Xtreme Brands, the organisation behind the Xtreme Fitness Gyms and Xtreme KiDS brands, is reinforcing the team responsible for its development outside Poland. Štefan Blahovec is joining the company as Development Partner. His role will be to support the brand's expansion into the Czech market, develop relationships with partners, and lay the foundations for scaling the fitness club network in the Czech Republic.
Over recent years, Xtreme Brands has built one of the most recognised franchise networks in Poland in the fitness and family services segment. The umbrella brand now brings together two concepts — Xtreme Fitness Gyms and Xtreme KiDS — both developed under a franchise model, built on repeatable know-how, local partnerships, and centralised support for investors.
Entering the Czech market marks the next stage in the organisation's growth. Fitness is a local business: it depends on well-chosen locations, cost structures, the purchasing power of local residents, customer habits, the labour market, and relationships with property owners. This is why, in international expansion, it is not only the brand that matters — but also the team that understands the realities of a given country from the inside.
Štefan Blahovec has spent years working across the fitness, retail, and franchise sectors in Central Europe. Over the past several years, he co-managed and developed Form Factory, one of the most recognised Czech fitness club networks, with locations in Prague, Brno, Ostrava, and beyond. Form Factory today operates a network of 55 clubs.
At Xtreme Brands, his experience will be applied primarily to developing the Xtreme Fitness Gyms network in the Czech market. His work will cover building a local expansion model, identifying potential locations, engaging with partners and investors, and adapting the business framework to the specific dynamics of the market. In practice, this means combining several areas of expertise: knowledge of the fitness industry, an understanding of franchising, experience working with real estate, and the ability to build profitable investment models.
International expansion is not simply a matter of replicating what has worked in the home market. Every country has its own dynamics, its own customers, different investor expectations, and different operational realities. That is why we value people who know the local market, can read its potential, and translate strategy into concrete business decisions. Štefan's experience in developing fitness networks in the Czech Republic will be an important asset to us in this process – says James Cotton, CEO of Xtreme Fitness Gyms and Xtreme KiDS.
Beyond his operational experience, Štefan has consistently emphasised the importance of physical activity as a component of a healthy lifestyle — its long-term effectiveness and the quality it brings to people's lives. This perspective is in line with a broader shift taking place across the fitness industry: clubs are increasingly seen not simply as places to train, but as local infrastructure for health, preventive care, and everyday habits.
The fitness market in Central Europe still has significant potential, but unlocking that potential requires a responsible approach: the right locations, the right investment model, and an offering that is accessible to a wide range of customers. In Xtreme Brands, I see an organisation that combines ambition for scale with very practical thinking about franchising, operations, and the accessibility of fitness. My role will be to help translate that model into the realities of the Czech market – says Štefan Blahovec, Expansion Manager of Xtreme Brands in the Czech Republic.
For Xtreme Brands, the Czech Republic is a natural direction for growth — geographically, culturally, and commercially close, yet requiring its own distinct strategy. Bringing on board someone with deep experience in the local fitness market is intended to accelerate this process and reduce one of the most significant risks of international expansion: underestimating the differences between markets.
