IRVINE, Calif., June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In its first-ever, multi-brand international agreement, Xponential Fitness, the largest curator of boutique fitness brands in the world, will now have an extensive presence in the Middle East. The company announced today the signing of a Master Franchise Agreement for Saudi Arabia – a development which will bring more than 50 Xponential Fitness studios to the country over the next three years. Brands included in the development agreement are Club Pilates, Pure Barre, CycleBar, YogaSix and AKT.
After its initial overseas expansion which began with the signing of a large-scale deal that is set to bring 165 Club Pilates studios to Japan, Xponential Fitness has set its sights on further expansion outside the U.S. where, combined, the company has over 1500 studios across eight brands, with another 1000 in development. With the boutique fitness industry rapidly gaining popularity across the globe, now is the perfect time to introduce niche fitness concepts to the Middle East. The Xponential Fitness studios slated to open in Saudi Arabia will be female-only, in order to serve the growing population of women seeking fitness options in the wake of the country's recent reforms.
The Saudi Arabian development will be led by Sultan and Mohammed Alhokair, owners of the newly-established First Agility Company. Sultan Alhokair is deputy chairman of the Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Company (also known as Fawaz Alhokair Fashion Retail), the largest franchise retail operator in the Middle East with more than 1,750 stores across 13 countries. Brands within their portfolio include Zara, Banana Republic, Mango, and Nine West, among many others. The Xponential Fitness expansion will begin with a five-brand flagship location in Riyadh, expected to open in October 2019.
"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, Chief International Development Officer for Xponential Fitness. "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."
Backed by CEO Anthony Geisler and Snapdragon Capital, Xponential Fitness was established to bring the highest-quality boutique fitness brands together under one umbrella. Housing brands across every vertical of the industry and accelerating their growth domestically and internationally, Xponential's portfolio of brands includes Club Pilates, CycleBar, StretchLab, Row House, AKT, YogaSix, Pure Barre, and Stride. Five of these brands were acquired and launched a franchising opportunity in the past year. In March of 2019, Xponential Fitness was named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2019. Recognized for propelling niche fitness modalities into nationwide chains, Xponential Fitness ranked No. 10 in the Wellness category among industry giants such as Peloton and ClassPass.
About Xponential Fitness:
Founded in 2017 by Anthony Geisler, Xponential Fitness is the curator of the best brands across every vertical in the boutique fitness space – including Pilates, indoor cycling, stretch, rowing, dance and yoga. Currently, Xponential Fitness' portfolio of brands includes Club Pilates, the nation's largest and fastest-growing Pilates franchise; CycleBar, the first and only premium indoor cycling franchise; StretchLab, a concept offering one-on-one assisted stretching services and group stretch services; Row House, a high-energy, low-impact indoor rowing workout; AKT, a dance-based cardio workout combining toning, interval & circuit training developed by Celebrity Trainer Anna Kaiser; YogaSix, a modern boutique yoga brand; Pure Barre, the largest barre franchise worldwide that uses the ballet barre to perform small, isometric movements for a total body workout ; and most recently, Stride, a treadmill-based cardio and strength training concept. Visit www.xponential.com to learn more.
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