The Top 20 Franchise Brands Worldwide

In researching this year’s "Top 20 Global Franchise" rankings, Melissa Rodriguez, market research advisor at the Health & Fitness Association, found some surprising data.

For example, Curves, at one time a powerhouse in the U.S., growing to 7,877 locations in 2005, now has just 367 outlets domestically. In terms of the big-name players, it’s nearly an afterthought in this country.

"Yet, Curves is number three overall on our top 20 by number of units," Rodriguez notes. "That’s because the franchisor has nearly 2,000 units in Japan." Coincidentally, Curves entered the Japanese market in 2005.

One core trend represented in the top 20 is recovery and wellness, with brands like HOTWORX (#13), StretchLab (#14), and StretchZone (#17) making the cut.

"HOTWORX also speaks to the technology side," she adds. "Workouts are delivered virtually in an infrared (IFR) studio box—sort of like an infrared box—so the conditioning benefits are combined with those of a sauna. Like HOTWORX, Lava Hot Yoga (#15) utilizes IFR during its sessions."

We still see the global legacy brands in the top five: Anytime Fitness, Planet Fitness, Curves, F45, and Orangetheory Fitness, with the 24-hour concept helping to fuel their international expansion.

While about 75% of the top 20 are based in the U.S., we’re seeing more great concepts come out of Australia.

"Look at F45 (#4)," says Rodriguez. "And Xponential’s BFT. It’s interesting that both started there, but are now thriving with headquarters in the U.S.”

In addition, HVLP brands continue to thrive.

"Although we see low-cost operators like Planet Fitness (#2) and Crunch (#16) on the list, the concept has a more significant presence in the industry than what appears on our list," she adds. "It’s also important to keep in mind [that] several leading low-cost operators are chains, so they wouldn’t appear on a top franchise list."

Also, 24-hour clubs like Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness have a significant global presence in North America, APAC, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Snap Fitness

Snap Fitness' industry-leading reputation stems from our unwavering commitment to innovation and member-centric strategies. We've consistently adapted toevolving market trends, ensuring that our offerings meet the changing needs of our members and franchisees.

Snap Fitness has been a pioneer in the fitness industry for more than 20 years. One of our most impactful changes was our strategic brand reposition to become an early adopter of holistic wellness.

This rebrand encourages members to view fitness not just as a means to physical transformation, but as an integral part of their overall wellbeing. This shift perfectly aligns with the needs of modern gymgoers and ensures Snap Fitness franchisees see success through member engagement and retention.

As part of the rebrand, we launched our innovative Snap App, a free member app that creates personalized fitness experiences both in and outside of our gyms, on-demand workouts, nutrition guidance, mindfulness content, and progress tracking. Snap App has revolutionized how our members engage with fitness, making it more inclusive, accessible, and personalized.

Our success can be attributed to our ability to innovate and adapt. By continuously enhancing our offerings, from creating dedicated recovery zones in our gyms to integrating technology that offers unrivaled support for holistic fitness, we’ve stayed ahead of industry trends.

Our inclusive approach and focus on holistic wellness sets Snap Fitness apart, attracting a broader audience and fostering a loyal member base.

Looking ahead, we see tremendous opportunities for growth, particularly in expanding our global footprint and enhancing our digital offerings. We’re committed to leveraging our technology to provide even more personalized and engaging fitness experiences. Our goal is to continue breaking down barriers to fitness, making it accessible and enjoyable for everyone, everywhere.

—Ty Menzies, CEO of Lift Brands

Orangetheory Fitness

At Orangetheory Fitness, our continued leadership in the fitness industry is rooted in our dedication to innovation, collaboration, and strategic growth. Through collaboration with our franchise advisory council, we consistently pursue pilots and research to evolve our business model, stay ahead of industry trends, and meet the diverse needs of our members. Most importantly, we continue to invest in our proprietary technology to deliver an impactful and unique prescriptive fitness experience.

That said, this consistent, impactful heart-rate-based training wouldn’t be possible without our expert coaching and franchisees across the globe. Our teams are what bring the in-studio experience to life as they provide the encouragement and accountability that technology alone cannot. They always ensure that our members receive a personalized and effective fitness experience while using our in-studio technology as an additional tool to inform modifications, motivation, and more.

Going forward, we see tremendous growth potential both domestically and internationally. We are excited to expand our reach in new markets and continue to innovate our fitness offerings. Our vision is to remain the trusted global leader in heart-rate-based interval training and, ultimately, help more people live longer, more vibrant lives.

—J.J. Creegan, COO, Orangetheory

Xponential Fitness

(Xponential’s brands include AKT, BFT, Club Pilates, CycleBar, Lindora, Pure Barre, Rumble, StretchLab, and Yoga Six.)

We have a dedicated support team in each brand in addition to the Xponential-level support functions. This brand support team provides the day-to-day operational support across marketing, sales, experience, and technique to our franchise owners, led by a brand president. We pride ourselves on providing exceptional support to our franchise owners, which is the governing ethos our brand presidents champion. This dedicated, brand-specific support allows our team to truly provide the leadership year after year our franchise owners receive.

We have a proven business model focused on recurring revenue, semi-absenteeism, and community. At a high level, Xponential has boutique concepts, community-based environments, and technology integration, supported by a shared services platform as well as brand-level specialized support.

Our ongoing success is underpinned by proven concepts that create meaningful impact and brand experiences across communities, dedication and commitment to our franchise owners’ success through extensive support every moment of their journey, and an ongoing innovation across all areas of the business including digital technology, partnerships, and the ways we can continue to provide weekly and monthly support structures and training for our franchise owners and studio staff.

—Sarah Luna, President, Xponential

Anytime Fitness

Anytime Fitness is all about connection, community, and customer intimacy. Our success is rooted in our staff knowing our members better than anyone else. They know their names the moment they walk in, and our proprietary tools and partnerships with Apple Health Kit, GoogleFit, and biometric scanners allow them to understand our members’ health better than anyone else. Pair that with passionate franchise owners who care about their community, and it's truly magic.

Looking forward, we will expand our global footprint in markets across the GCC and Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Europe, while continuing to expand offerings in nutrition and recovery.

—Stacy Anderson, global president, Anytime Fitness, and HFA board member

Gold’s Gyms

Gold's Gym is the birthplace of modern fitness. We have been leading in global strength and performance training for almost 60 years now. We are striving for excellence every day and managed successfully to adapt the brand to the changing needs of our members over the years. As a franchisor, we are there to innovate, educate, inspire, and lead with our expertise. Our franchise team is highly dedicated and close to our global partners.

—Hagen Wingertszahn and Dr. Jobst Müller-Trimbusch, Co-CEOs, RSG Group GmbH, parent company of Gold’s Gyms

This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Club Business International. View the full digital version of the issue online.