Gym memberships, more popular among Romanians: most favoured sports activities locally

More Romanians got the hang of hitting the gym, and this helped fitness club increase their membership rolls. The growing trend was also fueled by new fitness club openings and expansion across the country, according to Andrei Cretu, cofounder of 7card, quoted by Dailybusiness.ro. The number of subscriptions to sports clubs was up 12% in 2014, year-on-year, with a similar growth rate expected for this year. Romanians spend on average some RON 170 – or some EUR 38- a month for their gym membership, but more and more companies choose to pay for their employees’ gym memberships. According to 7Card, which offer gym membership subscriptions, 58% of the memberships are held by women. Around half of gym members choose fitness and aerobic classes – Zumba, Pilates, yoga and Tae Bo, 15% choose dance, escalade, martial arts or multifunctional training, while 30% of the 7Card subscribers go for gyms which have a pool. 7Card offers a monthly membership which brings access to over 140 sports halls in Bucharest, Timisoara, Cluj Napoca and Brasov. End-2014, it had 6,000 active subscribers, and a EUR 1 million turnover, which it hopes to double in 2015. Rock climber Mikael Fredholm’s biggest challenge editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Worldclass on Facebook)