The Hindu Business Line : Proline Fitness plans to double retail outlets by 2008

Mr Rajiv Wallia, CEO, told Business Line that the fitness equipment company now had 42 stores across the country. It is planning to set up 15 more this financial year. The stores are a mix of company-owned ones and franchises.

Commerical segment growing

The fitness equipment market, branded and unbranded, is estimated at Rs 250 crore, the home segment accounting for Rs 130 crore and the commercial segment for Rs 120 crore, Mr Wallia said. It is growing at 18 per cent per annum, the commercial segment growing rapidly with the rise in the number of gyms, apartment complexes and corporates installing gyms on their premises, he said.

Proline Fitness is the exclusive distributor of Johnson Health Tech Company, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of fitness equipment, which is the fifth largest such company in the world, Mr Wallia said.

The company not only sells equipment but also sets up gyms for clients. It has more than a 50 per cent market share of the medium and high-end segments of the market, he said. Most of the low-end products, which Proline Fitness does not deal in, are bought for home use. A chunk of that segment is not part of the organised market.

Expanding product range

Proline Fitness is also expanding its range to include massage chairs and leg massage equipment. It also sells accessories such as weights and dumb-bells.

The mainstay of the fitness equipment business is treadmills. Those intended for home use cost Rs 35,000-Rs 1.5 lakh, while the ones for commercial use cost Rs 2 lakh to Rs 6 lakh.

The company also distributes spa equipment and recently set up a couple of spas in Delhi. It is part of Cravatex, a listed company that is part of the Batra Group, and is the exclusive distributor of Fila shoes and apparel and Slazenger.