Sheffield-based boutique gym operator TRIB3 will be opening its first overseas site in Moscow this summer, after signing an agreement to take the brand into the Russian capital.

The operator’s partner in Russia is Alexei Drobot, former managing director at Johnson & Johnson, TUI and fitness brand World Class in Russia. He will join the company's international board.

TRIB3's European managing director Rod Hill, who joined the business earlier this year, is in advanced talks with Spanish partners where sites are expected to be launched by the end of the year in Barcelona and Madrid. 

The operator is also in talks to take the brand to France, Switzerland, Portugal and Ireland, with plans for more than 40 clubs in the UK.

TRIB3 has three studios in Sheffield and is preparing to open a gym in Leeds. 

Co-founded by Kevin Yates, Dan Summerson and David Cross and partners, the TRIB3 concept is based around high intensity group workouts. 

The HIIT workout is based around treadmills (cardiovascular), resistance (weights) and intensity (heart rate), and sessions can burn up to 1,000 calories.

“We are delighted that Russia has embraced the TRIB3 concept so enthusiastically," said managing director Yates.

“Russia is a country that is thirsty for Western brands and culture, and our recent visit to Moscow proved to us just how keen they were to press ahead with a TRIB3 launch as quickly as possible.

“We are very excited to be working there as it marks an exciting new chapter in our development and one that puts us firmly on the international stage, cementing our decision to take TRIB3 into new territories as quickly as possible.”