Fitness startup company Silofit was created by Wilfred Valenta, who struggled to find a temporary gym while working on the road.
After failing to find an office to rent out to serve this purpose, Valenta launched Silofit in order to provide people with “micro-gyms” that can be rented hourly.
Silofit is one of many startups that have emerged that repurpose commercial space while many office workers continue to work remotely. Office vacancies are high, so companies are turning these unused spaces into storage areas, classrooms, coworking spaces, and more.
These types of offices are typically low-cost and offer people a safe area to stay active while gyms either remain closed or too crowded for the comfort of some.
“There was definitely an uptick because our spaces are private and people view those as sanitary spaces where people can work out alone,” said Valenta.
Silofit seeks out 500 to 1,000 square feet spaces in multi-tenant buildings, leases it for five to 10 years, then renovates the space with equipment and a shower before marketing the new location.
At the moment, the company has 20 locations in Montreal and Toronto, with plans to open 50 additional locations in the U.S. over the next year-and-a-half.
