Crunch Fitness is a popular fitness brand that offers over 100 class formats and is a one-stop shop for all kinds of exercise. But did you know that CR Fitness Holdings, the largest Crunch franchisee in the Southeast, is also on an expansion spree and plans to own and operate 100 clubs by 2026? Here’s how they achieved this remarkable feat:.
The Dream Team
CR Fitness Holdings is led by Tony Scrimale, CEO, and Vince Julien and Geoff Dyer, executive chairmen. They have over 150 years of combined experience in the fitness industry and share a common vision of building top-quality gyms and providing exceptional service to their members.
They are also backed by North Castle Partners, a private equity firm that invests in health, fitness, and wellness brands such as Equinox, Barry’s, and Therabody. This gives them the financial resources and operational expertise to take risks and test new concepts.
The Group Fitness Strategy
One of the key factors behind CR Fitness Holdings’ success is their commitment to offering a broad range of high-quality group fitness classes specifically tailored to the member profiles of each club location. They make group fitness a priority when opening new clubs and survey new members on their preferences in terms of class types and scheduling.
They also leverage the larger Crunch Fitness brand, which offers over 100 class formats spanning just about every modality a member could want, including many proprietary formats and partnerships with top brands such as Zumba. At the corporate level, Crunch adds around 10–12 new classes each year, so things don’t get stale for members at its 400+ locations.
The Future Plans
CR Fitness Holdings has already opened 17 locations across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas this past year alone, amassing 61 clubs in total. They recently secured funding from North Castle Partners to launch a club in Altamonte Springs, Florida, with 16 more locations set to open in 2024. By 2026, they plan to own and operate 100 clubs in the Midwest region.
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