Cardio manufacturer Star Trac has opened an office in Shanghai, China, to represent the growing demands of the health and fitness industry in Asia.

Stephen Jones will head up the new office and become Star Trac's chief representative in China. Fully trained Chinese technical staff will be based in Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an and Hong Kong, to support the sales efforts in the region.

Commenting on the opening of the new office, Stephen Jones said:

'This was the next logical step for Star Trac, to establish a direct office presence in China, to support the business development with education and marketing communication programmes.'

Star Trac is an American based company, with distributors worldwide. Its products include treadmills, elliptical runners, bikes and stairclimbers. The company is also partnered with Mad Dogg Athletics, as the manufacturer for the new Johnny G Spinner bikes for spinning.

Last month, Star Trac organised a two and a half hour spinning marathon called 'Live for the day' in Tel Aviv. 320 people participated in the event, which took place at the National Athletic Training Centre in the city.