The India Fitness Connect Pvt Ltd (TIFC) was established by Mrs. Sherry George – a Fitness Enthusiast, an Avid Marathon Runner, and a Deep Sea Diver. She desired to accomplish her profession in the fitness field with a motive to change the conventional drivers of the Indian fitness scenario. After a successful 15 years of professional experience, she decided to start her own venture that would focus on connecting the Global Fitness Brands and Education to the burgeoning fitness industry in India. Her entrepreneurial journey started with a mission of offering a new-age fitness venture which strives to bring the best of Fitness and Wellness equipment along with the top of the class accessories from across the globe in the Indian market.
Establishment, History and the hands behind TIFC.
The India Fitness Connect Pvt Ltd (TIFC) was incorporated in November 2015 with a mission to connect Global Fitness Brands and Fitness Education to the burgeoning Fitness Industry in India. TIFC brings to the Indian market the best of Fitness and Wellness equipment along with accessories from across the globe. This new-age fitness venture was conceptualized by Mrs. Sherry George, a very well-known personality in the Indian fitness arena. Sherry George has around 20 years of experience in expanding the presence of premium fitness brands in India. TIFC was set up with a small core group of fitness professionals and TIFC is proud to state that today, within a span of 4 years it has grown to over 140 employees with offices in 7 locations across India. Sherry George is ably supported by her spouse, Mr. Ryan D’Souza and her partners, the Financial wizards – Mr. Anshu Shrivastava, Mr. Nitin Agarwal, and Mr. Sameer Arora.
What are your key offerings and services in the Indian market currently?
TIFC is the sole authorized distributor in India for Precor, the global leader in commercial fitness equipment as well as world-renowned gym equipment and accessories brands like JORDAN, EXIGO, TORQUE, AIREX, REEBOK, and PAVIFLEX. TIFC has also introduced its in-house brand ‘CRUX’ in November 2019 with an intent to cater to the growing Indian fitness market seeking quality equipment at value prices. Our core strength lies in offering 360-degree solutions and we act as a single platform for any fitness and wellness related equipment along with accessories requirement. We have successfully supplied, installed and servicing the world’s best fitness equipment in over 5000 fitness facilities across the country. We have more than 60 Precor Certified Customer Service Engineers pan India with experience ranging from 5-18 years in the fitness industry which gives a definite edge over the competition.
Which sectors do you mainly focus on and your strength in these domains?
We primarily focus on Commercial Gyms, Recreational Clubs, Hospitality, Real Estate, Corporates and HNI’s. TIFC specializes in setting up premium fitness facilities across the country. Our association with Global Leader Precor and the other world-renowned brands in the field of fitness coupled with our excellent reliable and efficient customer service network has helped us to create a strong footprint and gain major market share in these domains.
The Precor Mission “Fitness Made Personal” is a direct extension to what TIFC stands for. It is a reminder of what we strive to be, and how we are different from the crowd & stand out in this industry. Fitness is our business. We continue to strive to bring a personal touch to the experience of every exerciser and fitness operator in our industry in a personal way and cultivate a culture that believes in mutual respect and the overwhelming returns of sharing. Our mission is to help people live the lives they desire.
Key successful projects you want to highlight?
We have successfully catered to renowned fitness chains/ brands in India.
Some of our Key Customers are as under:
Real Estate: Hiranandani Builders, Lodha Group, Prestige Constructions, Brigade Enterprises, Kanakia, Sobha group, Seth Builders, DLF, Ambuja Neotia, Mani group, PS Srijan, etc.
Commercial Gyms: Gold’s Gym, Anytime Fitness, Abs Fitness, Nitrro Wellness & Fitness Hub, Kris Gethin Gyms, Code Fitness, Apple Fitness, Adapt Fitness, Energie Fitness, Talwalkars, etc.
Recreation Clubs: The Willingdon Sports Club, Khar Gymkhana, National Sports Club of India, Chembur Gymkhana, Goregaon Sports Club, MIG Cricket Club, Matoshri Club, Bangalore Club, etc.
Corporates: Reliance Industries Ltd., Wipro, Google, TCS, Infosys, Swiss Re, Shell India, Oracle, Adobe, Niti Aayog, Reserve Bank of India, Yes Bank, ICICI Bank, etc.
Hospitality: Marriott Group, Hilton Hotels, Taj Group, Carlson Group, IHG Group, Accor Group, Hyatt Group, Wyndham, ITC Group of Hotels, etc.
Leading manufacturers you are associated with and how do you ensure quality and cost?
TIFC is associated with major fitness equipment and accessories brands like PRECOR, Jordan, Exigo, Torque, Airex, Reebok and Paviflex. TIFC is very selective in the choice of brands that it represents in India. Our primary brand, Precor, with a global market share of nearly 30% in the premium fitness equipment segment, for over three decades, has driven fitness forwards with a passionate focus on ergonomic motion, proven science and superior engineering. Precor constantly studies and anticipates the needs of the people and organisations they serve, and continually redefines the levels of innovation, quality and service necessary to deliver the very best fitness experience – all with the goal of improving the way people live their lives. All the brands represented by TIFC are leaders in their respective fields of business, and since we deliver premium fitness solutions at great prices and back it up with excellent customer service, we have in a short span of time managed to build trust and credibility in the hearts of our customers.
How do you keep manufacturing quality and services at par with the changing market trends?
TIFC represents the best in the fitness world in terms of quality and TIFC has the best service team currently in India. Whatever is the current fitness trend, TIFC has a solution. Be it big box gyms with cardio and strength equipment to functional fitness studios with Rigs, free weights and functional accessories, TIFC is able to meet every need. The brands that we represent are full solution providers and covers every trend or fad with solution offerings toevery need in this burgeoning fitness market.
How do you see the demand of fitness equipment in this growing fitness market?
According to a 2019 report published by International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), the global health club industry revenue totalled $94 billion (USD) in 2018, with more than 210,000 clubs serving 183 million members. Though the average global member penetration rates is over 12%, the member penetration rates for China was at 2.98% and that of India was only a meagre 0.15%!!!
One can see the huge growth potential for India, to reach at least the levels at which China currently is. With over 1.2 billion people in India, just do the math! The Indian fitness market is poised for significant and explosive growth in the years to come and we haven’t even reached the tip of the iceberg yet!
Your presence in the Indian Market?
We are headquartered in Mumbai with Regional offices in Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai and with representation in Kochi, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Kanpur, Chandigarh, Vijayawada, Coimbatore, Trivandrum and Goa.
Challenges and scope you find in the current scenario?
The Indian Fitness industry is highly unorganized and fragmented. The audience is not well educated in the field of fitness and training. This proves to be a challenge to develop the demand for a new-age fitness regime. Functional training is a well-developed concept in the western world, but for the Indian market, it is still in a nascent stage. Further, there is no government-accredited body or institution for imparting quality training and education in the field of fitness for potential fitness trainers and professional bodybuilders. This situation has opened the doors to a large number of spurious and illegitimate training centers which do more harm than good. Hence educating the masses is the key to turning the tide and will be a major step in improving the Indian fitness market.
2020 Plans?
Growth, growth and more growth! From inception, we have consistently grown our turnover by 35% to 50% YOY. We have aggressive growth strategies and look forward to increasing our brand portfolio and substantially increase and maintain our brand leadership position in the Indian Fitness market.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
