The Pilates, cardio, and strength-training chain Strong Pilates has signed a master franchise agreement with Saudi Arabian franchise operator Healthpreneurs, to lead the brand’s expansion across the Middle East.
Expansion kicks off with five corporate-owned studios; three will launch this year across Jeddah and Riyadh. The business will then scale through sub-franchising.
Healthpreneurs is led by Turki Alnowaiser, a managing parter at investment firm Nakhla Ventures. It will draw on extensive experience in capital raising and sports-sector investment to deliver a commitment of 21 locations over a 10-year term.
Co-found and CEO of Strong Pilates, Michael Ramsey, said “We’ve had our eye on Saudi Arabia for a while, but a market like this only works with the right operator on the ground. Consumers here are moving towards specialised, experience-led fitness, which is exactly where Strong sits.
“Our Rowformer and Bikeformer put Pilates, strength and cardio into one 45-minute class, and that suits a market that wants more from its training time. Turki and the Healthpreneurs team understand that shift and have the capability to scale behind it,” he said.
Ramsay expects the expansion to extend well beyond the initial 10-year target of 21 locations.
Strong Pilates aligns with Saudi Arabia’s wellness trend
The rollout aligns with Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing health and wellness market, underpinned by the government’s Vision 2030 initiative aimed at boosting public health and sports participation.
Alnowaiser, said “Sport is a central pillar and strategic driver of Saudi Vision 2030, and hosting the AFC Asian Cup in 2027 and the FIFA World Cup in 2034 further underscores the Kingdom’s deep commitment to sports.
“Saudi Arabia is also a double-digit growth market for fitness and Pilates, with two major sports companies having gone public over the past decade, a clear signal of the sector’s momentum and investor confidence,” he said.
Strong Pilates already has studios operating in Jumeirah, Dubai, and Saar, Bahrain.
Earlier this year the Pilates chain announced expansion into Central and Eastern Europe, further strengthening its international footprint of 130 operating studios across 14 countries: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Dubai, and Bahrain.
