After recently opening two locations in Ontario (London and Hamilton), World Gym will continue its Canadian expansion, with locations in St. Catharines and Waterloo, Ontario slated to open in early 2014.
World Gym currently has 17 locations in Canada, with 15 more set to open in the “next few years,” according to World Gym’s Gateway Partner for Canada, Wes Hodgson.
“Currently, most of our gyms are clustered in central Canada,” said Hodgson. “The next step is to steadily move out toward both coasts and bring World Gym to larger cities that can sustain four to five gyms. From there, we’ll be in a position to develop smaller markets. Edmonton and Calgary are on our list of ideal markets for development in early 2014.”
According to Hodgson, Canada’s World Gym locations will also differ from many U.S. locations in terms of amenities.
“The number one thing that comes to mind is that our Canadian clubs almost always offer hydromassage beds, while very few in the U.S. have them,” he said. “We also offer a $19 V.I.P. membership that includes unlimited massages with the hydromassage beds.”
The openings of the Waterloo and St. Catharines locations represent a long-term goal for World Gym, which is to make the health club chain the premier brand of fitness in Canada.
“From a brand perspective, there aren’t as many players in Canada,” said Hodgson. “Within the spectrum of available brands, World Gym is a unique entry because of its Muscle Beach pedigree and ties to Hollywood. No one else has the same positioning of ‘Seriously Fun Fitness.’”
Hodgson also said that there is a relative lack of health clubs in Canada, which primes the market for World Gym’s continued expansion. Currently, GoodLife Fitness boasts the largest saturation, with over 300 clubs throughout Canada.
“What also makes Canada so appealing is the comparative scarcity of health clubs overall,” he said. “For that reason, we consider Canada to be an underdeveloped market. The gyms we’ve opened thus far are off to a very strong start. Also, part of the reason behind our rapid growth is that we’ve managed to find key partners to help us develop target areas more quickly.”
Until further expansion into Canada begins, Waterloo and St. Catharines will be the sites of the latest World Gym locations. The St. Catharines gym will be 28,000 square feet, with the Waterloo location set to be slightly larger at 30,000 square feet. Both locations will offer hydromassage beds, childcare, a full-sized basketball court and tanning beds, in addition to fitness classes and equipment.
By Ashley Scoby
