Dean Kowarski, businessman and founder of The Real Foods Group, has been appointed group CEO of Virgin Active with immediate effect.
The move comes after Fitness chain Virgin Active has merged with Kauai’s parent company The Real Foods Group, by acquiring its nutrition assets, namely Kauai and Nu Health Food Café, for £28.6m (R581m).
Kowarski succeeds outgoing CEO Matthew Bucknall, who had previously announced his intention to retire 25 years after co-founding the business. Bucknall will remain as a special adviser to the board and as a non-executive director of Virgin Active Italy.
The veteran entrepreneur, Kowarski started the Real Foods Group in 2013 and acquired the Kauai business in 2015, and has subsequently grown the group from 100 stores to 204 stores.
Over the years, the multi-brand food group also listed Nü Health Food Café, Highveld Honey, Schoon, Free Bird and Brother Bee in its portfolio of brands, and today employs 2,500 people across six countries.
Kowarski has been active in the health and wellness space for many years and has had a close association with the Virgin Active business. Real Foods Group has been operating its store-within-a-store concept throughout Virgin Active’s sites in South Africa for 18 years, in addition to its standalone and franchised sites.
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