CAIRO: "It's great to be at Curves, said Whitney Bachrach, answering the telephone at her Curves Mohandiseen branch with the customary enthusiasm that has come to define the growing trend of women's gyms in Cairo. Soon after Bachrach ended the phone call, one of her assistants rushed into the office, and the two engaged in a spirited discussion about how best to entice an older client into renewing her membership. A few minutes later, Bachrach placed a phone call to another Curves franchise owner across town, discussing a member's request to exercise at more than one branch, something that is, strictly speaking, against company policy. Practically out of breath, Bachrach bounced from task to task, charting a broad and ambitious vision for her club while wrestling with the minutiae of running a day-to-day business. This is the average pace of life for Bachrach and five other franchise owners around Cairo as they build a business that caters specifically to the city's growing number of professional women. Since opening its first franchise in Maadi just over a year ago Curves, a US-based women's gym whose mission statement is "strengthening Women, has begun to carve an important niche in a market already accustomed to providing services and products exclusively for women. "We are the first gym that specifically targets working women, said Bachrach. The specific exercise regimen that Curves offers is designed to appeal to working women because it provides a full workout in only half an hour - perfect, says Nasr City Curves owner Mona El Gammal, for the "hectic lifestyle many Egyptian women have to live with today. "Women in our country need someone to help them stay healthy within a short time, El Gamal continued. "The concept is good for women in Egypt, added Nerine Elattar, owner of Curves' new Maadi branch. "It's affordable to women, not only financially, but also time-wise. "We do have a lot of community leaders, business owners, and women in high-powered positions, Bachrach said, adding that non-working women also make up a significant portion of the club's membership. One of the most significant issues facing the new cadre of Curves owners is the lack of a tradition of exercise among women in Egypt. This challenge, which several Curves owners agree is the fledgling business' greatest, has led the franchise owners to create a broad-scoped marketing campaign. Curves bills itself as a place for social interaction in an effort to draw new customers. Maadi branch owner Elattar explains that Egyptian women traditionally exercised by walking in groups. The fear, then, was that a gym might sterilize the exercising process and eliminate the social component. To counteract this, Curves encourages its members to stay after the workout for tea or coffee, it promotes games and activities on the exercise floor to promote interaction, and it aggressively recruits friends and families of existing members. "The program is more successful when you come in with your friends or your families, explains Elattar. "You support each other and encourage each other. Selling the social component to outsiders remains a challenge. Though Curves advertises extensively in women's magazines, word of mouth has been the most effective way of bringing in new members. There are encouraging signs, however, to suggest that Curves is getting its message across. Unlike in the United States where membership is geared towards women in their 40s and 50s, Curves Egypt enjoys a roughly equal age distribution across its membership base. Besides its support for working women, Curves boasts a diverse set of intrepid women as franchise owners. Bachrach, a native of the United States, arrived in Egypt two years ago struck by the different standards of modesty among women in Egypt. She pounced at the opportunity to open a Curves branch because she hoped to create a safe, comfortable environment in which women could stay healthy and interact socially. El Gammal is a clinical geneticist who has begun to make nutrition a focus of her research. As a doctor, she is intimately familiar with the negative effects of obesity and viewed purchasing a Curves franchise as a way of taking on these issues. "I am a believer in exercise and fitness, she says. "I am a believer in sports and health. They will help you stay away from any heart disease. I am a believer in the [Curves] system and in the results. By contrast, Elattar has a business degree and moved from the US with her husband two years ago. She was drawn to Curves because of her intersecting interests in fitness, business, and women's issues. With pioneering owners employing innovative strategies, Curves has already proved a successful business model, but it remains to be seen whether it can act as a catalyst in beginning an industry geared towards supporting working women.
