Gym chain to expand to the Caribbean
Published:Sunday | December 1, 2013 | 12:00 AM
Tameka Gordon, Business Reporter
Express Fitness Club, which opened its newest gym last month in Portmore Pines, now says it will enter two Caribbean markets by mid-2014 while it continues its local build-out. The two-year-old fitness company opened four gyms locally this year, doubling the chain to eight.
Another two fitness centres, one in Liguanea and another in Ocho Rios, are due to open by mid-2014, according to group operations manager, Kara-Sue Sweeney, who says the chain is expanding according to "demand for the service".
"For our timeline we would like to have a regional presence by 2014 with at least two clubs in other Caribbean islands by at least the middle of the year, and we are actively in pursuit of spaces for the Liguanea and Ocho Rios areas," Sweeney said.
The company has assessed investment opportunities in The Bahamas, but says "nothing has been finalised as yet".
"I'm not saying Bahamas will be first stop, I'm just saying negotiations have begun," Sweeney said.
She declined to name the other country.
Express Fitness was founded in 2011. Initial capital outlay came "from the pockets" of the directors Ansel and Jacqueline Clarke, who have since reinvested the revenues of the business in order to expand, Sweeney said.
"What I can say is that for where we are right now, the overall investment in the business is more than $200 million, some came from return on investment and the initial amount was out of pocket, and then the clubs have been doing so well, everything just gets put back into the business so that we can then build on what has been done," she said.
uniformity
The fitness centre offers 24-hour access to its outlets through smart cards and certified personal trainers.
The newly opened Portmore location will offer the same look and feel as all locations as the company prides itself on creating uniformity within its chains.
"So just as you would go into a Wal-mart and you see the same carpets, the same layout, we aim to create that kind of atmosphere," said Sweeney.
Club membership totals about 5,000 persons across all locations, Sweeney told Sunday Business. Members pay fees of $2,995 per fortnight or $55,000 per year. Corporate packages cost $2,745 with the same annual fee as regular customers.
Express Fitness employs 26, including 13 full-time trainers and three part-time trainers across its locations.
Its downtown Kingston location, housed at the Digicel Building, commenced operation in January of 2013 and serves some 500 members.
"That is similar in number to Manor Centre which opened in February 2013 and now Portmore, which already has close to 300 members," said Sweeney. The fourth location to open this year was in Mandeville.
The first four gyms are in Negril, Montego Bay, Savannah-la-Mar and New Kingston, all which opened in 2012.
Riding on the tide of healthy eating and fitness craze echoed by even the Ministry of Health through its Get Fit campaign, the company says it has also been asked by "a few other companies" to set up its fitness centres on their premises.
Though no specific market segment is targeted, Sweeney says a significant number of young and accomplished professionals make up its clientele.
"I don't think we have cornered the market or that that is our intention, but there is definitely room for more market presence. More importantly though, we want to create a local health and fitness industry where everybody realises how beneficial it is to lead a healthy lifestyle," said Sweeney.
She said the company is also pushing for a wellness programme through the human resource departments of its corporate clients.
"We don't want to just offer them discounted rates, but to meet with them at least quarterly and discuss ideas they can implement through their HR departments, such as a run club just to get their employees moving and adopt a healthier lifestyle. What we want is for everybody to become health conscious," she noted.
Other expansion plans include a meal service to
members, the manager said, while noting the revenue and the cost to
start up have not yet been determined.
"We haven't
worked out all the kinks yet," said
Sweeney.
"Generally speaking, we want to have a system
where you become a member of the programme and you know that every
Monday, or Friday, for example, depending on the plan you are on and the
menu options, your dinners will be delivered to
you."
Express Fitness does not yet have a timeline for
when the service will get under way, but says it is seeking
partnerships with dieticians and industry experts on the
roll-out.