Taipei's Hsinyi District is expected to become a hotspot for fitness centers, with three local health club chains developing a total of 5,000 ping (1,512m2) to lure gym-goers.
Youth Camp Co (
Youth Camp hopes to upgrade its brand image by renting space in the 508m-high skyscraper.
"We've spent NT$250 million on equipment and interior decoration," said Tsai Chu-chen (蔡純真), chairwoman of Youth Camp, at the signing ceremony.
"We believe our appearance in the building will lead Youth Comp to a global level," Tsai said.
Youth Camp opened its first gym in 1977. It now operates 24 gyms nationwide and has 230,000 members. The company generated NT$120 million in sales last year.
Its Taipei 101 Oxy Gym, which is yet to be completed, is expected to open its doors for business on Nov. 14.
While the company has been positioning itself as a premium health club and plans to have only 3,000 members with an annual membership fee of NT$126,000 per person, it faces fierce competition in the Hsinyi District.
But Tsai said she is optimistic about the business prospects.
"It would be a piece of cake to lure 3,000 members from the estimated 12,000 employees working in the financial building," Tsai said.
She added that the local fitness center market generated about NT$10 billion in sales last year, and the number is expected to double within the next few years.
"It has become a trend for more and more people to pay attention to their health or to shape their figures," Tsai explained.
Alexander Health Club (亞歷山大俱樂部) has already set up a 2,000 ping (605m2) gym in the district's Neo 19 entertainment center. This gym was opened in 2000.
"Most people working in the Hsinyi District work out regularly, and therefore our [Hsinyi] store is very popular," said Eva Yang (
During daily peak hours or between 7pm and 11pm, as well as weekends, the center is always packed, she added.
"We are considering opening another fitness center in Hsinyi District sometime next year to meet growing demand," Yang said.
Entering the market in 1992, Alexander has 23 fitness centers around the nation with some 200,000 members.
Taiwan's largest food-and-beverage maker, Uni-President Enterprises Corp (
In May, Uni-President spent NT$50 million to acquire a 50 percent stake of Being Co (
"We plan to set up a new flagship center in the complex owned by Uni-President on Hsinyi District's Keelung Road," said Being's marketing manager Annie Chang (張富婷).
The proposed project is expected to be completed in two to three years, she added.
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