California-based high-intensity workout concept Barry’s has opened its first Vancouver location and more could open in the city. Vancouver marks Barry’s fourth Canadian location after the fitness company entered the Canadian market in 2017.
The 5,107 square foot fitness concept is located in the city’s Central Business District at 1035 West Pender Street at the base of an office tower. CEO Joey Gonzalez says that the company had been looking for several years for a Vancouver location, even before entering the Toronto market four years ago.
The Vancouver real estate market is tight, Gonzalez explained, and the right space finally was found in an area adjacent to the affluent Coal Harbour neighbourhood that is home to thousands of residents in pricey condominium towers. Martin Moriarty and Mario Negris of Marcus & Millichap handled the lease transaction.
“We were drawn to the site at Coal Harbour as a result of its density, walkability, and mix of office and residential,” said Gonzalez who went on to say in an interview that more Barry’s locations could open in the Vancouver area. That includes on on the North Shore, either in North Vancouver or West Vancouver, as well as in the city’s trendy Kitsilano area.
The Vancouver studio hosts Barry’s iconic Red Room with up to 51 spots for the high-intensity interval training workout that alternates between cardio on the treadmill and strength training on the floor. Locker rooms are stocked with Oribe and Dyson amenities. A retail space featuring Vancouver’s own Lululemon athletic apparel. A Fuel Bar offers a variety of snacks and signature smoothies. Barry’s is open seven days a week and targets a different muscle group each day.
Barry’s opened its first Canadian location in Toronto’s Entertainment District at 310 Richmond Street West in late 2017. in May of 2019, it opened its second location in Toronto’s affluent Bloor-Yorkville area at the back of the 100 Bloor Street West commercial podium.
In the fall of 2019, Barry’s opened its third location in Canada in Calgary, marking its first ‘hybrid’ storefront in partnership with Lululemon. Both brands share a building in Calgary’s Mission/Cliff Bungalow area at 2308 4 Street SW in the historic Bannerman Block that was built in 1911.
Further expansion for Barry’s is expected according to Gonzalez, and the company is taking a cautious approach while analyzing area demographics following a shift caused by the pandemic. Barry’s seeks out locations that include nearby workers and given the work-from-home situation across the country, some locations may not be as desirable as they were prior to the pandemic given the reduction in daytime foot traffic.
He said that the Toronto market could see more locations open, and other markets in Canada could also see Barry’s locations as well depending on future location and demographic analysis.
Given changes to the world due to the pandemic including a digital transformation, Barry’s recently launched its digital platform Barry’s X in Canada. The on-demand and live digital classes are popular in the United States and the expansion was requested by Canadian clients.
Gonzalez said that Barry’s X helps differentiate Barry’s as a global fitness brand that can offer clients an omni-cannel experience including a user experience where users can join by camera and instructions can watch for form and give feedback.
A timeline of Barry’s history from its website:
- 1998: LA based celebrity trainer Barry Jay has the idea for a one-stop cardio and strength training workout that actually works. Barry Jay partners with John and Rachel Mumford to open the first Barry’s Bootcamp in West Hollywood and together they launch the boutique fitness studio revolution;
- 2003: Barry’s CEO Joey Gonzalez joins the company and becomes a star trainer at Barry’s;
- 2009: Barry’s expands outside of Los Angeles for the first time, opening in San Diego;
- 2011: Barry’s takes Manhattan! The first NYC studio opens in Chelsea, which sees the first Fuel Bar launch and first use of its signature Woodway treadmills;
- 2011: Barry’s opens its first international location in Bergen, Norway.
- 2015: Barry’s goes global and expands further into the US: Studios open in London, Boston, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. Expansion continues across New York City and the Hamptons. Barry’s retail hits new levels of success with expansion of the collection to Bloomingdale’s;
