Xponential Fitness has announced the signing of a Master Franchise Agreement that will bring over 50 new studios to Saudi Arabia over the next three years. The 50 new studios from this agreement will be an addition to the 1,500 studios across eight brands Xponential has already built overseas.
This multi-brand international contract — the company’s first — will give Xponential a strong presence in the Middle East. Club Pilates, Pure Barre, CycleBar, YogaSix and AKT are among the brands that will be introduced to Saudi Arabia via the agreement.
In light of the country’s recent reforms, the Saudi Arabian Xponential studios will be female-only facilities. This decision was made in order to better serve the growing number of women looking for a variety of fitness options.
The Saudi Arabia expansion follows another international deal Xponential signed recently, which included plans to build 165 Club Pilates studios in Japan. From there, the company set its sights on further international expansion, with the goal of further capitalizing on the popularity of the boutique fitness model.
“This is an ambitious and unprecedented fitness project for the Middle East, and we believe the Alhokair family and their team will be outstanding partners for Xponential Fitness,” said John Kersh, the chief international development officer for Xponential. “The Saudi Arabian fitness market is poised for significant growth in the coming years, and we are excited for Xponential Fitness and our brands to play an influential role in its development.”
This development will be led by Sultan and Mohammed Alhokair, the owners of the recently established First Agility Company. Sultan Alhokair is no stranger to large expansions. He is currently the deputy chairman of the Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Company, the largest franchise retail operator in the Middle East, which boasts more than 1,750 stores across 13 countries.
The Xponential Fitness expansion is expected to officially kick off in October 2019, with a five-brand flagship location in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
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Bobby is the former assistant editor of Club Solutions Magazine.
