Baltic club operator Impuls has announced its entry into Latvia, with two budget clubs set to launch in Riga next year.

Operating under its low-cost Lemon Gym brand, the first club will open in January, followed by a second in the spring. There are already plans to open at least another two Lemon Gym sites in Riga by the end of 2016.

Lemon Gym clubs typically measure 1,000sq m, offering cardio and strength equipment, free weights and functional training areas for €19 (US$22, £14) a month. There are currently four Lemon Gyms in operation in Vilnius.

The company also operates 11 full-service Impuls clubs, which offer a wide range of fitness services, including swimming pools, group exercise and personal training. The 12th Impuls club will open in November, again in Lithuania.

Impuls CEO Vidmantas Siugzdinis explains his decision to expand into Latvia: “Impuls is owned by a private equity fund, so geographical growth is one of our priorities. Until now there have been no budget fitness clubs in Latvia, and Riga is the biggest city.

“We’ve explored the Baltic market, searched for the best locations, secured financing and now we’re ready to expand internationally. By the end of 2016, we plan to have 25 clubs in three countries with 40,000 members – up from the current figure of 26,000.”

Impuls aims to continue its expansion both by organic growth and acquisitions. Following a €3m (US$3.4m, £2.2m) investment during 2015 to expand in Lithuania, the company will invest at least €2m (US$2.3m, £1.5m) in 2016 in both Lithuania and Latvia.

The majority shareholder of Impuls Group is the private-equity fund, BaltCap. The turnover at Impuls is set to reach €11m (US$12.6, £8m) this year, with a yearly growth of 23 per cent.