18GYM is coming to Brăila Plaza

18GYM, the Romanian fitness network founded by Vlad and Alexandra Ronea, is coming to Brăila Plaza, the retail park on Strada Industriei in Brăila that NestPlus is developing and building and will also operate. The club is already listed among the upcoming openings on the 18GYM website, where pre-sale sign-ups for the Brăila club are open.

The gym will be part of the park's retail gallery, alongside brands such as JYSK, Action, dm, Sinsay, PEPCO, TEDi and Dr. Max. The park will also have a food court with Burger King, Mesopotamia and Spartan, and Kaufland and Lidl already trade from their own buildings on the same site. Brăila Plaza opens on 3 December 2026, and 18GYM says its Brăila club is opening "soon". On the club's page, the company lists premium equipment, personal trainers, a nutrition bar, secure lockers, modern showers and free water.

18GYM began more than a decade ago in Târgu Mureș, where the Ronea siblings are from. By mid-2024 the network had four clubs in the city. Both founders hold personal-training and fitness certifications. Vlad Ronea had worked on cruise ships as a fitness instructor and spa manager, and he tried to adapt the model he saw there to Romania's fitness industry. The name comes from his dream of opening 18 clubs in Romania.

The network has since passed that mark. It grew from 15 locations in 2022 to 35 in 2024, which Vlad Ronea described to Forbes România as the company's biggest leap. In 2023 alone it opened new clubs in Bucharest and seven other cities, including Satu Mare, Piatra Neamț, Cluj-Napoca and Mediaș. In March 2026 18GYM had 37 clubs. According to Economica.net (October 2026), it now operates 45, mostly in the north of the country. Turnover rose from 57,000 lei in 2013 to more than 10 million lei in 2023. In 2025 revenue passed 17 million euro, and the number of members grew by 40% that year.

18GYM describes itself as a smart-budget fitness network. Its clubs have dedicated areas for cardio, functional training, strength machines and free weights. Group classes, 24/7 access and sauna and spa areas are available in selected locations. Personal trainers are available in every club for an extra fee. A single membership gives access to every 18GYM club in the country. Members get in by scanning a QR code in the 18GYM app, which also has training and nutrition plans.

This year has brought two important steps for the company. In March, the private equity firm Enterprise Investors announced an investment of up to 20.4 million euro for a significant minority stake in 18GYM, and the deal closed in June. When it closed, Vlad Ronea said the goal was to take the network past 100 clubs through new openings and acquisitions, with new clubs aimed at cities of more than 50,000 inhabitants. In October, 18GYM and Stay Fit Gym announced they are joining forces: Morphosis Capital is selling its stake in Stay Fit Gym to 18GYM. Once the deal closes, the two networks will form a common platform with more than 120 clubs and around 130,000 members, operating under both brands. According to Ziarul Financiar, before the deal Stay Fit Gym ranked second and 18GYM third in Romania's fitness market by 2025 results. Closing depends on competition and foreign direct investment approvals, and until then the two networks operate independently.

Brăila is on 18GYM's list of upcoming openings, alongside new clubs in Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest, Brașov, Târgu Mureș, Constanța, Timișoara and Popești-Leordeni. For Brăila Plaza, the gym adds sport to the everyday shopping mix. Brăila residents can fit a workout into the same trip as the weekly shop, and a membership taken out in Brăila is valid across the whole 18GYM network.