• 
• 

Published on February 25, 2008

The company foresees the local fitness business having a bright future for at least the next 10 years, managing director Mark Buchanan said last week.

United Kingdom-based Fitness First has 15 branches in Bangkok, with 45,000 members generating $50 million in revenue last year.

One of the branches under renovation and about to be relaunched soon is located in the Pinklao area. Buchanan said this would be the company's largest operation in Thailand, but declined to reveal the size of other branches to be opened or under renovation.

The company is also keeping a close eye on major cities around the country, including Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai and Rayong, to judge the potential for penetrating provincial markets.

He said the company would only enter provinces where it was feasible to have at least two branches. It also wants to ensure its operating, human resources and training systems are ready for proper quality control at all new branches.

Buchanan said there was no exact figure for the market value of the fitness business, but he is convinced it still has a bright future.

"The fitness business is mainly in Bangkok, but there are only 25 branches here compared to other major cities such as London, which is about the same size in terms of area and population but has more than 500 branches," he said.

Less than 1 per cent of the Thai population exercises at fitness clubs, which is tiny when compared to the UK and the United States at 15 per cent and Australia at 22 per cent.

Moreover, he sees Thais tending to have a higher risk from their current lifestyle, leading to increased levels of stress, diabetes and obesity, all of which regular exercise can help counter. He expects the percentage of Thais who exercise at clubs to be the same as in the UK and the US in the next 10 years.

Fitness First (Thailand) spends up to 4 per cent of its revenue on marketing and advertising. Many of its customers become members on the basis of word-of-mouth recommendation.

The company expects revenue growth of 10-15 per cent this year.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation