Virgin Active founder Sir Richard Branson has announced the gym chain is gearing up for a significant international expansion over the next three years.

Buoyed by the support of South African investment powerhouse Brait, which recently acquired a controlling stake in the business, Virgin Active has plans to significantly increase its presence in the Asia Pacific region.

The chain is partnering with leading Thai mall operators to secure prime locations for the six new clubs it expects to open in Thailand over the next three years. The company also announced plans to bring up to 14 new gyms to Australia, taking the total number of clubs to around 20.

“Our strong performance and position in Bangkok means that we have the perfect platform to grow our club network in the greater parts of the city, bringing our fantastic facilities to an even wider group of people interested in getting active,” said Branson.

“Having seen the success of our clubs here in Thailand, and more widely in Singapore too, we are confident we have the track record, a strong pipeline of potential sites and the right infrastructure in place to accelerate our growth.”

The company hopes to build on the strong gains made in 2014, with a recent trading statement showing that for the year to 31 December, underlying earnings across the group grew by 13 per cent to £124m, with balanced growth across all territories.