Health and Fitness Club Industry News: Chains
Friday, August 7th, 2026
International Franchise Association Names Caroline Simmons and Curves of Wytheville, Virginia, Franchisee of the Year
Posted: September 6, 2018 in Chains
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The International Franchise Association (IFA), the oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide, named Caroline Simmons, a Curves franchise owner in Wytheville, VA, one of its 2018 Franchisees of the Year. Caroline Simmons was recognized at IFA’s Franchise Action Network Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., which brings together more than 400 franchise business leaders to raise awareness with policymakers on the industry’s continued successes and economic contributions. Read More...
United PF Partners Acquires Arizona Planet Fitness Club Group
Posted: September 5, 2018 in Chains
AUSTIN, TX - United PF Partners (United PF), the largest Planet Fitness (NYSE :PLNT) franchisee, has acquired 19 Planet Fitness locations in the Phoenix market from JEG-FIT, increasing its operating club count to 108 clubs across 10 states. United PF was formed by JLM Financial Partners (JLM) and Eagle Merchant Partners (Eagle) in November 2016 with the merger of several leading Planet Fitness franchisees. In addition to acquiring the operating clubs from JEG-FIT and the remaining development rights to the Phoenix market, the investment from United PF will provide capital to fuel club-level improvements and growth through the development of new clubs in this market. Read More...
Life Time Set to Launch Life Time Sport at Historic Winter Park This Fall
Posted: September 5, 2018 in Chains
CHANHASSEN, MN - Life Time is set to launch an all-new concept, Life Time Sport, at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Following a pilot in Lakeville, Life Time Sport will officially kick-off at the former Minnesota Vikings practice facility once modest renovations are complete later this fall. In the interim, Life Time will offer outdoor play and limited access events in September. A Wait List has been established for interested families, and details of the Winter Park lease for the interim use of the facility have not yet been disclosed. Read More...
Workout Anytime Flexes Muscles with More Gyms Planned Across the Southeast
Posted: August 29, 2018 in Chains
CHATTANOOGA, TN - Jeff Londis co-founded Benchmark Physical Therapy in 1995 and helped build the Chattanooga-based PT therapy chain to more than 350 clinics either owned or managed by Benchmark across the country before selling his interest in that business a couple of years ago. The 57-year-old Chattanooga businessman is flexing his entrepreneurial muscles again in a different industry he bought into a decade ago and has grown to soon include five locations. Londis, the local franchisee for Workout Anytime, hopes to have at least 10 locations and thousands of members in the Southeast within the next three years. Read More...
SilverSneakers Announces National Swanson Award Winner
Posted: August 29, 2018 in Chains
CHANDLER, AZ - SilverSneakers by Tivity Health (NASDAQ:TVTY), the nation's leading community fitness program for older Americans, announced the national winner of the 2018 SilverSneakers Swanson Award. DeWitt, Michigan resident, Sally Miller has been named the winner of the 14th annual award, which is presented to one member whose commitment to health and staying active encourages others to love life longer. Sally, a member of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, doesn't just work out at Snap Fitness, she befriends everyone she meets. According to her son Robb, who nominated her for the award and who owns the Snap Fitness location, it's a "fitness family business." Read More...
Crunch Franchise Announces Newest Location in Abilene, Texas
Posted: August 23, 2018 in Chains
ABILENE, TX - Crunch Fitness announced its newest club will be coming soon to Abilene, Texas. The pre-sale will begin in early October, and the first 500 sign-ups get all kinds of special deals and offers. Expected to open mid-December, Crunch Abilene will service the community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Fusing fitness with entertainment to make serious exercise fun, Crunch Abilene will offer top-quality cardio and strength training equipment, half-hour circuit training, personal training, a functional training area with indoor turf, a dedicated group fitness studio, tanning beds and sunless spray options and more. Read More...
Department of Energy Recognizes Columbia Association for Achieving Better Buildings Challenge
Posted: August 23, 2018 in Chains
COLUMBIA, MD - Columbia Association (CA) has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for achieving the ambitious 20% goal set as a partner in the Better Buildings Challenge. The Better Buildings Challenge is a DOE program that works with market leaders to encourage their adoption of cost-effective and proven strategies to improve the energy efficiency of the nation’s buildings, manufacturing plants and multifamily housing. Columbia Association instituted a robust energy management program in 2012. Through its efforts, CA has seen savings of approximately 20% across its portfolio. Participants in the Better Buildings Challenge have saved a combined $3.1 billion since 2001. Read More...
St. Pete Couple Acquires Corporate Fitness Works
Posted: August 22, 2018 in Chains
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Corporate Fitness Works, which offers wellness and fitness solutions to companies nationwide, has been sold to Beth and Michael Vivio, two experienced business leaders in St. Petersburg. Beth Vivio was Executive Director of a 13-county Girl Scout council that served more than 6,000 girls and 1,600 volunteers. Michael Vivio was previously CEO of Valpak Direct Marketing and Publisher of the Austin American-Statesman in Austin, Texas. Based in St. Petersburg, CFW serves more than 80 companies across 140 sites nationwide and specializes in four areas: health and wellness programming, fitness center design, equipment procurement and fitness center management. Read More...
World Gym Athletics Expands Globally; Expects to Grow to 30 Locations by 2019
Posted: August 21, 2018 in Chains
LOS ANGELES, CA - World Gym International, the iconic global brand of seriously fun fitness, is continuing to grow World Gym Athletics with new programming and more locations in the United States and around the world. World Gym Athletics is an exclusive, studio-style, small group training program that combines the best of HIIT, Olympic lifting and functional training. Read More...
Gold’s Gym Awards Matrix Fitness 2018 Vendor of the Year for Equipment
Posted: August 21, 2018 in Chains, Suppliers
COTTAGE GROVE, WI - Johnson Health Tech North America, Inc. announced that its commercial brand, Matrix Fitness, was awarded the 2018 Gold’s Gym Equipment Vendor of the Year, its fifth such honor in the past nine years. Gold’s Gym franchisees from 29 states and 28 countries ranked vendors in several areas, such as customer satisfaction and overall product quality, to name Matrix Fitness the Vendor of the Year in the Equipment category. Read More...
