How Savvas Kyriacou grew the Muscleworks gym franchise

The brand was established in London in 1988 at a tiny space in Bethnal Green. Now, it operates as London’s bodybuilding hub, with plans to expand further

In 1988 in Bethnal Green, London, Savvas Kyriacou opened the doors to a gym totalling 2,500 square feet.

His vision was clear – the gym was to be a tailored space catering to the city’s serious bodybuilders, which Savvas believed would set the gym apart from competitors.

To achieve this, he invested in high quality, specialised equipment which quickly attracted enough demand to outgrow the space in Bethnal Green.

Levelling up locations

Savvas responded to growing demand by moving his Bethnal Green Muscleworks Gym to a bigger location 300 meters down the road.

The new venue was nearly double the size (4,500 square feet) which enabled him to take on more gym members and install better equipment.

In 1990, three years since originally opening, Savvas was able to purchase the entire building, expanding Muscleworks to 7,500 square feet.

Why Bethnal Green?

Creating a strong presence was essential in establishing the Muscleworks Gym brand.

The location is close to central London and easily accessible by underground, which meant the gym could accommodate those within the densely populated local area as well as members from other parts of city.

Between 1990 and 2018, Savvas was able to home in on Muscleworks’ body building unique selling point, which created an established reputation within the industry.

This was supported as an increasing number of heavyweight and junior champions trained at the gym.

Dealing with overcrowding

Creating a name within competitive bodybuilding has created the issue of over-crowding for Muscleworks Gym.

This prompted Savvas to relocate a third time to an even bigger venue within Bethnal Green, which had the additional offer of 24/7 opening hours.

The brand has continued to attract gym members to the location, which encouraged Savvas to expand into next door when the opportunity became available. The gym now measures 20,000 square feet.

Further adaptations

Savvas has aimed to develop Muscleworks alongside growing trends within the bodybuilding industry.

For example, an increasing number of women are bodybuilding, consumers have a growing appetite for fitness classes, and demand for the latest exercise equipment continues.

Now, the brand hopes to continue building on the foundations that Savvas has laid down, scaling across the UK via a franchise model.