This second merger means the company will gain another 13 sites, bringing its total number of clubs to 36, with 85,000 members – almost triple the number of members of its closest competitor, SATs.

The enlarged company will continue to operate under the Fitness dk brand and expects a turnover of 54m euro (£37m) and earnings of around 7m euro (£5m) in 2006.

The founders of Hard Work, who formed the company in 1987, will continue to work in development roles for Fitness dk, which aims to go public in early 2007.

Members will be invited to buy shares in the company alongside professional investors.

Meanwhile, the company will continue with expansion plans to hit its target of 40 clubs and 100,000 members by the end of 2006.

CEO of Fitness dk, Rasmus Ingerslev, said size matters if you want to lead the market. “With our new size we will have even better resources to develop the best concepts and training methods for our members. And we will have an excellent coverage of the country.”

The expansion gets underway this month with the launch of a club in the Copenhagen suburb of Valby. At 8,000sq m, the site is the company’s largest facility to date and will feature its usual mix of health, fitness and wellness facilities.

The Danish market has grown rapidly in the last few years, but still lags behind other Nordic countries such as Norway and Sweden, claims Ingerslev.

“We have identified a growth potential of at least 250,000 Danes, who are currently not physically active in health and fitness clubs,” he said. “Denmark has room for about 100 more clubs and Fitness dk wants to have a major share in them.”