The company behind a health club concept designed to "transform Saudi Arabia's fitness sector" has signed a US$20m equipment deal with Life Fitness.

Armah Sports Company has signed a multi-year agreement which will see Life Fitness equip all of the Armah's 50 new smart sports and fitness clubs, set to be rolled out in Saudi Arabia over the next five years.

As part of the partnership, Life Fitness and Armah Sports Company will work together in building the smart club concept – including fitness equipment and advanced fitness technology.

“As we work to change the way people think about their health, sports and wellness, we vowed to engage the best of the fitness industry in the development of our 50 new smart clubs in Saudi Arabia," said Fahad Al-Haqbani, CEO, Armah Sports Company.

Chris Clawson, CEO, Life Fitness, added: "We're excited to forge this new partnership with Armah Sports Company and look forward to creating a connected experience."

Armah currently has 10 sites under construction and the company's strategy is to create clubs which will cater for all segments of the community.

The first clubs are set to open in 2020 in Riyadh and Jeddah and soon after in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.

The company is investing SR1bn (US$270m) in setting up the 50 clubs across the country and is looking to make a "major splash" on the Saudi Arabian fitness market.

While still considered to be in its infancy, the Saudi fitness market is expected to grow rapidly following the launch of the government's National Transformation Programme (NTP) in 2017.

The NTP seeks to get Saudis more physically active, after it was revealed that only about 13 per cent of the population is physically active.

The NTP will see the government throw significant investment behind its ambition to increase the number of active people from 13 per cent to 40 per cent by 2030.

There are currently two main players in the Saudi market: Fitness Time and Bodymasters, with around 30 clubs in the central/eastern region.

The remainder of the market consists of smaller operations and independent health and fitness clubs.