Welcome once again to Club Industry's Top 100, our annual listing of the largest clubs and chains in the country.
This listing serves as a benchmark, not as a hard-and-fast ranking. Participation is voluntary and, when necessary, industry estimates are used for past participants in the survey to ensure consistency. This is a new step in providing a true look at the industry — and something we do with an eye toward the future.
As more outside interests look to our industry as a viable investment opportunity, it becomes even more relevant to provide a guide to the fitness industry's size and strength.
While we do everything possible to ensure accuracy, we ultimately depend upon the honesty of the clubs and chains [and our estimates] for their 2002 corporate revenue — the figure that we use to determine each club's place on the list.
In addition to verifying the information from participating clubs, we try to get information from non-participating clubs through industry estimates, speaking with competitors, and relying on those that work in and watch the fitness club industry.
In Deserving Recognition (see right), we acknowledge non-participating clubs that clearly belong on the Top 100. With the help of Rick Caro (president of Management Vision, and a member of the Club Industry editorial advisory board), we were able to estimate their corporate revenue. These estimations are rough; we report them here in order to give an idea of where these clubs belong on the Top 100. We hope to increase participation next year and, will continue to institute more industry-weighted estimates to give full recognition to all the clubs deserving to be among the Top 100 in the years to come.
The clubs listed in Deserving Recognition aren't the only companies missing from the Top 100 listing. The industry's major licensors/franchisers are also absent.
As was done for the last two years, licensors/franchisers are listed separately by number of locations (p. 26). Here's why. Some licensors/franchisers decline to share revenue. Others insist on adding the revenue of individual licensees/franchisees to corporate revenue, when, in fact, only the appropriate licensing/franchising fees should be included. Therefore, to be fair, we list licensors/franchisers by total locations.
We believe that listing licensors/franchisers in this manner will still give readers an idea of how large these companies are in relation to each other. However, it should be noted that, like revenue, the number of licensed, franchised and owned locations is self-reported or gathered from company collateral material.
We hope that each year we will be able to include more of the industry's top players in our ranking of the Top 100 so they may take their rightful place among industry leaders. We will always defer to the companies themselves when possible. But in the future, we will continue to broaden the scope of our own legwork to bring the most information as possible to the Top 100 listings.
Under $10 Million
Bellvue Club
Cascade Athletic Club
Dolphin Fitness
Elite Fit & Racquet Clubs
Gold's Gym of Kansas City
Harbor Square Athletic Club
Madison Area YMCA
Main Line Athletic Club
Rochester Athletic Club
Wheaton Sports Centers
Women's Workout World
World Gym Fitness Centers NYC
$10 Million to $20 Million
Moore Fitness
Spare Time
$21 Million to $30 Million
Las Vegas Athletic Clubs
P.R.O. Sports Club
$31 Million to $50 Million
Club Corp.
Goodlife
$50 Million Plus
Equinox
L.A. Fitness
| COMPANY | CORPORATE REVENUE FOR 2002 (IN MILLIONS)1 | REVENUE CHANGE FROM 2002 TOP 100 | # OF SITES IN 20022 | # OF STATES OPERATE IN | YEAR FOUNDED | # OF EMPLOYEES | # OF CLUBS TO OPEN OR ACQUIRE IN 20033 | COMPANY PROFILE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bally Total Fitness Chicago, IL (773) 380-3000 | 968 | 14% | 412 (O) 7 (F) | 29, Canada | 1962 | 23,000 | 20 (N) | Publicly traded operator of well-equiped fitness and a few multipurpose facilities. |
| 2 | 24 Hour Fitness San Francisco, CA (925) 543-3100 | 934 | 4.9% | 305 (O) | 16 | 1983 | 20,000 | 25 (N) | A nationwide operator of popular fitness centers, which sold off its European clubs in 2002. |
| 3 | Town Sports International New York, NY (212) 246-6700 | 319 | 13.4% | 127 (O) 2 (M) | 9 Switzerland | 1973 | 7,700 | 4 (N) | One of the leading owners and operators of fitness clubs in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. |
| 4 | LifeTime Fitness Eden Prairie, MN (952) 947-0000 | 192 | 40% | 22 (O) 8 (L) | 7 | 1992 | 5,500 | 3 (N) | Operator of multipurpose, state-of-the-art family fitness and recreation centers. |
| 5 | The Wellbridge Co. Denver, CO (303) 866-0800 | 174 | 5% | 34 (O) 10 (M) | 11 | 1983 | 5,000 | 5 (A) | Owns/manages large, upscale athletic, resort, hospital-based and in-house corporate fitness centers and spas. |
| 6 | The Sports Club Co. Los Angeles, CA (310) 479-5200 | 122 | 20% | 9 (O) 1 (M) | 6 | 1978 | 2,700 | 2 (N) | Operates luxury sports and fitness facilities under the SportsClub/LA brand. |
| 7 | TCA Chicago, IL (773) 463-1234 | 90 | 5% | 26 (O) 19 (M) | North America | 1969 | 2,200 | 1 (N) | Owns and operates large, upscale multi-rec clubs, hospital wellness centers and corporate fitness centers in major metro markets. |
| 8 | Western Athletic Club San Francisco, CA (415) 781-1874 | 73 | 12% | 5 (O) 6 (L) | 2 (CA, WA) | 1977 | 2,000 | N/A | Owns/operates 11 upscale athletic club and sports resorts. |
| 9 | The Sport & Health Co. McLean, WA (703) 556-6556 | 71 | 6.1% | 1 (M) 27 (L) | 3 (DC, MD, VA) | 1973 | 2,400 | N/A | Operates 29 multipurpose clubs and three separate day spas in the Washington, D.C. area. |
| 10 | Spectrum Clubs Inc. El Segundo, CA (310) 727-9300 | 65 | 2% | 19 (O) | 2 (CA, TX) | 1999 | 3,500 | 5 (A) | Operates a wide variety of sized upscale athletic clubs. |
| 11 | Premier-Curzons Fitness Clubs* Mississauga, Ontario Canada (905) 602-9911 | 52 | 12% | 10 (O) 1 (M) 20 (L) | Canada | 1989 | 1,500 | N/A | Owns and manages full-service and women-only facilities. |
| 12 | Club One San Francisco, CA (415) 477-3000 | 50 | 1% | 90 (M) 40 (L) | 8, Canada | 1990 | 2,000 | 10 (N) 1 (A) | Urban-based company specializing in corporate fitness. Also operates some commercial facilities. |
| 13 | East Bank Club Chicago, IL (312) 527-5800 | 45 | 0% | 1 (O) | 1 (IL) | 1980 | 650 | N/A | A very large (450,000 sq. ft.) multipurpose, urban country club in Chicago that offers fitness, spa and other sports and family-oriented services and amenities. |
| 14 | Fitness USA Supercenters W. Bloomfield, MI (248) 737-7200 | 40 | 0% | 23 (O) | 3 (CA, IN, MI) | 1958 | 802 | 1 (N) | In business for more than 40 years, Fitness USA Supercenters owns and operates fully-equiped centers in three states. |
| 15 | Lakeshore Management Group Chicago, IL (312) 644-4880 | 38 | 5% | 3 (O) 2 (M) 4 (L) | 3 (CA, IL, IN), England | 1972 | 1,225 | 1 (N) | Owns and operates large multi-purpose athletic clubs and luxury spas. Also manages wellness centers. |
| 16 | Leisure Sports Inc. Plesanton, CA (925) 600-1966 | 37.7 | 27% | 3 (O) 3 (M) | 3 (CA, NV, OR) | 1978 | 1,383 | N/A | Owns and operates six clubs under the ClubSport brand including the 175-room Renaissance ClubSport Hotel and Fitness Resort. |
| 17 | New York Health & Racquet Clubs New York, NY (212) 797-1500 | 34 | 18% | 8 (O) | 1 (NY) | 1973 | 500 | 2 (N) | Upscale, full service, multipurpose clubs |
| 18 | Five Season Country Clubs Inc. Covington, KY (859) 292-5500 | 32 | 6% | 7 (O) | 4 (IL, IN, KY, OH) | 1988 | 1,000 | N/A | Club management company that owns seven sports “country clubs” offering extensive sports and social programming. |
| 19 | Lucille Roberts Health Club New York, NY (212) 734-0500 | 31 | 2% | 51 (O) | 3 (NJ, NY, PA) | 1969 | 700 | 2 (N) | Women's-only chain operating in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. |
| 20 | Health Fitness Corp. Minneapolis, MN (952) 897-5275 | 28 | 8% | 203 (M) | 34, Canada | 1975 | 2,272 | N/A | Publicly traded provider of fitness and wellness management services and programs to corporations, hospital communities and universities. |
| 21 | Fitness Formula Chicago, IL (312) 943-4666 | 26.4 | 6% | 9 (O) 1 (M) | 1 (IL) | 1984 | 810 | 1 (N) | Privately held owner/operator of upscale fitness clubs in the Chicago area. |
| 22 | Healthtrax International Glastonbury, CT (860) 633-5572 | 26 | 4% | 23 (M) 13 (L) | 16 | 1979 | 1,000 | 3 (N) | Operates fitness centers with hospital partners/rehab/fitness services to self-insured companies. |
| 23 | The Alaska Club Anchorage, AK (907) 337-9550 | 25.7 | 15% | 8 (O) 5 (L) | 1 (AK) | 1986 | 1,000 | N/A | Owner of multipurpose, fitness-only and women-only clubs. |
| 24 | The Atlantic Club Manasquan, NJ (732) 292-4461 | 25 | 20% | 2 (O) | 1 (NJ) | 1977 | 800 | N/A | Owns and operates two large, multipurpose facilities in New Jersey. |
| 25 | The Houstonian Houston, TX (713) 685-6888 | 24.4 | 5% | 1 (O) | 1 (TX) | 1980 | 250 | 2 (N) | The Houstonian is a 120,000 square-foot urban club. |
| 26 | Synergy Fitness International* New York, NY (212) 545-9590 | 23.3 | 13% | 18 (O) | 3 (FL, NJ, NY) | 1990 | 270 | N/A | Owner and operator of moderately priced fitness clubs. |
| 27 | Global Fitness Holdings dba Gold's Gyms Lexington, KY (859) 252-5993 | 23 | 27% | 12 (O) | 3 (KY, OH, TN) | 1994 | 300 | 3 (N) | Sports club facilities offering amenities such as family fitness, women's-only, indoor children's playground and more. |
| 28 | In-Shape Health Club Inc. Stockton, CA (209) 472-2231 | 22 | 25% | 6 (O) 12 (L) | 1 (CA) | 1981 | 650 | 4 (N) | Large health club company specializing in full-service, family-oriented facilities and programs. |
| 29 | Lifestyle Family Fitness, LLC St. Petersburg, FL (727) 456-3100 | 21.7 | 33% | 16 (O) | 1 (FL) | 1982 | 816 | 2 (N) | Privately held co-ed fitness center chain in central Florida that offers only month-to-month memberships. |
| 30 | American Leisure Corp. New City, NY (845) 638-2201 | 21 | 3% | 1 (O) 62 (M) | Nationwide, International | 1967 | 500 | 10 (N) | Provides management and consulting services to the fitness, spa, recreation and lifestyle industries. |
| 31 | Club Sports West, Inc. San Ramon, CA (925) 314-7878 | 20 | 100% | 4 (O) | 2 (CA, UT) | 1992 | 450 | N/A | Large, multipurpose clubs in suburban locations offering facilities and programming for adults and children. |
| 31 | Island Tennis, L.P. dba Sportime Kings Park, NY (631) 269-1055 | 20 | 11% | 9 (O) 3 (L) | 1 (NY) | 1995 | 550 | N/A | Club owner and operator of 12 sites in the New York metro area, with an emphasis on tennis. |
| 33 | Club Fit Jefferson Valley, NY (914) 245-4040 | 19 | 6.5% | 2 (O) | 1 (NY) | 1973 | 450 | N/A | Multipurpose suburban facilities, outside of New York City celebrating its 30th year. |
| 34 | WOW! Work Out World Brick, NJ (732) 477-5400 | 18.1 | 20% | 7 (O) 1 (F) 13 (L) | 4 (CT, MA, NJ, RI) Japan | 1991 | 800 | 2 (N) 1 (A) | Family-owned and operated upscale, service-oriented clubs. Wow! Offers a 30-day money back guarantee. |
| 35 | Pro-Club Management, LLC Oxford, AL (356) 454-0227 | 17.3 | -30% | 14 (O) 15 (M) 3 (L) | 5 (AL, FL, GA, MI, TN) | 1995 | 384 | 4 (N) 21 (A) | Following the sell-off of several clubs, poised for rapid growth with the goal of topping $20 million in revenue by 2006. |
| 36 | Newtown Athletic & Aquatic Club Newtown, PA (215) 968-0600 | 17 | 30% | 3 (O) 1 (M) | 2 (NJ, PA) | 1978 | 580 | 1 (N) | Two full-service facilities, one featuring a spa/salon and one a country club with golf and banquet facilities. |
| 37 | Saw Mill Sports Management* Mt. Kisco, NY (914) 241-0797 | 16 | 5% | 3 (O) 2 (L) | 2 (CT, NJ) | 1972 | N/A | N/A | Club management company with five upscale clubs in the New York metro area. |
| 37 | Shapes Family Fitness Inc. Tampa, FL (813) 264-1711 | 16 | 3% | 13 (O) 2 (M) | 1 (FL) | 1983 | 480 | 2 (N) | Consists of 11 women's clubs and two co-ed clubs operating on the central west coast of Florida. |
| 37 | Meridian Sports Clubs Novato, CA (415) 897-2185 | 16 | 120% | 5 (O) 1 (M) | 1 (CA) | 1994 | 400 | 2 (N) | California-based multisport and fitness/sports facilities. |
| 40 | Richmond Fitness t/a American Family Fitness Centers Glen Allen, VA (864) 965-5300 | 15.3 | 16% | 3 (O) 3 (L) | 1 (VA) | 1990 | 560 | 1 (N) | Multipurpose facilities ranging in size from 32,000 to 55,000 sq. ft. located in suburban Richmond, VA. |
| 41 | Fitworks Richmond Heights, OH (216) 289-3100 | 15 | 20% | 13 (O) | 2 (OH, KY) | 1996 | 450 | 2 (N) | Expanding chain of fitness facilities. |
| 42 | HEALTHWORKS Fitness Centers Boston, MA (617) 859-8700 | 14.5 | 2% | 4 (O) | 1 (MA) | 1978 | 400 | 1 (N) | Boston-based chain of high-volume women-only clubs. Also operates one club under the non-profit Healthworks Foundation. |
| 43 | DMB Sports Clubs Phoenix, AZ (480) 609-6979 | 14.4 | 8% | 2 (O) | 1 (AZ) | 1980 | 450 | N/A | Privately held operator of high-end, multirecreational family and sports clubs. |
| 44 | Fitcorp Boston, MA (617) 375-5600 | 14 | 7% | 14 (O) 22 (M) | 3 (MA, NH, RI) | 1979 | 160 | 3 (N) | Urban-based public and private facilities specializing in corporate fitness. |
| 44 | JCC of St. Louis St. Louis, MO (314) 432-5700 | 14 | 0% | 2 (O) | 1 (MO) | 1952 | 1,000 | N/A | Full-service community center, expanding in 2003 with additional specialty studios and nutrition programs. |
| 46 | Centre Club Libertyville, IL (847) 990-5750 | 13.7 | 4% | 2 (O) | 1 (IL) | 1988 | 342 | N/A | Two 70,000 square-foot hospital-owned multipurpose health and fitness centers. |
| 47 | Orlando Sportsplex, LTD dba RDV Sportsplex Orlando, FL (407) 916-2442 | 13.2 | -9% | 1 (O) | 1 (FL) | 1997 | 280 | N/A | A 365,000 square foot, $60 million fitness, sports and recreation facility co-owned with Florida Hospital. |
| 48 | Aquahab, L.P. Bala Cynwyd, PA (610) 664-6464 | 13.1 | 8% | 4 (O) | 2 (NJ, PA) | 1994 | 525 | N/A | Family-owned and operated facilities offering fitness and physical therapy. |
| 49 | The Longfellow Clubs Wayland, MA (508) 358-7355 | 13 | 18% | 5 (O) 1 (M) | 1 (MA) | 1980 | 511 | N/A | Locally owned, multipurpose, multiclub operation, focusing on health, tennis and family-friendly programming. |
| 49 | The Sports Club at Chelsea Piers New York, NY (212) 336-6000 | 13 | 0% | 1 (O) | 1 (NY) | 1993 | 283 | N/A | An urban, upscale, health and fitness facility that is one of the largest in the country with a wide variety of facilities. |
| 51 | Merritt Athletic Clubs, LLC Baltimore, MD (410) 298-8700 | 12 | 16% | 7 (O) | 1 (MD) | 1977 | 550 | 2 (N) | Privately owned company with seven sites, expanding to nine in 2003, all on the East Coast. |
| 52 | Elmwood Fitness Center New Orleans, LA (504) 733-1600 | 11.6 | 1% | 3 (O) | 1 (LA) | 1988 | 262 | N/A | Operates one large multipurpose club and two fitness-only locations all owned by a hospital. |
| 53 | YWCA of Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN (612) 332-0501 | 11 | 10% | 3 (O) | 1 (MN) | 1891 | 614 | N/A | Owns and operates three large, multipurpose fitness facilities, as well as a 50,000-square-foot indoor field house. |
| 54 | WTS International Silver Springs, MD (301) 622-7800 | 10.5 | 22% | 53 (M) | Nationwide | 1973 | 520 | 15 (N) | A 30-year-old company that provides spa and fitness facility planning, design and management services. |
| 55 | SportsFirst Inc. Birmingham, AL (205) 715-5405 | 10.2 | 2% | 5 (O) 3 (M) 1 (L) | 1 (AL) | 1983 | 508 | N/A | For-profit, wholly-owned subsidiary of Baptist Health System of Alabama. |
| 56 | Gainesville Health and Fitness Centers Gainesville, FL (352) 377-4955 | 9.8 | 11% | 5 (O) | 1 (FL) | 1977 | 330 | N/A | Operates a multipurpose and a women's-only facility in the Southeast with a physical therapy business. |
| 56 | Athletic Club Investors LLC W. Bloomfield, MI (248) 626-9880 | 9.8 | 5% | 2 (O) | 1 (MI) | 1991 | 300 | N/A | Suburban Detroit operator of two large multipurpose athletic clubs. |
| 58 | Greenwood Athletic Club Greenwood Village, CO (303) 770-2582 | 9.7 | -2% | 2 (O) | 1 (CO) | 1987 | 275 | N/A | Large multipurpose clubs in the Denver area. |
| 59 | Michigan Athletic Club East Lansing, MI (517) 337-0002 | 9.6 | 0% | 1 (O) | 1 (MI) | 1991 | 280 | N/A | 270,000 sq. ft., hospital-based, multipurpose club. |
| 60 | Corporate Sports Unlimited Smyrna, GA (770) 432-0100 | 9.3 | 12% | 15 (M) 2 (L) | 1 (GA) | 1980 | 122 | 4 (N) 2 (A) | Design and consulting company with 23 years of experience in corporate health clubs, spas wellness centers and more. |
| 61 | Akron General Lifestyles Akron, OH (303) 665-8000 | 9.1 | 9% | 3 (O) 1 (M) | 1 (OH) | 1996 | 210 | 1 (N) | Medical-based fitness and wellness center focusing on prevention and medical treatment. |
| 62 | Courthouse Athletic Clubs Salem, OR (505) 364-3463 | 9.0 | 18% | 5 (O) | 1 (OR) | 1977 | 400 | N/A | Professionally managed, urban-based multisports clubs. |
| 63 | Trihealth Fitness & Health Pavilion Cincinnati, OH (513) 985-6700 | 8.6 | 6% | 1 (O) 1 (L) | 1 (OH) | 1997 | 213 | N/A | Medical-based wellness center with an emphasis on prevention and rehabilitation. |
| 64 | Racquet Club of Memphis Memphis, TN (901) 765-4400 | 8.5 | 0% | 1 (O) | 1 (TN) | 1974 | 150 | N/A | Private club featuring the only ATP and WTA professional tour stops indoors in the world. |
| 65 | Riverside Wellness & Fitness Newport News, VA (757) 594-2432 | 8.3 | -2% | 6 (O) | 1 (VA) | 1982 | 625 | N/A | Large multiclub operation owned and operated by Riverside Health Systems. |
| 66 | Salutary SportsClubs Inc. Vacaville, CA (707) 447-4800 | 8.2 | 9% | 4 (O) 1 (L) | 1 (CA) | 1991 | 225 | 1 (N) 2 (A) | Multisport athletic clubs featuring family-oriented programming. |
| 66 | Weymouth Club Weymouth, MA (781) 337-4600 | 8.2 | 17% | 1 (O) 1 (M) | 1 (MA) | 1988 | 220 | N/A | Large, suburban multipurpose female club and satellite up-scale adult-only fitness center. |
| 68 | Brick Bodies Fitness Services Inc.* Cockeysville, MD (410) 252-8058 | 8.1 | 16% | 7 (O) | 2 (FL, MD) | 1985 | 450 | N/A | Owns and operates four multipurpose facilities and three women's-only facilities. |
| 69 | World Gym-Setauket E. Setauket, NY (631) 751-6100 | 8 | 4% | 4 (O) | 1 (NY) | 1980 | 380 | N/A | Owner/operator of multipurpose clubs on Long Island, NY. |
| 70 | Nubody's Fitness Centers Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Canada (902) 468-8920 | 7.9 | 45% | 9 (O) | Canada | 1983 | 285 | N/A | Regional chain of fitness centers. |
| 71 | Cooper Fitness Center Dallas, TX (972) 233-4832 | 7.8 | 6.8% | 1 (O) 3 (M) | 1 (TX) | 1970 | 145 | N/A | The Cooper Fitness Center is an integral part of a 30-acre complex known for its advances in preventive medicine and fitness research. |
| 72 | Chicago Athletic Association Chicago, IL (312) 236-7500 | 7.5 | 6% | 1 (O) | 1 (IL) | 1890 | 107 | N/A | Private city club providing full-service dining, lodging, athletics and catering. Specializes in athletics for the business person. |
| 73 | L&T Health and Fitness Falls Church, VA (703) 204-1355 | 7.3 | 12% | 47 (M) | 11 | 1984 | 364 | 4 (N) | Women-owned heath and fitness management company. Features a separate health promotions division. |
| 74 | Maryland Athletic Club & Wellness Center Timonium, MD (410) 453-9111 | 7.2 | 9% | 1 (O) | 1 (MD) | 1996 | 190 | N/A | Suburban multipurpose wellness center with affiliated on-site physical therapy, cardiology, clinical exercise and day spa. |
| 75 | Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center Dallas, TX (214) 820-7870 | 7 | 9% | 1 (O) 1 (M) | 1 (TX) | 1990 | 250 | N/A | Medically affliated multipurpose facility, specializing in 50-plus, aquatics, personal training and lifestyle/performance enhancement programs. |
| 75 | Atlantic Coast Athletic Club (ACAC)* Charlottesville, VA (434) 974-9890 | 7 | 19% | 3 (O) | 3 (MD, PA, VA) | 1980 | 500 | N/A | Multipurpose facilities with strong emphasis on wellness. |
| 77 | California Fitness Centers1 Inc.* Columbus, OH (614) 792-3121 | 6.7 | 25% | 5 (O) | 1 (OH) | 1998 | 400 | N/A | Chain of multipurpose clubs that offers lifestyle coaching and on-site corporate wellness. |
| 77 | Spa Health Clubs Inc. Raleigh, NC (919) 848-3105 | 6.7 | -3% | 7 (O) | 1 (NC) | 1978 | 376 | N/A | Chain of seven local health clubs. |
| 79 | Franklin Athletic Club/International Tennis Corp. Smithfield, MI (248) 352-8000 | 6.5 | -8% | 1 (O) | 1 (MI) | 1969 | 200 | N/A | Large private fitness and racquet club. |
| 80 | SportFit Total Fitness Clubs Bowie, MD (301) 352-4553 | 6.4 | 19% | 4 (O) | 1 (MD) | 1986 | 175 | N/A | Multipurpose suburban locations including physical therapy centers. |
| 81 | Ruth Stricker's Fitness Unlimited Inc. dba The Marsh Minnetonka, MN (952) 935-2202 | 6.3 | -1% | 1 (O) | 1 (MN) | 1985 | 210 | N/A | Programming focuses on the mind/body philosophy of health and wellness incorporating integrative medicine. |
| 82 | Cederdale Inc.* Haverhill, MA (978) 373-1596 | 6.2 | 0% | 1 (O) | 1 (MA) | 1971 | 200 | N/A | Multipurpose facility in the Northeast, with a large outdoor component. |
| 82 | Fitness Management Group, LLC dba Peak Fitness Charlotte, NC (704) 439-2630 | 6.2 | 30% | 7 (O) | 1 (NC) | 1999 | 125 | 3 (N) | Club management company with seven sites. |
| 84 | Harris HealthTrends Inc. Toledo, OH (419) 885-5100 | 6.1 | 5% | 1 (O) 25 (M) | 8 | 1987 | 185 | 5 (N) 2 (A) | Provides on-site fitness, wellness and rehab programs to businesses, union, managed care, municipalities and hospitals. |
| 84 | Healthplex Sports Club Springfield, PA (610) 328-8892 | 6.1 | -1% | 1 (O) 1 (M) | 2 (NY, PA) | 1976 | 180 | N/A | Hospital-based fitness and wellness center and club management company. |
| 86 | Santa Barbara Flex Inc.* Santa Barbara, CA (805) 966-3599 | 6 | 7% | 4 (F) | 1 (CA) | 1987 | 140 | N/A | Operates four fitness-only franchised clubs under the Gold's Gym brand. |
| 87 | The Rush Fitness Complex Knoxville, TN (860) 777-7874 | 5.8 | 152% | 2 (O) | 1 (TN) | 2001 | 160 | 2 (N) | High-energy multipurpose club, which features entertainment. |
| 88 | The Right Stuff Health Club San Jose, CA (408) 261-7630 | 5.7 | 15% | 3 (O) | 1 (CA) | 1984 | 160 | N/A | Small express fitness centers operating in the California Bay area. |
| 89 | Lifebridge Health & Fitness* Baltimore, MD (410) 484-6800 | 5.6 | 3% | 1 (O) 5 (M) | 1 (MD) | 1996 | 229 | N/A | Operates one multipurpose facility and five off-site corporate centers. |
| 90 | Prime Time Athletic Club Inc. Burlingame, CA (650) 697-7311 | 5.3 | 3% | 1 (O) | 1 (CA) | 1979 | 95 | N/A | A 100,000 sq. ft. high-end facility located on five acres. |
| 91 | Tilton Fitness Mngmt. Egg Harbor Township, NJ (609) 646-2590 | 5.2 | 9% | 4 (O) | 1 (NJ) | 1984 | 210 | 1 (N) 1 (A) | Develops and operates for-profit fitness clubs with hospital partners. Also owns and operates a large multipurpose club. |
| 92 | Corporate Fitness Works Montgomery Village, MD (301) 417-9697 | 4.8 | -10% | 26 (M) | 9 | 1988 | 250 | 7 (N) | A woman-owned health and fitness management company. |
| 93 | Champion Fitness Inc. dba Bally Total Fitness Syracuse, NY (315) 701-0966 | 4.6 | 8% | 5 (O) | 1 (NY) | 1994 | 180 | 1 (N) | Only domestic franchisee of Bally Total Fitness. |
| 93 | Workout Life Vista, CA (760) 724-6944 | 4.6 | 11% | 6 (O) | 2 (CA, MO) | 1997 | 100 | 1 (A) | Owner-operated chain with six locations. |
| 95 | HSG Health Systems Group Limited Mississauga, Ontario Canada (405) 858-0333 | 4.3 | 8% | 32 (M) | Canada | 1978 | 150 | 3 (N) | 75 percent of managed clubs are on-site corporate fitness centers. Anticipated growth will be in non-facility-based wellness programs. |
| 96 | Franco's Athletic Club Handeville, LA (985) 792-0200 | 4.2 | 8% | 2 (O) | 1 (LA) | 19878 | 250 | N/A | 100,000 sq. ft. multipurpose facility specializing in family fitness with over 14,000 members. |
| 97 | Robious Sports & Fitness Center Richmond, VA (804) 330-2222 | 4.1 | 4% | 1 (O) | 1 (VA) | 1988 | 140 | 1 (N) | Largest wellness center in the HCA network with 14 years with same management team. |
| 98 | Mid-Valley Athletic Club Resda, CA (818) 705-6500 | 4 | 1% | 2 (O) | 1 (CA) | 1979 | 120 | N/A | Privately owned and operated heatlh clubs. |
| 98 | National Fitness Clubs of Florida Inc. N. Andover, MA (239) 267-5287 | 4 | 5% | 4 (O) | 2 (CA, NH) | 1997 | 160 | 1 (N) | Licensee of Gold's Gym. |
| 98 | Spectrum Fitness Clubs Baton Rouge, L (225) 753-3573 | 4 | 5% | 5 (O) 1 (L) | 1 (LA) | 1992 | 200 | 1 (N) | Operates three multipurpose facilities and two women's-only clubs. |
| 1. Increases may reflect revenue growth through acquisitions of new clubs openings. 2. (O) = Owned. (M) = Managed. (L) = Leased, (LS) = Licensed, (F) = Franchised 3. (N) = New, (A) = Acquire, N/A- None planned or Not Given. * = Industry estimates made. | |||||||||
Franchisers/Licensors of 2003
This list breaks down the industry's leading franchisers/licensors by the number of locations that they license/franchise, and by the number of clubs that they own.
| Company | #of Franchises/Licenses | #of owned Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Curves for Women | Over 6,000 | |
| Gold's Gym | 625* | 31* |
| Lady of America | ||
| Franchise Corp. | 500 | |
| World Gym | 325 (1) | |
| Powerhouse | 240* | |
| Healthy Inspirations | 65 | |
| *- From company Web site (1)- Industry Estimate | ||
As with our Top 100 rankings we have relied on the companies to provide accurate information either personally or via information in literature and on the Web. We have also relied on industry-weighted estimates, as well as information from others in the fitness industry.
While these companies are the industry's franchising/licensing leaders, other clubs also make money by selling their brands. In 2002, Bally Total Fitness franchised several locations worldwide, WOW! Workout World licensed several and many others are looking at this alternative to build their brands.