READ THIS MONTH’S HEADLINES
- Coming soon: lululemon Studios will feature digital content on its MIRROR product and access to IRL classes at premium boutique brands. The initial launch will include: Pure Barre, Rumble, Y7 Studio, YogaSix, AKT, FORWARD__Space, DOGPOUND, and AARMY
- Smart ring maker ŌURA secured new capital, valuing the company at $2.55B. They also added features to monitor wellness of the waking hours and introduced a monthly subscription membership
- Core Health & Fitness has acquired Wexer – expect future collaborations to build an even more diverse digital ecosystem and delivering omnichannel experiences
- Mindbody unveils Mindbody Capital to help power wellness and fitness industry’s recovery. And they are looking to go public in 2023, pending market conditions
- Selena Gomez, Mandy Teefey and Daniella Pierson announce the first drop of Wondermind, the world’s first mental fitness ecosystem with a mission to democratize and destigmatize mental health globally via daily editorial content, insightful entertainment, and tangible tools.
- The Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA) announced the election of Andrea Bell as the new Chair and Richard Beddie as Vice Chair of the GHFA Advisory Council – aims to establish the health and fitness sector as an essential service and key contributor within the healthcare continuum
- Private equity firm HighPost Capital acquired Chris Hemsworth’s digital fitness app Centr and equipment maker Inspire Fitness. Bloomberg reports that Centr is now worth US$200 million after the acquisition and merger
- UFC 275 coming to Singapore on 12 June – Fans will witness live the very first pair of UFC world title fights ever to be held in Southeast Asia on the first major global Pay Per View event
- iFIT withdraws its $600M IPO
- Indoor active entertainment company Bounce has acquired competitor Latitude in a bid to double its footprint in shopping malls. This acquisition takes the company’s venue total to 16 outlets in Australia, with licensees operating a similar number overseas
- World swimming governing body FINA’s annual development report confirms its global mission to elevate aquatics
- Aquababies has travelled to Spain to kick start the launch of their newest franchise ‘Aquababies Spain’ and classes have been going down a storm within the local community
- Fitness and Lifestyle Group has announced the appointment of former Audible Director Sara Dunseath to a newly created position as General Manager of Marketing and Public Relations for Australasia.
- New Zealand exercise industry will welcome the removal on mandates, and are looking forward to everyone returning to gyms and facilities around the country
- New Zealand Olympic medallist, Commonwealth and World Champion Shot Putter Dame Valerie Adams Becomes Snap Fitness’ Newest ambassador
- Female fitness franchise Curves is spotlighting its commitment to Gen-X women in their 40s and 50s, and highlights that the Curves 30-minute circuit workout is a fun fitness solution designed to suit their busy lives
- VIVA Leisure has multiple great updates like entering the WA market with the acquisition of Plus Fitness Alkimos, having 142 corporate locations, up from 132 locations. They also opened 5 new locations
- Plus Fitness, one of Australia’s leading 24/7 gym franchise networks, will undergo a major rebrand across its nearly 200 clubs that will see the franchise revitalise its brand and club design as it enters its next stage of growth.
- Absolute You celebrates their 20th anniversary
- V3 GROUP filed for (IPO) on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK) The group owns the OSIM brand – known for its massage chairs and relaxation products; luxury tea brand TWG Tea; nutritional supplement retailer ONI Global.
- GOQii, an Indian health & fitness app, raised $10M in an extended Series C round led by Animoca Brands to launch its health metaverse.
- India-based men’s and women’s health startup Janani pulled in $2.2M in a funding round by Y Combinator, Olive Tree Capital, and others
- IHG Hotels & Resorts has unveiled the Regent Phu Quoc resort in Vietnam – its first destination in South East Asia under its luxury Regent Hotels & Resorts brand.
- Doctor Anywhere is excited to introduce Felix Ignatius Tanumihardja as GM of DA Indonesia, who will be leading the team in their expansion into the largest economy in SEA
- SG, Congrats to the new launch of Ascend Fitness – the first of its kind to house 3 unique workout concepts, featuring RIDE, EXERGAME 4D (gamification, motion sensors) and EXERSTRENGTH
- Grityard has opened their new studio in the CBD of Singapore
- Kali Majapahit Martial Arts opened its 4th location in Singapore at Sentosa Cove
- Tribal Fitness is hosting their first retreat in Bali this July! All the best to JK and his team
- Cru cycle is the exclusive partner for OCBC cycle 2022 – Asia’s largest outdoor spin experience rolling out 100 bikes at OCBC Square, SG (7-8May).
- Chinese fitness tech company Speediance, maker of a Tonal-like connected machine, raised ~$1.5M in Pre-A funding.
- Life Designer School Taiwan completed their first ISSA Certified PT class
- Core Health & Fitness announces the arrival of its next generation of indoor cycling bikes – Schwinn X & Z – simplifying the user experience while expanding instructor possibilities.
- NASM expands global access to its online PT program – now available in Arabic and Chinese to support fitness professionals globally.
- FLG has unveiled a series of digital product and IT innovations – fully digital joining experience with user insights, an original and humorous gym safety video and enhanced business analytics, office software and network infrastructure
- Myzone was awarded a FIBO Innovation and Trend Award at the event earlier this month, winning the Health and Prevention category for the MZ-Switch device
- UBX and 12RND are uniting under one brand, UBX: Boxing + Strength – ready for their global expansion. With continued growth in AU, NZ, SG & UK
- Having recently announced partnerships with Salsation and GO24 Fitness, OliveX Fitness Metaverse continued its rapid expansion, bringing Stages Cycling on board ahead of the launch of the audio-based blockchain cycling game – Dustland Rider.
- Angela Lee Becomes First-Ever Mum Champion in One Championship
- Lululemon kicked off the 2022 edition of their annual virtual Run For Good challenge – aiming for a collective distance of 50,000km clocked on Strava from 18 – 24 April.
Once their target is achieved, they will pledge SGD25,000 to Running Hour – an inclusive running club that promotes the integration of people with special needs