March 29, 2024
Today at
08:00
NRG Fitness, the largest fitness chain in our country after Basic-Fit, is active in the Netherlands for the first time. NRG expects to have more than 50 clubs this year.
NRG, the chain headquartered in Schoten, was founded in 2014. It was founded by Aziz Allali, the CEO, and Roas Lamine, both of whom have extensive experience in the fitness world. NRG Fitness has grown strongly in ten years, despite the standstill during corona. This is partly due to support from the investment company PE Group of Stefan Yee and the well-known pharmaceutical entrepreneur Stijn Van Rompay. PE Group owns 36 percent of NRG Fitness. Allali and management account for 63 percent, Lamine for 1 percent.
With 44 clubs, including the first two in the Netherlands (Hulst and Terneuzen), NRG Fitness has become the largest player in our country after Basic-Fit. But it profiles itself as a provider of premium clubs, while Basic-Fit focuses on a starter offer. NRG’s premium character is reflected in, among other things, the guidance by coaches, the presence of saunas and the offering of drinks and towels.
Three P’s
This year, NRG Fitness wants to open at least seven more clubs in Belgium and a third in the Netherlands. ‘In the Netherlands we are doing it cautiously this year, so that we can grow stronger next year. We first want to get to know the market,” says Allali. ‘These eight additional clubs this year will come without takeovers. Several of them are already in the pipeline. We have made great strides through acquisitions in recent years.’ The Dutch clubs in Hulst and Terneuzen are also the result of such a deal.
The growth is also reflected in income. ‘Calculated on an annual basis, we will reach 25 million euros in turnover this quarter, while we have many new clubs that are still growing. Last year we raised 16.5 million euros. We have almost 65,000 members and more than 700 staff. That’s everything together, including students and flexi-job workers. It remains a challenge to find enough people,” says Allali.
He explains the low turnover among NRG’s staff because the company pays attention to the happiness of its employees. The entrepreneur’s concept focuses on three Ps: the staff, the people (the members) and the partners. For the latter, NRG focuses on collaboration with companies in the vicinity of a club. This way it becomes integrated into the region more quickly.
