New York Sports Club (NYSC), New York, has acquired Fhitting Room, a boutique HIIT studio brand in New York City, the company announced on Oct. 18.
No financial details were released.
Fhitting Room’s two studios will continue to operate as standalone locations with plans to expand the brand into select NYSC locations. Fhitting Room also specializes in at-home fitness, offering a two-way interactive virtual workout class platform, Fhitting Room LIVE!, and digital subscription service, Fhitting Room On Demand.
“Combining the strength of our brands by leveraging our real estate portfolio and Fhitting Room’s expertise in brand building, programming, community and trainer development will allow us to deliver a compelling offer and stand out in the fitness marketplace,” NYSC CEO Bill McMenamy said in the announcement.
As part of the acquisition, Kari Saitowitz, who founded Fhitting Room in 2013, will serve as chief marketing and creative officer for NYSC. Saitowtiz has experience as a marketing executive and brand strategist with prior roles at Pepsi and American Express. Fhitting Room President Tristan Saw, a former Equinox executive and digital transformation expert, will serve as NYSC chief strategy and systems officer.
“Joining forces with NYSC is a win-win as it offers incredible growth potential for the Fhitting Room brand and gives our team the opportunity to have a positive impact on a larger organization,” Saitowitz said in the announcement. “The New York Sports Club brand has been a fixture in the NYC fitness scene for almost 50 years, and while it has faced recent challenges, the comeback is always greater than the setback. With demand for wellness and specifically group fitness at an all-time high, this is the perfect opportunity to bring a branded boutique experience grounded in authentic NYC flagship studio excellence to the new NYSC portfolio.”
Founded in 1973, NYSC previously was Town Sports International. The company filed bankruptcy in September 2020 when it was a public company and emerged in December 2020 as a private company bought out of bankruptcy by investors, chief among them Peak Credit, which is part of investment bank Lepercq, de Neuflize & Co.
Roger Harvey led the company through that tumultuous time after the departure of Patrick Walsh as CEO.
The company is now led by McMenamy, who is overseeing the continued transformation of the brand.
Today’s members want a unique fitness offer that challenges them and gives them great value, and NYSC is reinventing itself as a brand that is centered around high performance and social fitness, according to McMenamy.
“Fhitting Room will be a key component to our success,” he said, adding: “Fhitting Room offers one of the best boutique concepts in the New York metropolitan area and was built by an innovative and talented team that is unmatched in the boutique fitness industry.”
In addition to this acquisition, NYSC will unveil more than 20 upgraded clubs by the end of this year, with plans to improve all locations in the portfolio with renovated studios, new programming and elevated services. The company said it would release more details on these renovations soon.
NYSC has 25 clubs in the New York City metro and six in regional New York, all operating as New York Sports Clubs along with three clubs in Switzerland operating under that name. It also has two clubs in Philadelphia operating as Philadelphia Sports Clubs, three in the District of Columbia and one in Maryland operating as Washington Sports Clubs, and 11 in Boston and the surrounding area operating as Boston Sports Clubs. It also owns three Lucille Roberts clubs in New York and one in New Jersey, plus three Around the Clock Fitness locations in Florida.