Be it aspiring actors, students or athletes or obese people, Snap Fitness health club, which is set to invest about Rs.350 crore in expansion plans, gets clients with different needs. But there are more men than women who show interest in keeping themselves fit, says an expert.
Launched in 2003 in the US, the 24x7 fitness chain was brought to India in 2008 and its first branch came up on Bangalore. With over 50 operational centres in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi, Guwahati and Lucknow, its main feature is that it remains open for 24 hours in most of the cities.
"People are getting more aware of being healthy. Our customers come for different reasons. Some want to act, so they work on their body, some students want to be fit," Vikram B.M, CEO, Snap Fitness, told IANS here.
"There are athletes too who want to build stamina or somebody who is about to get married or someone who wants to get back in shape post delivery. Also people suffering from obesity, after consulting a doctor, come to us," he added.
What is the ratio of women to that of men opting for fitness?
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"We cater to about 30 percent of women and 70 percent men. Men are more interested in staying fit," said Vikram.
Asked if he could pinpoint why women are not so keen, he said: "Maybe women are tied up with household work. I can't point out the exact reason. It might be one of the reasons. But things are changing. Two or two and a half years back, the ratio was 20-80. Now it's improving."
Gymming is no longer restricted to metropolitan cities and they have plans to expand in smaller cities too. The company will set up 300 centres in a period of three years, involving an investment of approximately Rs.350 crore.
"We are aggressive on this path and want to be the market leader. We want to have 300 successful centres. Customers should get results and franchises should get good return on investment.
"We are not targeting just metropolitan cities. If you give opportunity to tier II and III cities, people adopt it (gymming culture). For instance, our centre in Tumkur (in Karnataka) got us a good response," said Vikram.
Now, the firm's aim is to increase awareness when it comes to weight loss.
"When people think of shedding weight, they assume that running is sufficient. There has to be a combination of strength training and cardio, so that you don't lose muscle mass. The focus should be only on fat mass," he said.