ATN breaks down the biggest international fitness franchising moves of the past year, and analyzes what each could mean for the industry moving forward
The fitness and wellness industry is going global. While North America has tended to dominate the market with a slew of gym, studio and at-home fitness concepts, the rest of the world is quickly catching up.
The European fitness market is projected to grow nearly 30% by the end of this decade, according to research from Deloitte, while markets like the Middle East, India and Latin America are also seeing a strong uptick in fitness participation.
Amid this backdrop, the United States’ top fitness franchise brands are going all-in on international expansion, signing master franchise deals across the world at breakneck speed in the hopes of breaking into new markets before they become overly crowded.
ATN breaks down the biggest international expansion franchising moves of the past year, and analyzes what each could mean for the global fitness and wellness industry moving forward.
The World’s First Global Pilates Brand
Club Pilates is the United States’ largest and most well-known Pilates brand. It’s on a mission to become the world’s most well known, too, and it’s making serious progress in that regard.
The Xponential Fitness-owned franchise is present (or will be coming soon) in around 20 countries. In late 2024, Club Pilates signed an agreement to open around 65 studios in Mexico by 2034, marking one of its biggest-ever international moves. The Mexican expansion effort is being led by Riser Fitness, a well-funded franchisee group that counts Mike Gray, the former president of Club Pilates itself, among its executive ranks.
This year, Club Pilates also announced plans to open a minimum of 40 studios in Australia, 36 across Belgium, Luxembourg, and Monaco, and 20 in Bangkok, tapping into Thailand’s surging wellness economy.
“The enthusiasm for Club Pilates has been truly remarkable, as communities across these regions continue to embrace the transformative benefits of this globally renowned fitness concept,” said husband and wife duo Chris and Susan Fichaud, who together founded TMCP Fitness International, the master franchisee group responsible for the brand’s expansion across large parts of Europe.
Anytime Fitness Targets Middle East, Europe Growth
Already the world’s largest gym brand with over 5,000 global locations, Anytime Fitness is keeping its foot on the international expansion gas pedal.
Now part of Purpose Brands, the Minnesota-based gym franchise has made big moves this past year to expand across the Middle East. In November, Anytime opened its first location in Dubai, kickstarting plans to open many more gyms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the next several years following a master franchise agreement signed in the region in 2024.
Anytime is also headed to Saudi Arabia, signing a master franchise agreement to bring more than 60 gyms to the country over the next six years, with both women’s and men’s branches in various cities.
The forthcoming Saudi Arabia and UAE locations will join Anytime’s existing Middle East locations in Qatar and Kuwait; the fitness franchise is also growing fast in Singapore and Indonesia.
Anytime is also eyeing continued expansion across Europe, where it already has a presence in several countries. In an interview with ATN earlier this year, Purpose Brands executive vice president of international development Sander van den Born said he sees a big opportunity for brands like Anytime to open gyms in mid-sized European towns and cities, which he believes are currently underserved across the continent.
“If you look at Germany, we estimated how many 30 to 50,000 person-cities there are, and it’s a couple hundred,” he shared by way of example. “If you look at the gym penetration in those cities, it’s relatively low. Some of them only have one. That’s where you can come in with an Anytime, since we need less space than the big-box operators.”
Crunch Eyes India’s Massive Fitness Potential
One of the American fitness industry’s biggest recent success stories, Crunch Fitness has big plans to bring its high-value, low-price gym magic to India, a country where fitness is on the come-up.
Earlier this year, Crunch signed a master franchise deal to open at least 75 gyms across India.
The “No Judgments” gym opened the first of those locations in November, unveiling a 6,500-square-foot gym in Noida. A second Noida location is slated to open in January, with additional gyms planned for 2026.
Crunch’s expansion plans come as experts predict massive growth for gyms in India in the years ahead. According to a Deloitte India and Health & Fitness Association report, the nation’s fitness market is projected to more than double by 2030, from $1.9 billion to $4.5 billion, fueled by increasing disposable incomes and rising health awareness in the country.
Crunch CEO Jim Rowley called the India expansion move a “significant milestone in our global expansion” push.
“India is a vibrant and dynamic market with a growing passion for fitness, and we are excited to introduce our first physical location with our unique blend of world-class amenities, innovative classes, and inclusive community to this incredible country,” Rowley said.
Crunch is excited about other global markets, too. The franchise has confirmed it’s in discussions with prospective partners in Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Iconic Gym Brands Sign Deals in Brazil
Another emerging market, Brazil, has caught the attention of two iconic gym brands.
In June, World Gym International, the franchise arm of World Gym Corporation, announced it had signed a master franchise agreement to open 50 locations across Brazil over the next five years.
The deal grants master franchisee Flag Holding LTDA exclusive rights to expand World Gym into Brazil’s 25 states, positioning the country to become the brand’s third-largest market globally, behind Taiwan and Australia. Flag Holding already operates 17 World Gym locations in Brazil, in Goiás and the Federal District.
Meanwhile, Gold’s Gym (which, like World Gym, was founded by Joe Gold) is making franchise expansion moves of its own in Brazil.
In August, Gold’s Gym announced it would be entering Brazil through a master franchise agreement that calls for 60 locations over the next 10 years, starting with a flagship site in 2026, followed by additional gyms in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia.
The flagship club will draw design inspiration from the original Venice Beach location where Schwarzenegger and other bodybuilding legends trained, featuring brick walls, wooden accents and a reproduction of the Venice gym’s famous green wall, alongside premium amenities such as Olympic lifting platforms.
“Gold’s Gym has a storied legacy, made famous by icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and we see an incredible opportunity to introduce a concept that combines performance, lifestyle and community in a way that resonates with Brazilian culture,” said fitness industry veteran Dan Cho, who’s co-leading the master franchisee group. “Brazil is currently the second-largest fitness market in the world in number of gyms, with over 20,000 clubs and millions of active members — the momentum is strong, and the timing is perfect.”
Elsewhere in Latin America, Gold’s Gym is seeking additional master partners in countries including Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Mexico.
Aussie Brands Look To Disrupt the US Fitness Market
While U.S. brands are increasingly flexing their muscles overseas, there’s another interesting phenomenon happening in the States: Australia-founded fitness brands are scaling quickly in America.
Brands like F45 Training and Body Fit Training (BFT) are probably the most well-known examples of this phenomenon, but other Australian brands are making moves in the U.S., viewing the American market as crowded but ripe for innovation.
“Everyone says the U.S. is a competitive market. My response is, ‘You don’t know what competitive is until you hit the East Coast of Australia in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne,’” Daniel Bova, the co-founder of fast-growing strength and conditioning franchise The Yard Gym, told ATN. “To compete in Australia, you’ve got to be on your game.”
“I think the U.S., at times, can be three to five years behind Australia in boutique fitness,” Bova added.
By the end of 2025, The Yard has projected it’ll have around 30-plus locations open in North America, joining studios already operating in San Diego, Los Angeles and Alabama.
Meanwhile, Strong Pilates, a hybrid Pilates concept founded by Australian fitness entrepreneurs Michael Ramsey and Mark Armstrong, has plans to roll out an additional 150 studios across the U.S. following a strategic partnership recently inked with wellness investor Momentic Studios.
“The pre-sale average in the U.S. has exceeded Australia, and every other market, substantially,” Ramsey told ATN. “The opportunity just seems endless here.”
A version of this article originally appeared in ATN’s “Franchise Landscape” report, which breaks down the business of fitness and wellness franchising, drawing on interviews, executive-level insights and new market data. Download the free report.
