March 21, 2006
California Fitness, the world's largest chain of fitness centers, has opened its first yoga center in Asia in Taichung. Called California Yoga, the center is considered a flagship demonstration center that will be used to pave the way for California Fitness' expansion to Taipei and other cities in Asia, including Hongkong, Malaysia and Singapore.
California Fitness sees great potential in Taiwan's fitness and aerobics market, and aims to be operating a total of 20 centers in Taiwan within five years. It presently runs five fitness centers in Taiwan, with four in Taipei and one in Taichung. In addition to its flagship yoga center in Taichung, it plans to open a yoga center in Taipei by the end of 2006.
California Yoga in Taichung, occupying over 200 ping (a ping, the standard measure of floor space in Taiwan, is approximately 36 square feet) of floor space, required an investment of nearly
NTD 40 million. After three months of trial sales, the center has already attracted over 500 members. The center offers over 90 classes a week, teaching a variety of yoga, including hot yoga, hatha yoga and ashtanga yoga, and pilates.
Taichung has taken on an increasingly cosmopolitan face in recent years. In addition to being home to the Central Taiwan Science Park, which has attracted numerous high-tech investors from overseas, the city will also host a stop on Taiwan's High Speed Railway line, leaving it minutes from CKS International Airport. Louis Vuitton and Mercedes Benz have also recently opened flagship stores in central Taiwan's largest city.
California Fitness operates 360 outlets around the world with over 3 million members. In Asia, California Fitness runs 17 centers with a total of 145,000 members.
(United Daily News)
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