Cult.fit, founded in 2016 by former Flipkart executives, is expanding its business beyond gym memberships by aggressively pushing its product lines and building a physical retail footprint to fuel revenue growth and approach profitability.
- Product sales grew fivefold from FY22 to FY25, now 30% of revenue
- Operating 29 retail outlets, plans to expand to 50+ stores nationwide
- Combines in-house design with outsourced manufacturing for asset-light growth
What happened
Cult.fit has shifted from relying primarily on gym memberships to building a significant product business across fitness-related categories. Since entering the apparel segment in 2020, it has progressively added footwear, home fitness equipment, recovery devices such as handheld massagers, and accessories like gym bags and yoga mats. This diverse portfolio now accounts for around 30% of the startup’s total revenue, up from a smaller fraction just a few years ago.
Alongside product expansion, Cult.fit has established 29 exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) across India, providing customers with direct physical access to its products. While about 70% of product sales currently occur online, the company aims to accelerate offline growth by adding more stores beyond primary markets like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, including emerging cities such as Lucknow and Pune.
Why it matters
Cult.fit’s expansion into product sales and offline retail is a strategic effort to diversify revenue streams and enhance profitability. This approach reduces dependence on gym memberships, which remain the core of the business but have inherent market limitations. By offering a range of fitness-related goods, the company taps into the daily needs and lifestyle preferences of its existing gym user base, capturing additional consumer spend.
The hybrid model combining digital and offline channels also strengthens customer engagement and brand loyalty. Physical stores allow potential buyers to experience products such as treadmills or recovery devices firsthand—an important factor in higher-ticket categories. The retail expansion also supports geographic growth and brand visibility in tier 2 and 3 Indian cities, broadening Cult.fit’s market footprint.
What to watch next
Key indicators to follow include Cult.fit’s ability to scale its offline store network profitably and increase the share of offline product sales as planned. Management expects most of these outlets to break even within 9 to 12 months, which will be critical for sustaining capital-efficient growth.
Another area to monitor is how the product portfolio continues to evolve and whether Cult.fit can deepen product-market fit in emerging categories like recovery devices and fitness accessories. Maintaining an asset-light supply chain, with in-house design and outsourced manufacturing, will be vital to balancing growth ambitions with cost management as the company seeks overall profitability.