Body Fit Training (BFT), an Xponential Fitness global boutique fitness brand, has signed a Master Franchise Agreement in Scandinavia with a commitment to open at least 40 studios over the next ten years. BFT is the first Xponential brand to enter the Scandinavian region.
The company said Tage Flugeim, shown right, signed the agreement, a seasoned fitness operator who opened his own gym and brought Barry’s Bootcamp to Scandinavia 15 years ago as the first international market outside North America. Scaling the brand to seven locations, Flugeim will focus on the Body Fit Training rollout in the country.
“BFT will be in great hands with Tage Flugeim and his team. He is a seasoned operator and has had great success developing fitness brands in Scandinavia,” said Richard Burnet, director and CEO of BFT International. “The boutique fitness space is still a relatively niche offering right across the region, which creates a huge opportunity for BFT to establish itself there. Scandinavians are passionate and committed to their fitness, so we know they’ll embrace our unique model, and we are excited to support Tage and his team in bringing the BFT product to as many cities as possible.”
Flugeim will begin with opening BFT studios in Oslo, Stockholm, and Copenhagen within 12 months. These studios will serve as flagship studios in their respective countries. Once they are established, Flugeim and his team will focus on building new partnerships and attracting sub-franchisees, with the goal to have 20 studios in the first five years and 40 BFT studios across Scandinavia within ten years.
“BFT checked all the boxes for me due to the quality of the workouts, the unique approach to strength training sessions, the thoughtful programming, the emphasis on people, and the inviting, inclusive atmosphere of the studios,” said Flugeim. “Scandinavians appreciate foreign fitness brands. We look up to the U.S., the UK and Australia, and introducing BFT’s culture, story and high-quality workouts to our region will be a perfect fit for Scandinavia.”
The company said the Master Franchise agreement builds on the brand’s growing presence in Europe, with its first studio opening in Barcelona, Spain in March of 2024, marking BFT’s 300th global studio overall. It also reportedly signals the “growing demand for BFT outside its well-established APAC markets, specifically in Europe and the U.S.”
The first Scotland BFT studio in Glasgow will open later this month, and the first BFT studios in Indonesia and South Korea will open in July, continuing the brand’s global expansion.
The brand has also reportedly experienced strong growth in the U.S. driven by parent company Xponential Fitness, opening 30 studios nationwide in 2023 and expanding further into New Jersey, Kansas, Missouri, and California to date in 2024.
Image courtesy Body Fit Training
