Franchise giant and world’s #1 health and fitness club Anytime Fitness flexed strong indications of growth in Asia through new strategic alliances, encouraging market recovery, and record-breaking pre-sales numbers throughout the end of 2022 and into the new year.
In a timely visit to Asia, Anytime Fitness Co- Founder and President Dave Mortensen expressed his excitement over the strengthened partnership with Inspire Brands Asia, a consortium that owns the Master Franchisee for Anytime Fitness in Asia, backed by lead investor Exacta Capital Partners and co-investor Aura Group.
“Our partnership with Inspire Brands Asia has solidified our presence and relevance in the region,” said Mortensen. “They are responsible for the rapid growth of the Anytime Fitness enterprise across nine Asian territories, namely the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. But we are even more optimistic about the business pivots to take place in the next five years—specifically, our intention to double our robust network of over 300 gyms in these countries.”
Several milestones in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia are a testament to this positive outlook. Recent openings in SM Southmall and SM Fairview in Manila both exceeded pre-pandemic benchmarks by each welcoming a monumental 700+ membership sign-ups, to which Inspire Brands Asia Co-Founder Johannes Raadsma remarked, “We are grateful to our new and old fans who choose to go on this wellness journey with Anytime Fitness as their partner. Filipinos have been an important consumer base for us over the past decade. We are very much looking forward to building on this stat across the market, and attracting an even larger audience with our enhanced member experience and commitment to our philosophy of Coach, Care, Connect.”
The week prior, another all-time-high preopening result in Indonesia was also recorded, proving Jakarta as an emerging market with a strong product demand for the pioneering 24/7 service platform of the Anytime Fitness brand. “This was our 11th gym in Jakarta, and we’re extremely ecstatic about the turnout. Our passion in bringing clubs closer to communities is as alive as ever, especially now that the country is reopening and regaining its fervor,” stated Luke Guanlao, CEO of Inspire Brands Asia. “Powered by our values of People, Purpose, Profits, Play, we are primed to accelerate a new culture of fitness awareness across the region.”
Numbers in Malaysia are likewise vibrant, with the brand having signed a Regional Agent agreement with another multi-unit franchisee group led by Paul Miles and Simon Raadsma. “The expansion rollout in Malaysia is marked by our partner’s commitment to more than double our current network of 30+ clubs nationwide,” added Johannes. “This new collaboration with Paul and Simon confirms the business is in good hands, with an incredible ceiling ahead of us as we extend industry dominance across the vibrant Singapore-Malaysia corridor. Their team joins our other Regional Agents, James Shanahan in Indonesia, Maxie Mak in Hong Kong, and Martin Uy in Vietnam to spread the power of purple across Asia.”
“We continue to have much confidence in the upside across the region in the coming years,” he continued. “Singapore and Hong Kong, for example, are already far outpacing their pre-pandemic member base, while continuous collaboration with our franchise partners and their members in such markets as Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam give us further white space for rapid growth as Anytime Fitness expands its brand footprint.”
Affirmed Mortensen, “The next three or five years look promising; we will continue to fortify our partnership with Inspire Brands Asia to reach more cities in this strategic region.”
“The real rockstars here are our franchisees and staff who have been the backbone of our operations especially through the toughest of times. The pandemic has negatively impacted our industry, but our partners have weathered it with us and made the business even stronger,” finished Guanlao.
Interested franchisees may email franchise@inspirebrandsasia.com or visit www.anytimefitnessasia.com for more information.