Feb 2023

The latest updates and news stories happening in the fitness and wellness industry in the Asia-Pacific region.
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This month’s vlog was filmed at PURE Fitness in Ngee Ang City, Singapore. Many thanks to Theresa, Bervin, Leticia, Zuraidah and entire team for their support and hospitality.

Read This Month’s Headlines

  • We dedicate this month’s report to Laurie McCartney, the former President of Fitness & Wellness at Ascend Learning who sadly passed this month in the US. She was a hugely influential and respected leader in fitness and wellness education. She will be fondly remembered by so many, especially her colleagues at NASM, AFAA and Club Connect
  • adidas and Les Mills announced a new brand partnership to shape the future of training. Two iconic sports brands join forces to shape a new age of Omni fitness training, combining the best of live and digital experiences for their members
  • UBX signed a Master Franchise Agreement with Prova Group in Japan which provides Prova with the opportunity to license a minimum of 145 new studios over the next 10 years.
  • F45 Training Gets $90 Million in New Financing, New Chairman, New Board Members, Interim CFO – capitalizing on the growing trend of consumers prioritizing health and fitness
  • Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has unveiled a new Diagnostic Healthtech Company. His new company Neko Health is focused on preventative care and non-invasive diagnostics
  • Fitness goes to the high seas! The first classes from three of Xponential Fitness’ brands on Princess Cruises have now begun, with Pure Barre, YogaSix and StetchLab Classes now available
  • Wexer acquires Intelivideo to create a true powerhouse in digital and hybird fitness and wellness.
  • Wellness tourism is predicted to reach $1.1B in value by 2025 (+20.9%), as per Global Wellness Institute’s recent research
  • Queensland and Federal Governments agree $7 billion funding for 2032 Brisbane Games venues ahead of the 2032 Olympics
  • Bodd, a 3D body scanning and data company, raised A$5M and will expand to North America
  • Gen U Brands, makers of probiotic soft drink ALIVE, secured an undisclosed investment from tennis star Nick Kyrgios
  • Metabolic health startup Vively added A$1.5M in a pre-seed round.
  • Collective Wellness Group renewed its Master Franchise Agreement with Anytime Fitness Franchisor for another 15 years. Anytime Fitness Australia now has 550 clubs and 600,000 members across the country. CWG will also rollout Sumhiit Fitness, with a first facility to open in the Sydney soon. An exciting year for Nicole and her team.
  • KX Pilates Noosa officially opens its doors, marking KX’s 100th studio globally! Congrats Aaron, Selina and the team!
  • Viva Leisure opens 3 new locations across two brands – Club Lime & Hiit Republic. Viva Leisure now owns and operates 166 locations across Australia. Congrats Harry.
  • Evolution Wellness opened their first FIRE FIT studio in Queensland, Australia with their 2nd club in Brisbane opening later this month. Also their first GOFit in Australia will open in Brisbane this month.
  • Fitstop now has 102 locations and another 5 locations set to open in February. They have now officially launched in the USA with their HQ and Activation Space in Santa Monica.
  • BFT’s first studio in London – BFT Battersea – opened on 18th February, as they expand into the UK.
  • UBX Media City is finally preparing to open its doors in Manchester! This will be the first UBX in the UK, and is located in the premium location of Media City.
  • Strong Pilates will open 4 new studios in Sydney next month – incredible from Michael and the team.
  • Revo Fitness celebrate their 11th birthday! Congrats Andrew and team
  • Aussie supplement brand True Protein debuts activewear range – True Core Apparel
  • India-based gamified diabetes reversal platform Breathe Well-being raised INR 50 Cr (~USD $6M) in a pre-Series B round.
  • Indonesian health and fitness app Dootogether raised an undisclosed pre-series A extension.
  • Indian better-for-you snack brand The Whole Truth raised US$15M in a Series B round led by Sequoia India.
  • Atommerce, developer of mental health platform Mind Cafe, secured 6B won (US$4.8M) in a round co-led by Lotte Healthcare and Samsung Venture Investment.
  • Anytime Fitness India opened their 121st club and 5th club in Lucknow. Congratulations to Vikas and the team
  • R Fitness signed a deal with Technogym Indonesia to reopen one of their studios.
  • UFIT launches a new chapter regarding their approach to Personal Training by bringing their ‘Circle of Care’ and Singapore’s first ever complete holistic program.
  • Webarre turned 7! The team and their community celebrated with themed classes, chocolates and merch gifts! Congrats Anabel & Linda!
  • The 3rd GOFIT in Singapore opens next month at Great World City
  • Haus Live is now integrated into Marina Bay Sands Singapore as part of their in-room wellness program. Congrats Reagan and team!
  • Box Office Fitness turns 5 this month – congrats to Nerissa and the team!
  • In Singapore, TNP Aerial Yoga & PIlates opened their second location “The New Place”, a 4000 sq ft centre with aerial, pilates, yoga, beauty and a member’s lounge. Congrats to Jack and team!
  • Penang, Malaysia, will soon see the first GoFIT in Sunway Carnival Mall.
  • Jetts 24 Hour Fitness starts construction of their next club on March 1st at The Fourth in Bangkok, followed by a further club starting construction on April 19th at Robinson Thalang in Phuket.
  • Move Private Fitness, a boutique and purpose driven personal training studio from Malaysia is opening its 5th branch in Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur
  • The leadership team at Peloton and Precor has seen some recent restructuring with Dustin Grosz appointed as CEO and our good friend Frank O’Rourke as Senior Vice President of Global Sales.
  • Boddy & TrainAway join forces to become the global leader in wellbeing experiences for travellers. Congrats to Hannes, Kenn, Sandro and both teams!
  • Global bicycle manufacturer Giant acquired a minority stake in cycling tech company Stages for $20M.
  • Les Mills launches Strength Development, its first new class in five-plus years.
  • CAWS launches new Certification with Battle Cancer and Nike, teaching Coaches how to work with groups who have been through Cancer to regain strength, independence and confidence in their local gym
  • The former IHRSA Director for Europe, Hans Muench, becomes the new International Ambassador for FitnessKPI, the leading Business Intelligence software for the Fitness industry.
  • Ezypay and Hapana partner up to provide the South Korean fitness and wellness market with a seamless end-to-end online platform solution to grow their business.
  • ISSA announced the launch of two new courses – Spanish Certified PT course and the comprehensive Yoga 200–hours instructor course
  • ZIVA focuses in Norther America – announcing this month that their entire global catalogue is being made available in the U.S. and Canada
  • Glofox Announces Dedicated Team to serve Fitness Franchises of Any Size, Anywhere to be led by industry expert Anthony Kelly and their Co-Founder and CCO.
  • UBX partners with Warner Bros Pictures ANZ on ‘Workout Like Creed’ campaign – bringing Creed III-inspired boxing and strength-training classes to UBX clubs and its app
  • A two-year pilot study integrating physical activity into the lives of individuals with disabilities or long-term health conditions, demonstrated an economic impact in terms of social value of approximately £59 per £1 invested. Individuals using the Prevention and Enablement Model service show a decrease in self-reported services, such as day-care, GP appointments, 999 calls and hospital visits. The estimated cost saving of this was about £365 per participant, per year. These are fantastic findings by Adult Social Care at Essex County Council, Active Essex and Sport for Confidence in the UK.
  • Les Mills’ celebrates World Pride in Sydney with LES MILLS Change Series videos exploring the experiences/stories of LGBTTQIA+ group fitness instructors.

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