VivaGym to invest €100 million on 100 gyms in Portugal by 2030

VivaGym, The gym chain, which operates in Portugal and Spain, aims to double in size in a market where it sees potential not only for growth but also for market leadership. It does not rule out (further) acquisitions to achieve this.

The company plans to open 10 to 15 gyms per year to 2030 in Portugal to give substance to an “ambitious” strategy of achieving leadership in a market described as a “priority.”

“Portugal is a market with enormous potential and a rapidly growing fitness community, yet it has a penetration rate—8.2%—below the European Union average, meaning there is room for growth,” says Luis de Mello, the newly appointed General Manager of VivaGym in Portugal, in an interview with business daily Negócios.

To this end, an “ambitious” expansion plan is underway to accelerate growth, aiming to more than double the size of the network—which currently comprises 46 gyms and employs 320 people—within five years.

The gym chain had already started in 2025 with the acquisition of clubs belonging to the Portuguese group Gymnasium in the Algarve. However, Managing Director of VivaGym Portugal, Luis de Mello says that the execution of this strategy will shift to “a completely different pace.”

“We want to surpass the 100-gym mark—ideally even before 2030,” he highlights, adding that VivaGym is close to finalising contracts for its first openings of the coming year, though he did not disclose the future locations.

Source: Negócios; Image: VivaGym