DUIN buys SohoFit Badalona, expands Barcelona metro fitness network

DUIN has tightened its hold on the Barcelona fitness map by buying SohoFit Badalona, a deal that adds another suburban anchor to a network already stretching through Màgic Badalona and Tiana. The move was framed as part of a sustainable growth plan, but its real significance is geographic: in a market where fitness chains compete on convenience as much as on brand, DUIN has now built a denser presence in the north of the metropolitan area.

That northern cluster matters because suburban nodes are where operators can turn occasional visits into repeat habits. A member who lives in Badalona, commutes through the area, or splits training between nearby neighborhoods is more likely to stay inside a brand family when there are multiple clubs within the same corridor. SohoFit Badalona gives DUIN another point of contact in that pattern, strengthening the company’s ability to keep users within one ecosystem as they move across the Barcelona metro zone.

For Badalona members, the clearest message is continuity. DUIN said it would keep SohoFit Badalona’s identity and integrate the club without changing its essence or its relationship with users. That approach suggests the acquisition is meant to preserve the local loyalty the club has already built, rather than replace it with a fully rebranded model. SohoFit Badalona has been described as a reference club in the city, which helps explain why DUIN chose to buy an established site instead of starting from scratch.

The purchase also shows how regional scale is becoming a competitive weapon around Barcelona. Chains are no longer fighting only in the city center; they are building overlapping footprints across the metro area, where density can improve retention, local awareness and operating efficiency. DUIN’s latest step strengthens a homegrown operator at a time when international brands continue to target the market, and it gives the company a stronger base for cross-selling and member movement between clubs.

That broader platform is already visible in DUIN’s footprint beyond Badalona. According to the company profile, DUIN managed 11 sports centers at the end of 2024 and served about 45,000 members. Its network spans several Spanish cities, including Barcelona, Madrid, Mallorca, Santander and Badalona, placing the SohoFit deal inside a national expansion story rather than a single local transaction. In that context, Badalona is not a side street. It is one more strategic node in a network built to hold ground around Barcelona.