Fitness and strength training are drawing growing numbers of teenagers and young adults to gyms across France. The trend, supported by accessible pricing, is driving a rapid expansion of the sector and increasing investor interest.
At Mérignac, near Bordeaux, Basic-Fit converted a former Ferrari dealership into its largest club. Opened in September, the facility covers 2,700 square metres and contains 150 new machines, with capacity for 300 people at once. It is twice the size of the company’s previous location, which had become too small for the number of customers.
The Dutch chain says it operates 18 clubs in the Bordeaux metropolitan area and around 900 in France. Other operators are also expanding. Fitness Park recently opened its fifth gym in the Rennes metropolitan area, while L’Orange bleue established a site in Nexon, near Limoges. The multiplication of new clubs reflects the growing popularity of weight training among younger customers.
The expansion has also attracted investment. In September, Groupe Bernard Hayot, a Martinique-based group specialising in automotive retail and mass distribution, announced the acquisition of Keepcool and Neoness. The two brands together have nearly 300 clubs and 480,000 members in France and Belgium.
A year earlier, Fitness Park attracted the US investment fund Carlyle, which provided 280 million euros in financing.
Sources: Le Monde Économie.