Urban Gym Group Enters Dubai as Middle East’s Fitness Market Keeps Growing

The European operator is expanding into its fourth country with Arkhe as Dubai and the wider Middle East attract growing investment from global fitness brands

Urban Gym Group (UGG) is heading to the Middle East, entering Dubai through a joint venture with fitness and wellness entrepreneur Stewart Miller as the Netherlands-based operator accelerates its international expansion.

UGG and Miller have launched Arkhe, a new wellness and performance club in Dubai Marina combining traditional fitness with recovery, longevity diagnostics and boutique fitness under a single membership.

The move brings UGG into its fourth country and adds Dubai to a growing international footprint that includes Amsterdam, London and Dublin. The multi-brand operator now counts more than 60 clubs across the Netherlands, U.K., Ireland and UAE.

Arkhe, located at Silverene Tower, features a performance gym floor and outdoor hybrid training area alongside a recovery suite offering traditional and infrared saunas, an ice bath, hyperbaric chamber, compression boots and red light therapy.

The club also offers longevity diagnostics through Longevity-UK, a Pilat3s Dynamic Reformer studio and a café overlooking Dubai Marina.

“What members ask of a club has broadened,” UGG board chair Jordy Kool said. “Training is still the core, but recovery, and understanding your own health, and having somewhere you actually want to spend time have become part of the same conversation.”

The Dubai launch comes less than two months after UGG entered Ireland by acquiring four Iconic Health Clubs locations in Dublin, which are being converted into the group’s TrainMore and Clubsportive concepts.

UGG made its major entry into the U.K. in 2024 with its acquisition of London fitness brand Gymbox and has since continued growing through a combination of acquisitions and new openings.

Its portfolio now spans full-service gyms, boutique studios and recovery concepts, including TrainMore, Gymbox, Clubsportive, The CLB, Rush, Pilat3s, Trib3 and Arkhe.

For Arkhe, Miller will lead the club and joint venture on the ground, while UGG provides operational expertise, technology and commercial infrastructure and capital for growth.

UGG is already signaling that Dubai could represent more than a one-off opening.

Kool said his family office has moved to Dubai to invest in the region and that UGG has a pipeline of potential acquisitions as it looks to accelerate growth. The company is inviting club operators, studio owners and investors to explore acquisitions, joint ventures and other partnerships.

“We have a pipeline of acquisitions and we have decided to focus on growth,” Kool said. “We are approachable, we can move fast, and we are open to building business and partnerships.”

Fitness Investment Heats Up in the Middle East

UGG arrives as the Middle East emerges as an increasingly important market for global fitness and wellness operators.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia rank among the world’s five fastest-growing wellness economies, according to the Global Wellness Institute, while Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative has helped fuel investment in physical activity and fitness infrastructure across the region.

UAE-founded GymNation, for example, secured a $100 million private credit facility earlier this year as it targets more than 100 locations across the GCC within three years. International brands including UFC Gym and Anytime Fitness are also pursuing expansion in the region.