studio, a boutique fitness studio at the age of 23, with the name reflecting her pride in her Northern origins. As mentioned, Rachel counts two gyms under her belt, with her first establishment opening in Roundhay, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 - a move she recognised as her biggest success to date.
Just as she teased during her run for the cash, Rachel assured her gym, which comprises three fitness rooms, offered class-based workouts, from Box and Build to HIIT + Run, with prices ranging from £15 for a single class to £130 for a twenty-class membership. Other services at North Studio include holistic therapies and a ReFuel kitchen - the makings of a fortune. But could Rachel be forced to abandon ship hours after promising not to walk out on Lord Sugar?
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