By the end of 2025, we’ll have opened at least eight new gyms across Singapore, adding over 30,000 square feet of training space under our group. That’ll bring us to more than 25 locations islandwide—and I wanted to take a moment to explain why we’re doing this.
Rewind ten years: gyms were few and far between. And the ones that did exist were often priced upwards of $200 a month, usually accompanied with long contracts. As a broke university student who just wanted to stay active, I couldn’t afford that. I started looking for home fitness gear—only to realise there weren’t many good options either.
That was when I started Movement First. It wasn’t some grand vision back then—just a simple idea to fix a problem I personally faced.
Fast forward to 2021, a wave of fitness franchises entered Singapore—names like Anytime Fitness, F45, BFT, Snap, GoFit, 247 Fitness and more. On paper, more gyms should be a good thing. But when you dig deeper, there’s a problem: these franchises operate on a model where HQ takes a big cut of revenue (20–40% monthly), on top of hefty franchise fees (SGD$30,000 – SGD$60,000), franchise renewal costs every 5 years, and strict control over your equipment and renovation vendors (with some taking a kickback). Often, franchisees are pushed to open in malls, even if the long-term rent isn’t viable, especially at renewal.
The end result? All these costs will trickle down to the consumer. That’s why most gyms today charge around $100 or more a month.
We thought we could find a better way.
With our previous experience, we realised we could remove or reduce many of these overheads—no franchise cut, no kickbacks, no unnecessary spending—and offer a better product for less. After crunching the numbers, we set our membership at $55/month, a price point we knew was sustainable even though we could’ve gone higher. At $70, we’d still be 30% cheaper than most major brands—but our goal was never to maximise profit. It was to maximise value for the customer.
We also stripped away the things people hate: long lock-in periods, large upfront payments, and difficult freezing policies. The result? A more flexible and transparent experience.
This approach has allowed us to better serve:
-
Those going through financial instability who can’t commit long-term
-
People who simply can’t afford $100/month
-
Budget-conscious folks who can afford it but want to save it for rainy days
-
Shift workers with irregular hours who cannot use ActiveSG
On top of that, we’ve launched specialised concepts to serve groups often left out of the mainstream fitness scene.
-
Ark Liv creates a safer, inclusive space for women—especially Muslim women—who want to train comfortably without worrying about attire or environment.
-
Ark Bloc was built to support strongman athletes who previously had no proper facility to prep for regional competitions.
We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the support of our landlords, notably—PA, HDB, JTC, and NTUC—who have aligned with our mission to make health and fitness more equitable.
If you’re a landlord or agent who’s interested in doing more for the community—while boosting footfall to your space—drop us a message. We’re always happy to chat.
And if you’re a member or supporter: thank you. You’re helping us prove that fitness can be affordable, inclusive, and sustainable.
Leave a Reply