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Round-the-clock gym access and personalised services give Anytime Fitness an edge over the rest as they work on making fitness more accessible and convenient. The US-based brand originated in 2002 and forayed into India in 2013. Today, they have over 125 operational gyms across the country and 5,500 plus locations around the world.
Vikas Jain, Managing Director of Anytime Fitness India, has witnessed various transitions in the approach Indians have had towards fitness over his two decades in the industry. He tells us all about it in an interview.
Edited excerpts…
How has Anytime Fitness evolved with the changing market needs?
Anytime Fitness was brought into India in 2013 when we opened our first gym in New Delhi. Today, we have over 125 operational gyms within the country. Initially, the USP of the brand was placed around convenience. We offer 24/7 gym access to all the members and global reciprocity, which means that a member of Anytime Fitness can use any of our 5,500 plus spaces, globally.
Over the last 10 years, the brand has graduated and our USPs have adapted to the new and current needs of customers. The consumer today is more result-oriented, so we brought in an app that they can use to track and monitor their progress, connect with their trainers, get workout routines, nutrition and coaching.
How has people’s approach to health and fitness changed over the years?
Post-Covid, there has been an upsurge in the number of people who want to become part of a fitness regime. They understand the benefits of health and fitness and want to work on bettering their fitness and immunity to improve their chances of surviving another pandemic or catastrophe.
While India is a developing country, people in their late 20s and early 30s have higher disposable incomes. They are more global in their thinking and fitness is climbing up in their list of priorities.
They also understand the importance of recovery. Historically, people would use their gym memberships five to seven days a week to maximise the money they spent. But now people are getting to understand the monumental role recovery plays in seeing gains or benefits. Our workout programs too are designed in that way, combining training, recovery and nutrition.
Are all Anytime Fitness facilities open 24/7 and how is it viable to keep them running 24 hours a day?
Most of our locations are open 24/7, barring a few that are in malls that don’t operate beyond a certain time or in a neighbourhood where it’s not safe to be open at night. But even the locations that are not open 24/7, are open from 5 am until midnight.
How it becomes viable is because we are catering to a very wide demographic – the youth, working professionals, housewives and elderly. Typically, in the morning, we’ll see the businessmen coming in. Later in the day, post 10 or 11, it’s the housewives and elderly people. Around 4 pm, the youngsters start coming in. And again, late at night, it’s the businessmen and people who work long shifts during the day.
What are the best sales and marketing strategies that have worked for the brand?
We don’t talk about just fat loss or prevention of disease. We talk about making fitness a lifestyle. Gyms are not just places to work out, but also to socialise, make friends and work out in groups because that’s what motivates people.
As a brand, we believe in retention and that having the same people come to the gym is more beneficial in the long run, compared to losing one and gaining a new one. We aim to constantly engage our members and remind them of why they joined the facility in the first place. We believe that if someone has paid us for our services, we must encourage and motivate them.
What are Anytime Fitness’ future expansion plans?
India is a growing market and fitness awareness is continuously growing. The new generation of people, which is 16 plus, all want to look good and fit. Most of our members are in the age group of 25 to 45 and they’re also the most engaged because that’s the point where one starts to look older. And nobody wants to grow old, we always want to look good, feel good and be healthy. In India, we are well over 125 gyms and aim to reach 350 locations within the next five years at a pace of 40-50 openings a year.
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