Johannesburg - Virgin Active SA opened the doors to its first health club in Botswana last month, it said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The health club, its third on the continent outside of SA, opened on December 12, it says.
The new Gaborone health club was officially opened by Botswana’s assistant Minister of Health, Dr Alfred Madigele. Virgin Active, part of billionaire Richard Branson’s empire, has 110 club1 clubs, including the one in Botswana and two in Windhoek.
MD Ross Faragher-Thomas says Africa offers significant strategic growth potential for the company.
“South Africa is our biggest market but we believe we can replicate our success across the continent as long as we move with proper care and consideration for each specific market”.
Faragher-Thomas said the company had researched the Gaborone market carefully before building the club at Airport Junction, the biggest mall in the country, and he described Botswana as “the obvious choice for this first move given its stability, investor friendly economy and growing middle class”.
Nairobi is next for Virgin Active, with a club opening planned for the latter part of 2016, with further countries due to be confirmed during 2016.
Faragher-Thomas said he was “moving with a very deliberate purpose into the continent, whilst keeping our focus on SA members and the 15 new clubs we will open here next year”.
Depending on location, building and category, club builds represent an investment of up to R85 million.
Formed by Sir Richard Branson in 1970 Virgin created more than 300 branded companies in 30 countries, employing around 50 000 people.
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