The demand for indoor fitness equipment continues to surge in Qatar as many residents do their workouts at home amid the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. More customers have been looking for treadmills, cross/elliptical trainer machines, and stationary bikes, as well as strength equipment such as dumbbells and barbells, according to a number of sports and fitness outlets in Doha.
“Technogym is now experiencing a very high demand for home fitness solutions due to the fact that health has risen within Qatar people’s priorities and people are investing more in-home services after the lockdown,” Technogym Qatar general manager Christophe Altabas told Gulf Times.
“Visits on social media and technogym.com have increased tenfold, while customer inbound phone calls forced us to quickly readapt our operations. We will soon launch our e-commerce platform to delight even more customers,” he said.
He said customers’ current demands are mainly treadmills, bikes, strength equipment and accessories, which reflect their needs to recreate a small gym in the comfort of their home. “Thanks to the strict health safety measures adopted, we are still operating and ensure daily activities keeping in mind the health and safety of our team, customers and community,” Altabas added.
While temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the past weeks, sports shops and outlets in Doha have been permitted operate via online shopping, offering home delivery services based on Qatari authorities’ directives.
An employee of a popular sports chain in Qatar echoed Altabas’s statement saying indoor sports equipment, particularly treadmills, were the top fast-moving items in the past two months. “We ran out of stocks, we only have a few items left which cost more than QR10,000,” he said, adding that they expect new supplies to arrive soon.
Several indoor sports equipment posted online were either temporarily unavailable or limited in stocks, according to a customer who was looking for a treadmill. It is learnt that the growing popularity of virtual fitness workouts with professional instructors and coaches also helped in promoting certain fitness products and brands such as apparel and shoes.
“It’s always advisable to dress up appropriately during workouts even indoors so you can move freely and comfortably,” said an instructor who posts her workout videos on Facebook and Instagram. Besides the threats of Covid-19, it is learnt that the onset of summer season also entices many people to buy new fitness equipment, accessories and other gears as they stay home and exercise indoors.
