Fitness club chain Oz Fitness Inc., of Spokane, says it has bought West Plains Fitness, near Airway Heights, and will operate it under the Oz Fitness name.

The acquisition gives Oz, owned by Ian Riley, a total of five outlets in the Spokane area and eight overall, counting one gym in Montana and two in Oregon, Riley says. The West Plains gym occupies an 8,000-square-foot leased space in a 19,000-square-foot building at 1515 S. Technology Lane.

Riley, a native of Australia, says he would like to expand later into some or all of the remaining space in the building, but adds, "For now, we need to meet a membership target number, and stabilize the business financially. Expansions we'll delay until that happens."

Todd and Beth Mathison opened West Plains Fitness in late 2007. Riley says it employs two full-time and three part-time employees.

Oz Fitness is one of the Spokane area's largest fitness club chains with more than 45,000 memberships here. It has 47 full-time and about 233 part-time employees at the other four locations.

Riley bought four 24-Hour fitness gyms in Spokane and one in Coeur d'Alene in 2004 and renamed them Oz Fitness. Oz Fitness gym manager Jason Pumphrey says the West Plains gym offers group fitness, a sauna, and tanning facilities, plus a child-care area, and is open seven days a week.