The greatest challenge is to make fitness fun

Newsroom 14/12/2015 | 10:41

The Ministry of Finance reported this September that Romanians have spent over RON 143 million in fitness centers, spread across the 500 wellness locations nationwide. Business Review talked with the leader of the market, Mikael Fredholm, CEO of World Class Romania and Serbia, to find out how this industry is developing at the present.

Tatiana Lazar

 

How did you begin your journey in the wellness industry?

I came to Romania almost 11 years ago. Before, I used to work for a pharmaceutical company in the Middle East where, by coincidence during a launch, I met the founder of World Class. Back then, we only had one club in the JW Marriot and he told me he wanted to open up the second one, in the Radisson hotel. We really appreciated each other so he offered me a job in Bucharest. For me it was a pure coincidence; I was into sports, so it sounded really exciting to start in the wellness industry in a country like Romania.

 

What have been some of the biggest challenges over the years in Romania?

From a business point of view, it’s the bureaucracy: a lot of paper work, a lot of laws and the state doesn’t help the development of such an industry. Additionally, we were kind of the pioneers of the industry, because, when we entered the Romanian market, the industry was underdeveloped and therefore required a lot of education for everyone. In the first 6 – 7 years, it didn’t change much, but then we saw how the industry started growing to what it is today, when we are actually concerned about our lifestyle. For example, let’s take the marathons and how many people are running every weekend all over Romania for different causes. And not only running, but also biking, hiking and other sports activities.

 

How much did World Class invest in Romania so far?

We used to belong to World Class International, the founding company in Sweden, and when we were under their ownership we didn’t invest very much. For two years now we are owned by the Polish Fund Resource Partners, so the business plans have changed. During the first couple of years we didn’t invest much because we already had the locations so the money went only into equipment. But in the past two years, we also started to invest in infrastructure. This year we will invest about EUR 6 million.

 

Why did you decide for the Pipera acquisition now?

We didn’t look for a new place in Pipera, but the location was great, the premises were great and the whole area is growing so much. When we opened in the Promenada Mall one and a half years ago, we had it fully saturated with members, therefore we said that there is definitely room for other clubs in the area. The investment will be almost EUR 2 million and the two centers should be opened this December.

 

What about the W club?

W is a different concept – it’s something exclusive, premium, as World Class used to be when we first entered the market. In the last couple of years, members have asked us for a premium club, so we said “why not.” The club only has a limited amount of members, more room and more privacy.

 

What is the client profile?

We have 50 percent men and 50 percent women, 75 percent of them are between 25 and 44 years old. We are trying to attract more children with our programs, but we also came up with a program for those aged 45 and above.

 

In your opinion, what goals do you set when trying to lose weight or get in shape?

First of all, you need motivation. I believe every single person in the world wants to lose weight, be in shape, and feel better. However, from wanting it to actually doing something in this regard is a big step. So our job is to inspire and motivate people to keep going.

 

What’s happening now on the international fitness market? What are the latest trends?

In the past, people were exercising on the machines, so one of the trends today is to move to functional training – to use your own body weight and your natural movements. Another trend comes from the holistic programs, like yoga and pilates. Also, the combination of indoor and outdoor training seems to be more and more popular: the example of those who go to marathons, also combine gym exercises with outdoor running. Last but not least, the biggest trend is to make fitness fun, and this is strongly related to the motivation and inspiration I was previously talking about.

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