INTERNATIONAL IN BRIEF...
UFC GYM heads east UFC GYM has announced plans to open its fi rst facility on the east coast of the US, on Long Island, NY. T e 24-hour, full-service facility
is set to open for workouts in spring 2013 and will off er an array of programming for the entire family and every fi tness level. UFC GYM Long Island will
feature a wide array of amenities that fuse martial arts and mainstream fi tness, including a 32ſt Octagon, BJJ Studio, Bag Room, strength training and cardio machines, battling ropes, agility ladders and other functional training equipment for explosive workouts. T ere will also be a 230sq m
group fi tness studio off ering a range of signature classes including Hot Hula, Women’s Self Defence, Performance Cycling, and more.
Vivafit’s Indian expansion Vivafi t has signed a master franchise agreement for North East India and West Bengal, the operator’s third master franchise deal in India. T e fi rst gym is scheduled
to open next month in the city of Guwahati, with the contract allowing for the opening of 25 franchised centres in the region. Vivafi t also has its sights set on
additional international markets, including Venezuela, South Africa, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
Portuguese market snapshot Portuguese trade association AGAP has published the second edition of its AGAP Barometer report, monitoring the performance of the local health and fi tness market in the fi rst nine months of 2012. Topline fi ndings include: 85 per
cent of clubs surveyed said revenues were down year-on-year, by an average of 19 per cent; 11 per cent had seen an increase, and 4 per cent had remained stable. Meanwhile, 81 per cent of clubs had seen a decrease in membership numbers over the same period, down an average of 17 per cent; 11 per cent saw an increase.
Portugal’s premium low-cost operator Fitness Hut opened its fourth site in October, in central/downtown Lisbon. The 1,800sq m club offers a 650sq m
gym equipped by Star Trac, Concept2, TRX, Rogue, York and Jacobs Ladder.
NEWS
Fitness Hut continues expansion It also has three group exercise studios,
with one – measuring 120sq m – designed in an ‘open studio’ format, whereby the area acts as additional gym space when not being used as a studio for group classes. “All future sites will be designed in this way,” confirms founder and CEO Nick Coutts. With its focus on functional and
CrossFit-style training, the ‘open studio’ also offers six additional full Olympic lifting sets, including barbells, bumper plates, Rogue plyo boxes, pull-up stations and kettlebell sets. Membership costs €4.40–6.60 a week.
Dansk Fitness opens 14th location T e new club has a fl exible studio space that
can convert to gym space when needed
Dansk Fitness, one of the major chains in Denmark, has opened its 14th club in the country, in the city of Aarhus. The 500sq m facility offers a gym floor
equipped by Star Trac, with S series CV kit – treadmills, upright and recumbent bikes, and cross-trainers – and strength equipment from the Inspiration range plus a Max Rack. TRX and kettlebells are also available. There’s also an aerobics studio and a dedicated Spinning studio. The operator aims to create affordable
memberships, but at the same time offer high quality facilities. Bronze, silver and gold membership packages are available, ranging from 249–349 Danish Krone (£27–£37) a month.
T e Dansk Fitness clubs off er bronze, silver and gold level membership packages
Anytime makes non-fi tness acquisition
Health and fitness franchise operator Anytime Fitness has acquired Waxing the City, a US salon chain that specialises in waxing and hair removal services. Waxing the City had five sites at the
end of 2012, and Anytime has significant growth plans for the chain, beginning with “rapid expansion into franchise sales by April 2013”. Projections are for 249 salons to be operating by the 2016 fiscal year. The acquisition is Anytime’s first
outside of the fitness industry. However, the company now plans to look for more non-fitness businesses, within the
20 Take part in the Health Club Management reader survey:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/NQDN2R6
health and wellness sector, to acquire and expand through a franchising model. John Kersh, VP of international
development for Anytime Fitness, says: “I think it’s a natural extension of our corporate mission, and it’s a relevant new concept within the personal care/lifestyle industry, into which health clubs also fall. “Fundamentally we’re a franchise
company, with the experience and resources to develop new business concepts through franchising. It’s not a stretch to fold in new concepts using our skill set, although there will be new staffing requirements.”
January 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
The operator’s fifth and sixth sites will open in February: one in the city of Braga, in the north of Portugal, and another in the district of Odivelas, Greater Lisbon. These will be the first two of an expected 10 sites to open in 2013.
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