One of Australia’s largest gym operators, Viva Leisure, is coming to the UK after signing a master franchise agreement for its low cost Plus Fitness brand.

The agreement is for 10 years, with the option for two additional 10-year terms. The first Plus Fitness location is set to open in 2025, with the sale of franchises expected to commence in the new year.

In the last five years, Viva Leisure has grown from 29 sites – when it listed on the Australian Stock Exchange – to a network of more than 450 corporate owned and franchised sites, with almost 600,000 members.

With the addition of the UK market, Plus Fitness will be represented in six regions globally: Australia, New Zealand, India (West Region) and it also recently entered the new markets of Singapore and Philippines, which have below 6 per cent and 1 per cent penetration respectively.

Viva Leisure operates a number of different brands: Plus Fitness; Club Lime; Club Pink (women’ only); the boutique offering, GroundUp; HIIT Republic and Psycle Life.

Harry Konstantinou, CEO of Viva Leisure, says: “We’re excited to enter the UK market, which presents significant growth opportunities. Our low-cost, high-reward franchise model will allow Plus Fitness to scale quickly and meet the growing demand for affordable fitness solutions.

“In addition to expanding the Plus Fitness brand, this opportunity will also provide for the future rollout of Viva’s cutting-edge Hub technology and Viva Pay payment systems, further driving the growth of our technology and payments division. We look forward to seeing Plus Fitness thrive in the UK and the positive impact this will have on our broader strategy.”

In addition, Viva Leisure has acquired a strategic 25 per cent equity stake in World Gym Australia (WGA) and three corporate locations in Queensland, providing a scalable platform for growth.

The deal is valued at around Aus$16.7 million and represents a significant milestone for Viva as it is the second-largest acquisition in the company’s history and is fully funded through existing cash reserves, banking facilities and up to Aus$1 million of VVA scrip.

Konstantinou, says: “WGA expands Viva's network to over 450 locations and strengthens our diverse offering while simultaneously introducing a new market for Viva Pay and other Viva technologies to be deployed throughout the network.”

WGA founders, Mike Nysten and Jonathan Davie said: “We are incredibly excited to partner with Australia’s premier fitness sector group, Viva Leisure. WGA has had tremendous growth and success over the years, and we expect to exceed all previous milestones with the support and systems now available from Viva.

“It is a fantastic opportunity to work with Harry and the Viva team to take World Gym Australia to be the number one, large format full service offering in Australia.”