Fitness First eyes the provinces
Simon flint, sees high potential in provincial clubs.
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Fitness First Thailand is planning to spread its wings upcountry within the next few years, heading to Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Pattaya as priority projects.
"We are planning to add three or four new branches a year in the next two to three years. The new clubs will be located both in Bangkok and other major cities," said the company's managing director, Simon Flint.Flint said the company would soon expand into the provinces as its sees high potential there. It is still searching for a suitable province in the South in which to open a branch, with Phuket the most likely option. Fitness First will be the first international fitness-club operator in the country to operate outside Bangkok. Its membership fee for upcountry branches will be lower than for Bangkok as the operations are likely to be smaller. The company currently runs 11 clubs in Bangkok and surrounding areas, nine of them normal operations under the Fitness First name and two up-market branches called Fitness First Plus. The latter are situated at Bio House Building on Sukhumvit Road and Q House Lumpini Tower. Fitness First Plus at Q House has 2,362 square metres of space and cost Bt110 million. Seventy per cent of the investment went into construction and decoration, the rest into exercise equipment. "As the second location for Fitness First Plus, we are targeting 'B+' customers, particularly those living and working around the central business district. We expect to receive about 2,000 members," said Flint. The Fitness First Plus membership fee is 20 per cent higher than for normal Fitness First outlets, and is also higher than its direct competitor - California Wow Xperience. The Q House club is one of three new outlets scheduled to open this year. In July, the company will launch an outlet at Seacon Square Shopping Centre on Srinakarin Road in the east of Bangkok. The Bt100-million club will operate as a normal branch. The third new location this year will be in the business area, on Suriwong Road, and will be run as a Fitness First Plus club. "This new outlet is worth Bt70 million," said Flint. The company's revenue was Bt800 million last year. It aims to increase this to Bt1 billion this year, and to Bt1.2 billion in 2007. Suchat Sritama The Nation
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