The founders of GymNation— Loren Holland, Frank Afeaki and Anthony Martland—identified a gap in the market for affordable gyms in Dubai. This led to the launch of Gymnation in 2018 which subsequently became recognised as the most affordable gym in the country.
Today, GymNation has expanded to 11 locations with 65,000 members with six more locations in the UAE in the fit-out stage. By 2025, once all locations are fully equipped and ready, it is predicted that the company will reach 17 gyms in the UAE with around 100,000 members. The founders of GymNation are aiming to expand beyond the UAE and achieve the status of the GCC’s largest gym chain. The company has started company formation and the search for real estate in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, and in Q4 2024, is planning to launch its first six gyms in KSA.
Publsh organised a key interview in a tier-one publication—Entrepreneur Middle East in Q1 20924. In the interview, there were in-depth insights and details shared by GymNation co-founder and CEO Loren Holland who revealed his vision for the UAE-born business to play a lead role as the GCC region’s fitness partner. Recently, there was a management buy-out of GymNation from JD Sports Gyms, an arm of the British sports-fashion retail company and FTSE 100 giant which had acquired the company in 2022, JD Sports. The interview was well-received and informative, highlighting the fact that Gymnation aspired to play a leading role as the region’s movement partner by championing healthy and active lifestyles, nurturing the power of positive thinking, and promoting the importance of mental health. They also shared that the company is investing in AI which is transforming the way they manage sales, retention, member onboarding, and customer service.
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