SPORTING equipment offered by Newcastle's F.I.T Club could soon be on offer in the boxing hotbed of Russia.

The High Bridge Street club was keen to boost its profile in foreign markets, and contacted international export match-maker LMC International to firm up some links in areas such as Moscow and Kiev.

Founder Clive Gibson has now been booked in for a visit to Russia late this year, where he will attend several meetings and negotiate with retailers and distributors. F.I.T Club holds boot-camp and one-to-one sessions to improve fitness among clients, and uses military and boxing techniques to get results.

It was founded in the early 1980s, and also sells its product, such as boxing gloves, online. It was interested in expanding the overseas market for these products.

Former Army Commando Gibson said: “I’m really pleased with what LMC International has achieved on our behalf. We wouldn’t have known where to start building links with Russian retailers, what with the language differences and our lack of knowledge of the country.

“Now I’m packing my bags and getting ready to go out there for a number of meetings with people I could never have hoped to speak to without LMC International’s help.”