On 28 January, Raketa opened its first fitness club in Russia, in the MARi shopping and leisure center, which is managed by ECE Russland. The 2,800 sq m venue is located on the center's third floor.
Up to 500 people at a time will be able to use the fitness club. The gym features state-of-the-art equipment made by Life Fitness that makes world-class exercise equipment under the Life Fitness and Hammer Strength brands.
"We are creating an innovative project in the fitness industry market: a high-quality fitness club at an affordable price. Our clubs will be opened exclusively in shopping centers with a favourable location and high traffic. This is why our first venue has opened in the rapidly growing MARi shopping and leisure center, which has a broad catchment area within the densely populated Moscow district of Maryino," said Raketa founder Tikhon Kosykh.
In the next three years, the company plans to open 17 fitness clubs in Russia, and in six years' time it expects to have 200 of them, including franchises.
"Sport and healthy living are one of the most powerful trends of modern life for Muscovites. The advent of the state-of-the-art Raketa fitness club fits perfectly into the MARi concept and will be an additional draw for visitors. We are actively developing sporting activities at the center: at weekends, we hold family sports events, and recently 2scoop, a sports nutrition company, has opened a store here. Our immediate plans include the opening of a number of sports shops, as well as companies operating in the healthy living and active leisure industry," said ECE Russland COO Alina Strelkova.
The MARi shopping center has a total area of 135,000 sq m, of which 50,000 sq m is leasable. It opened in 2015. Project finance has been provided by Lider, a construction finance company. Since 2016, the center has been managed by ECE Russland. Last year, the center saw a 25% increase in visitor numbers, while the proportion of vacant units decreased from 75% to 35%, including stores for which contracts have been signed as well as those already open.