The rapid pace of new fitness studio openings has helped drive D.C.'s retail market in recent years, and it is now helping fill a vacant grocery store space in the suburbs.

OneLife Fitness signed a 10-year, 41K SF lease for a former Giant space at 17821 Georgia Ave. in Olney, Maryland, the Washington Business Journal reports.

Giant vacated the building in April and moved to a new space less than a mile away at 18140 Village Center Drive. OneLife Fitness plans to open in the Georgia Avenue space by year-end. H&R Retail's Jim Crilley brokered the lease.

OneLife Fitness has 36 locations across five states, including 19 in Virginia and five in Maryland. Much of its recent growth has focused on repurposing vacant retail spaces, including a former Kmart store in Virginia Beach and a former Macy's department store in Hagerstown. A majority stake in its parent company, McLean-based U.S. Fitness, was sold last year to a partnership of Delos Capital and HRS Management.

The expansion comes as retail fitness centers are experiencing explosive growth across the D.C. region. The fitness market in the District has grown from 35 locations in 2009 to 192 as of June 2019, according to a CBRE report. The majority of the growth has been from small, specialized fitness studios, but full-service health clubs like Vida Fitness and Equinox have also been expanding across D.C.