Anytime Fitness Asia (AFA), the regional master franchisee of the Anytime Fitness brand headquartered in Minnesota, USA, is planning to set up 100 more gyms in Malaysia in three to four years, to add to its existing 29 gyms. The company anticipates that Malaysia will overtake Singapore to become its second largest market in the future, given the larger demographic and local demand.
AFA CEO Rey Bolivar said that Malaysia is its third largest market, after the Philippines (135 gyms) and Singapore (65 gyms). To date, it has over 250 gyms in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, and is preparing to introduce its first gym in Vietnam in October this year. The gym franchise was purchased in May 2020 by Inspire Brands Asia, a consortium of the top submaster franchisees in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Members which operate over 30% of the brand’s footprint in Asia merged their gym management businesses into the group.
Currently, the company has more than 16,000 members in Malaysia, with around 10 more gyms that are being constructed in several places across the country. Johor is a focus area for future development, as the brand has only three gyms in the state.
It was noted that AFA is planning to develop its footprint in Johor state, in order to fully utilize its business potentials. Bolivar added that a gym will generally cost about USD 350,000 to 400,000 to be built in Malaysia depending on the size and location. He highlighted that Malaysia has a low penetration for fitness facilities and there are a large number of people in the country such as those with sedentary lifestyle that may be interested to join its membership program. He also noted that AFA is not planning to reduce its gym fees in Malaysia and would continue to focus on offering value for money through properly trained staff, equipment and programs.
(Sources: The Sun Daily; Franchise Business)
