INTERNATIONAL in brief...
24 Hour Fitness up for sale New York-based private equity firm Forstmann Little & Company is putting US health club chain 24 Hour Fitness up for sale, and is reported to have hired Goldman Sachs to run the auction process. 24 Hour Fitness has also sold all
18 of its California Fitness-branded clubs in Asia to The Ansa Group. Financial terms of the sale have not been disclosed. See p32 for an interview with Carl Liebert, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness.
cityfitness expands in NZ cityfitness, the New Zealand-owned health and fitness group, has signed an agreement to operate out of the old Harbour Fitness in Wairau Park, Auckland. “We’re thrilled to bring this club into the cityfitness family and feel this was a natural fit,” says Dominic Rogerson, cityfitness MD. All existing Harbour Fitness
memberships will be honoured. In addition to having access to cityfitness gyms in Auckland, Harbour Fitness members will gain travel privileges to cityfitness’ 21 gyms across New Zealand. cityfitness began with one club
in Porirua in 2000 and has steadily grown to 21 clubs nationwide over the last 12 years, including 11 in the last three years. It has also invested heavily in innovations over recent years, adding elements such as Hot Yoga and pilates studios, TRX suspension training, CrossFit and Boxmaster sessions.
VAT paid by health club operators across Spain is to increase from the current rate of 8 per cent to 21 per cent later this year. There is concern among stakeholders
in the Spanish fitness industry that the VAT rate rise will hit the already under-
NEWS VAT increase on Spanish clubs
pressure membership numbers at health clubs. When neighbouring Portugal increased its VAT rate on health clubs in 2011 – from 5 per cent to 23 per cent – the Portuguese trade association AGAP said it had directly resulted in over 100,000 people cancelling their memberships. Nick Coutts, owner of Portuguese
premium low-cost chain Fitness Hut, says the effects of the rate hike in Portugal were immediate. “Spanish clubs are in for a really rough ride,” he says. “Since the increase in VAT, Portuguese clubs have suffered a 16 per cent decline in memberships, and national penetration has dropped to 4.6 per cent.” Catalan sports facilities have already
New ladies-only offering for Australia When Portugal increased VAT, clubs lost over
100,000 members through cancellations
EnVie, a new ladies-only gym franchise launched in Australia, has announced plans to open a number of clubs in the country’s main cities. Founded by entrepreneur Dave
Hundt, the company is currently in talks to secure its first site in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. Hundt is an industry veteran who
acquired the Australian rights to the Contours Express franchise in 2004 and describes the EnVie concept as having been “tailored to today’s woman”. “EnVie is an entirely new concept in
fitness, which brings together the very best elements from a range of fitness and franchise models to build a leading-edge, world-class franchise,” Hundt says on the company website.
Te EnVie brand is designed for today’s woman, says founder Dave Hundt
agreed to establish an association bringing together all stakeholders of the Catalan fitness sector to lobby against the VAT rise.
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