We Fitness set for Thai debut

Angel Chan, who heads a chain of well-known fitness centres in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand, will open her latest centre, We Fitness Society, with the intention of making fitness part of Thai people’s everyday lives.

Chan, who is chief operating officer of We Fitness Company, told The Nation that the first centre would officially open next month at Major Cineplex Ratchayothin. The team, comprising 50 staff – including personal trainers, sales and office administrators – was formed in January.

“We plan to open four We Fitness Society clubs this year at Major Cineplex Ratchayothin, Major Cineplex Ekamai, Major Cineplex Pinklao, and Esplanade Ratchadaphi-sek, at a total cost of Bt600 million,” she said. 

Including this year’s outlay, the company expects to invest about Bt1.5 billion to open 10 fitness centres at Major Cineplex complexes and other malls over the next three years. 

Occupying total space of 3,200 square metres, of which about 2,500sqm will be service area, the first centre at Major Cineplex Ratchayothin will feature 80 units 

of cardio equipment, 60 units of resistance equipment, and 50 units of free weight equipment. The centre will also consist of one aerobic studio, one yoga studio, two yoga fly studios (anti-gravity), one spinning bike studio, and two Pilates studios. 

Chan said that the centre had registered about 600 members during the presale period, of whom 95 per cent are based on monthly membership contracts. More than half of them have never been the member of fitness centre before. However, the centre expects to achieve 3,000 individual members.

“We have seen a tremendous opportunity for fitness centres in Thailand, where only 1 per cent of the population are members. It is a lot lower than in the US, where 

40 per cent of people are members of fitness clubs. In Hong Kong, between 20 and 30 per cent of people are members of fitness clubs,” she said.

This implies that there are not enough centres to meet the fitness demand, she said. 

The company’s internal survey also shows that most consumers feel there is no fitness brand that can truly satisfy their needs, in terms of providing an efficient workout programme, while being a relaxing place to hang out with friends.

Chan said there were few major operators of fitness centres in Bangkok and other major cities. Fitness First has 23 branches, while True Fitness has opened only three. The rest have been limited to hotels, condominiums and standalone venues.

 

Social trends 

“Thai fitness members visit their club normally two times a week and they spend two to three hours at the centre each time,” Chan said.

She said the local fitness business was growing at a rate of about 10-20 per cent annually, with a value of more than Bt6 billion posted last year. Growth is in line with social trends moving towards healthier living. “I would like our fitness centre to be a place for people to exercise, not only for good health, but also to follow a good-living discipline.” 

After graduating in food science and biomechanics from Griffith University in the Australian state of Queensland in 1994, Chan was an air hostess with Japan Airlines for two years before becoming seriously involved in the fitness industry in 1997.

“I love exercising and learning more about fitness. Right now I am learning more on how to become a good fitness instructor,” she said.

Chan started her career as a group exercise instructor and personal trainer at California Fitness Centre in Hong Kong. She also helped start up California Fitness Centre in Taiwan.

In 2003, Chan was approached by Eric Levine, founder of California WOW, to be a consultant for his fitness centre in Thailand, which opened its first branch on Silom Road in Bangkok.

In her third year of operating 10 California WOW centres, Chan started to observe a number of problems facing the company, including pricing instability, sub-standard personal trainers and poor sales staff, who would go to any lengths to secure new members. 

The company’s strategy led to a conflict of interest between Chan and sales staff, and in 2009 she left California WOW.