Australian fitness franchise STRONG Pilates announces expansion into UK

Australian fitness franchise STRONG Pilates has today announced its rapid global expansion to the United Kingdom led by John Hastings, Managing Director of STRONG Pilates UK and former Australian International Cricketer, and backed by Matt Berriman, serial entrepreneur and investor.

Part resistance pilates, part rowing, STRONG Pilates is the perfect full body workout in a high-intensity 45-minute class via the purpose built Rowformer. It simultaneously allows for cardio and resistance training, also increasing workout efficiency and reducing in-studio time required.

STRONG Pilates, founded by Michael Ramsey and Mark Armstrong, has announced three flagship locations across London including Islington as the flagship location, along with Holborn and Fulham, with plans to have 100+ studios open across Australia, New Zealand and the UK within the next four years. Launched in 2020, STRONG Pilates currently has 21 studios across Australia and New Zealand.

In 2023, the rapidly growing fitness brand also plans to expand to Canada, Singapore and the US in 2023, with locations soon to be announced.

In September 2022, ClassPass©, the largest health club aggregator globally, named Pilates as the fastest growing genre in Australia and New Zealand following a 250% growth in Pilates class reservations in the previous 12 months. In the UK, there are currently more than 12 million people practising Pilates with more than 70% of fitness enthusiasts preferring to participate in pilates than yoga.

That combined with HIIT Training, which in the UK has increased by more than a quarter over the past year, is the driver behind the UK being the first global market for the STRONG Pilates brand.

Managing Director, STRONG Pilates UK, John Hastings advised “we identified a gap in the international market for a fitness offering like STRONG Pilates, particularly given the rapid growth within the Pilates space. This is an opportunity to balance high intensity with controlled strength training - something the UK market has been demanding for some time now.”

Entrepreneur and Investor, Matt Berriman shared "as an ex-elite athlete transitioning into business some 15 years ago, I saw the market opportunity for STRONG Pilates after their hyper-growth in Australia and UK’s thirst for the offering.

"I have first-hand seen John build his franchises in Australia, so it was a great opportunity to not only back a fellow elite sportsman transitioning into business but also invest in a space where we can clearly see a mass need for a high quality, intense, but low impact fitness experience.

"I'm excited to see John build STRONG in the UK market on the same trajectory as Mark and Michael have in Australia. Having lived in London, their proposition is unique and I can't wait to see another great Australian company successfully take it to the UK."

Co-founded by Australian fitness experts, Michael Ramsey and Mark Armstrong, STRONG Pilates is a unique fitness method which combines pilates with strength-based training. Developed by the duo who previously owned six F45 studios including award winning studio F45 Port Melbourne, they identified a gap in the market for high intensity, low impact exercise.

Ramsey and Armstrong added “we’ve seen huge demand for STRONG Pilates across Australia over the past 12-18 months. Australian fitness brands are well respected in the UK and we believe that our offering will be an integral driver of the boutique fitness offering in global markets.”

STRONG Pilates offers customers a range of daily classes alternating between upper body, lower body, core, obliques or a combination and customers can sign up and book in online.

To learn more about STRONG Pilates, visit strongpilates.com.au