Healthy competition: Multiple new fitness facilities arriving, expanding in West Hawaii

KAILUA-KONA — A fitness movement appears in full effect throughout West Hawaii, as one recently arrived company begins to sprawl while a well-recognized industry name prepares to enter the market.

Fitness Forever Hawaii debuted in Kailua-Kona in December 2016. A year and a half later, the company is moving forward with an aggressive expansion plan that includes increasing square footage at its current location into the old Hilo Hattie storefront across Ololi Road, as well as opening gyms in both Pahoa and Waikoloa.

Planet Fitness, which opened a location on Oahu in December 2017 and a spot on Maui in March, is tentatively projecting it will open doors at its Kailua-Kona gym in the old Borders bookstore location on Henry Street sometime in October.

A growing footprint

Fitness Forever will segment services at its original gym across three separate but adjacent physical locations in Kopiko Plaza. The main building will house cardiovascular exercise equipment. The Hilo Hattie space will serve as the weight training center, equipped with both free weights and nautilus machines. And a third space, already open and located in the same complex, is a studio for group fitness classes.

“We think it’ll just be nice to offer a different vibe,” Gus Altschuler, manager at Fitness Forever, said of the environment the layout will create.

He added he doesn’t foresee the format proving an inconvenience. On the contrary, he said, people tend to segment their workouts, either splitting cardio and weightlifting into different days or completing one portion of their exercise before moving onto the other during workouts that encompass both elements.

As business continues to boom, the new setup will allow the necessary elbow room for the gym’s clientele, Altschuler explained.

“As we’ve grown, it’s gotten a little crowded here, especially in the late afternoon,” he said. “So that’s going to allow us to increase membership without having any issues with overcrowding.”

Rapid growth, as Altschuler sees it, can be attributed to more than just a community focus on fitness. The company has incorporated what he called a “strong referral program” and has been responsive to customer needs, focusing on creating a high-end and accommodating atmosphere.

The main Fitness Forever space is roughly 10,000 square feet, while the class area on the other side of the complex is around 2,000 square feet. The Hilo Hattie space is about 12,000 square feet. The company will add a crosswalk across Ololi Road and plans some light renovations to its new Kona acquisition.

Altschuler said the gym is shooting to open the new space by late summer.

Patrons of Fitness Forever — who hailed its cleanliness, new equipment and expanded hours of operation — weren’t concerned about the potential of a decentralized architectural structure to add a measure of inconvenience to their workouts.

“I think it’s the opposite,” said Zack Rosanova, 25, who joined the gym when he relocated to Hawaii Island in January and is now an employee there. “I think the one drawback of this gym is (the physical size) … and I don’t think crossing the street will be too much of a weird thing for people.”

Frank Quinonen, 74, switched to Fitness Forever just two months ago. He was excited about the expansion as a regular who visits around five times per week.

“I’m retired, so this is the thing I want to do to stay vertical,” he said. “It should be even better because it looks like the parking (at the old Hilo Hattie) is even better.”

Sites in Pahoa and Waikoloa Village will be similar in size to the original Fitness Forever site, at 8,000 and 10,000 square feet, respectively, Altschuler said.

Puna Kai Plaza will serve as the site of the Pahoa location and the target date to open is early 2019. The second West Hawaii location is planned for the soon-to-be-constructed Waikoloa Plaza, which Altschuler said should be up and running in about 18 months.

“Both locations have a lack of new fitness facilities in the area,” Altschuler said. “The ones they have are rundown. There’s no competition pushing them to improve, so we see a market opening where we can help the community where we think there’s a pretty big need.”

Planet Fitness locating to Kailua-Kona

Planet Fitness is a moniker accurate to the brand, as the company has franchises in the U.S., Canada, Panama, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

All three locations across Hawaii are owned by New York-based franchisee James Innocenti, who told Pacific Business News in January he plans to open between 8-10 gyms total throughout the islands over the next half decade, the majority of which would be located on Oahu.

Only a few blocks from Fitness Forever’s Kona location, a spokesperson for Planet Fitness said the company plans to utilize about 18,000 square feet of the old Borders bookstore building for its operation.

While the doors aren’t expected to open until October, Planet Fitness will offer pre-sales to prospective members beginning in late August or early September.

A company spokesperson said Planet Fitness is likely to honor memberships purchased off-island or out of state at separate franchise locations.

Altschuler said Fitness Forever has been aware for some time that Planet Fitness intended to enter the Hawaii Island market. Sales at Fitness Forever have been bolstered by the incorporation of health insurance initiatives, like the Active and Fit Program, which promote healthy lifestyles through cheaper memberships.

It is unclear whether Planet Fitness will participate in such programs, but Fitness Forever has also adjusted its regular membership pricing and expanded membership offerings to make sure they’re competitive with Planet Fitness when the gym officially arrives this fall.