Interview: Alejandro Martí of Sport City in Mexico

CBI: First, please update us on the current status of Sport City. How many clubs do you have now, and where are they located? What are their target market and average dues?

Alejandro Marti: We have 42 premium family-oriented clubs that are targeted toward affluent individuals. They offer state-of-the-art cardio and strength-training equipment, squash, tennis, paddle tennis, swimming, and a long list of classes that include yoga, Pilates, and Spinning.

            The clubs are located in major cities throughout Mexico, including Mexico City, Monterrey, Puebla, Cancun, Leon, Guadalajara, and Villahermosa. Their average monthly dues are approximately $200.

CBI: What initially prompted you to create Sport City? Were you an athlete yourself?

AM: While I’ve never been an “athlete,” I have always included a sport or a workout in my daily routine. My father and grandfather were sporting-goods merchants, and my life as a sporting-goods retailer was always closely involved with sports and fitness.

We founded our first Sport City Health and Fitness Club in 1995—before the fitness and wellness industry really got started in Mexico. At that time, the only gyms in existence were small studios and low-quality or “pumping-iron” gyms. There were no big players.

CBI: So you were the first in Mexico to open a large multifaceted facility?

AM: Yes. A large, multipurpose, sophisticated, high-end facility like Sport City was a revolutionary concept; there was nothing else like it. My goal was to offer “the world’s finest fitness clubs”—that is, high-quality 75,000-square-foot facilities with experienced staff, offering the latest workout programs to all consumers, including athletes.

CBI: Briefly, how would you describe the Mexican health club market today?

AM: It is very fragmented. There are a couple of chains, many mom-and-pop clubs, and a number of U.S. franchises, including Curves, Bally Total Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Snap Fitness, and Hard Candy. I think your readers might be surprised to know that the competition here is fierce. There are a lot of newcomers in the Mexican marketplace, including the franchisors I just mentioned.

Also, our culture is still coming to grips with the concepts of exercise and wellness. In the U.S., Europe, and even in South American, people are much more comfortable with the idea of regular exercise. I would say that, at this point, our biggest “challenge” is that Mexicans are unwilling to commit to exercise.

CBI: Do you expect to open more clubs in 2012?  

AM: We plan to continue at our current pace of expansion—opening three or four clubs a year.

CBI: How has Sport City been coping with the global economic downturn? 

AM: At Sport City, we have fought to improve retention by improving our service. We have also generated sales with special offerings, such as new group classes each month.

CBI: Given the current economic state, how is your new low-cost operation, Sport City Active, faring?

AM: Sport City Active, which we launched earlier this year, already has 2,700 members. This 40,000-square-foot club offers cardio and weights, a Spinning room, group fitness, and a pool, with dues of under $100 per month. Sport City Active is still in the testing phase, and we may open more locations in the future.

CBI: Moving on to a more personal, but no less important, topic: we’ve learned that you will soon be honored with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. How did this nomination come about?

AM: In 2008, my 14-year-old son, Fernando, was kidnapped and murdered. Despite all the grief and sorrow I felt, I decided not to retreat, but to fight against crime and the corruption and indifference of the Mexican government. I raised my voice because I did not want to tolerate more cases like Fernando’s. I founded Mexico SOS, an organization that promotes legal reform and a reliable judicial system. Many Mexican people have joined me in this effort. 

Early this year, I received the notice from the Woodrow Wilson Center of Mexico that I was being nominated to receive the award, which is really an honor for me. It will be presented at a ceremony in Mexico City on November 15.

CBI:  Are there any other factors that may have contributed to your nomination?

AM: I would like to mention that my life as a businessman may also have led to my being considered for this award. In addition, my corporate team, headed by our CEO, Carlos Gomez Andonaegui, deserves major recognition.

            Also important is the fact that I was invited to join the board of directors of the U.S./Mexico Foundation. This organization and its mission are praiseworthy—it demonstrates a dedication to philanthropy, and a strong connection among like-minded individuals in our neighboring countries.

CBI: What has been the final outcome of the case involving your son? Have all of those responsible been arrested, tried, and/or imprisoned?

AM: More than 15 delinquents involved in my son’s case are already incarcerated. However, two or three are still walking the streets. Unfortunately, I cannot say that the authorities did their jobs completely. I, myself, am still investigating the case. I am trying to be the voice of the victims of crime.

CBI: Respectfully, how has the loss of your son altered your life and career, overall?

What helped you to get through this? How did you find the strength?

AM: I am living an unexpected life; the course it has taken was one that I never planned. As a businessman, I always imagined that, in my elderly years, I would live a happy and peaceful life with my youngest sons, Fernando and Alejandro, my oldest child, Jimena, and my lovely wife, Matilde, surrounded by a bunch of grandchildren. I envisioned having plenty of time for them.

            Now, my “religion” is to work for the common good of victims of crime. My son, Fernando, gave me the strength. I know that he would have wanted me to fight for the victims of crime. He has been my inspiration.

CBI: Given what you’ve been through, do you think, if you were a young man, you would still enter the sporting-goods and health club business, or would you choose something else?

AM: If had to choose, I’m sure that I would choose the same businesses. I have enjoyed them all of my life.

CBI: Given the national and international attention to your son’s death, are you now able to do things for your community that were not possible before?

AM: Yes, I think that is the case. One of the missions of Mexico SOS—and one of my own—is to give a voice to ordinary Mexican citizens. The message is that corruption and indifference need to stop, and that crime will no longer be tolerated.

Mexico SOS unites associations with the same mission—Observatorios Cidudanos (citizen’s watch)—within the entire country. I am working every day with Mexico SOS, whose objective is to promote the law and a more equal society.

CBI: Following these last few challenging years, it seems appropriate to ask how your philosophy has changed. Do you have any final words of wisdom to offer to others?

AM: My advice is to fight for your dreams, and to fight for a better world.

Alejandro Joaquín Martí García, 61, is descended from José Martí, the 19th-century Cuban liberator. His father and grandfather, sporting-goods merchants, embarked on business in Mexico City in 1936. In 1968, Martí and his father founded Martí, the first sporting-goods chain in Mexico, to celebrate the Mexico City Olympics. Four years later, Martí completed his BA in business administration at Universidad La Salle. In 1995, as president and cofounder of Fondo Opción, a real estate firm, he launched Sport City, the first high-end, family-oriented club chain in Mexico. It now has locations in major cities throughout the country. In 2007, Martí became chairman of the board of Grupo Martí, S. A., the holding company for more than 100 Martí sports stores and 42 Sport City clubs. In 2008, after the tragic kidnapping and death of his son, Fernando, Martí launched a national crusade against violence in Mexico. He resides in Mexico City with his family.

Honored For His Commitment

On November 15, the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute will present its Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service to Alejandro Joaquín Martí García. This award is given by the nonpartisan Washington D.C.-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian, which explores national and global issues, to individuals who have served with distinction in public service and have shown a special commitment to seeking out informed opinions and thoughtful views in the public interest. Past recipients of the award have included Vice President Richard Cheney, Senator John S. McCain, General Colin Powell, Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, Stefanie Graf, General David H. Petraeus, Condoleezza Rice, and Andre Agassi.