Managing director of Anytime Fitness Spain, Rod Hill, has shown his confidence in the model by investing in his own club.

Speaking to Health Club Management, Hill said: “An opportunity came up for a club in a great location, above a supermarket in Terrassa – a town just outside Barcelona – so we decided to invest our own money. My wife will run it, while I will focus my main efforts on growing the Anytime business in Spain.”

The 600sq m club opened on 15 January and has two group exercise studios as well as a gym with the latest cardio equipment from Precor, plus strength and functional training areas.

“In line with the Anytime ethos, we will be focusing on coaching: both one-to-one and via a new small group personal training package we’re currently working on,” says Hill.

“This will cost each person around €15 per session and get them into groups with like-minded people with the same goals.”

Hill is aiming for around 1,000 members, and 400 memberships were sold in the pre-sale period. Memberships cost €45 a month, targeting aspirational over-35s who are willing to pay for a bit more quality and service.

“We want to differentiate ourselves from the low-cost clubs in Spain, which tend to appeal to the younger market who are already self-sufficient in the gym,” says Hill.

Anytime Fitness is expanding all over Spain: this is the 19th club, with plans for 40 operational clubs by the end of the year, and 200 within three to four years.

After contracting by 25 per cent during the economic crisis, the health and fitness industry in Spain is now in recovery, according to Hill. Market penetration currently stands at 10.2 per cent.