Latest News

SportsArt ECO-POWR™ Generates Green Energy at Radisson Red

SportsArt ECO-POWR™ continues to encourage facilities to embrace the benefits of sustainability, recently extending to the hospitality space in Europe.

As featured in the Carlson Rezidor Responsible Business brochure, guests of the Radisson Red Hotel in Brussels — their first flagship hotel brand specifically catering to Millennials — return the kinetic energy they create while exercising to the hotel's electrical grid, which generates power for the hotel and can lower energy bills overall.

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SoulCycle Expands into Texas with Plans for Growth in Other Markets

SoulCycle, New York City, has expanded into the Lone Star State.

The boutique indoor cycling brand recently opened is first Texas studio in Houston and has plans for a second location in Dallas, according to a SoulCycle media release posted on the Houston Style Magazine website. SoulCycle Houston features 56 bikes and is located in the River Oaks/Upper Kirby Area on Kirby Drive.

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AFS, Club Industry Renew Conference Educational Affiliation Agreement

(OAKLAND, CA, May 18, 2016) – The Association of Fitness Studios (AFS) and Club Industry have announced the renewal of their affiliation agreement in which AFS will provide fitness studio-centric education at the 2016 Club Industry Show in Chicago. 

The four-session series of seminars will be spread over two days, with morning sessions on Thursday, October 13, and Friday, October 14.  The AFS lineup of speakers will again highlight industry experts conveying relevant information for studio owners and fitness professionals aspiring to ownership. AFS members also receive 25% off! 

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New Anytime Fitness Headquarters Features Wellness, Zip Line and Tattoo Room

Anytime Fitness moved into its new world headquarters in Minnesota earlier this month.

The fitness franchise and its 200 employees moved from Hastings, Minnesota, to a 38-acre campus in Woodbury, Minnesota, during the week of April 4. The new building has 80,293 square feet of office space. A grand opening is scheduled for May 25.

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John Graden Joins AFS Advisory Council

(Clearwater Beach, FL/CHICAGO, IL, April 20, 2016) – The Association of Fitness Studios (AFS) today proudly announced the addition of world-renown John Graden, Founder and Executive Director of the Martial Arts Teachers Association (MATA) to the AFS Advisory Council. 

The author of many bestselling books, including The Art of Marketing Without Marketing and The Truth About the Martial Arts Business, Graden is widely credited with leading the martial arts school business into the modern era.

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SoulCycle's Co-founders Resign as Co-chief Creative Officers

Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, who co-founded SoulCycle, New York, in 2006, resigned their positions as co-chief creative officers today, Fortune reports. The two will continue on the board for SoulCycle, according to the report. SoulCycle has been owned by Equinox since 2011.

A statement provided to Fortune said that the two would "pursue new projects." A Club Industry request to SoulCycle for comment has not yet been returned.  

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Five Things I Have Learned While Opening My Franchised Fitness Studio

Opening a franchise is a lot of hurry-up and wait. When I wrote my first column about franchising for Club Industry in this series, I felt like the experience of opening a franchise was like a marathon.

And even though at times it seems like everything is happening all at once, it simultaneously feels like nothing is moving forward. It's like trying to lose 20 pounds. You think you are doing everything right, but it takes a few weeks before you really start to see the scale move. So, is this normal? Is this just how the process naturally unfolds?

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Publications

Brand New Reports Coming Soon!!!

2019 Fitness Studio Operating & Financial Benchmarking Report 

The 2019 report is our most ambitious yet, including a financial breakdown of studios by region, studio type, and size to get the most accurate data possible.

Access the 2019 Report

2019 Fitness Studio Trend Report  

To ensure a variety of feedback, AFS canvassed its Advisory Council, vendor partners, and leading studio and gym operators to reveal their top trends for 2019!

Access the 2019 Report

2018 Fitness Studio Operating & Financial Benchmarking Report 

From coast to coast, the 2018 report canvassed the US to get the most accurate data possible. The 2018 report shows the studio market continues to thrive and become increasingly revenue efficient.

Access the 2018 Report

2018 Fitness Studio Trend Report 

To ensure a variety of perspectives AFS canvassed it’s Advisory Council, Vendor Partners, and leading studio operators on trends they see growing or continuing in 2018. 

Access the 2018 Trend Report

2017 Fitness Studio Operating & Financial Benchmarking Report 

The 2017 Report has expanded the reach of respondents to mirror the expansion of AFS and the studio business. A full 30% of respondents to this year’s survey are from non-U.S. locations.

Access the 2017 Report

Marketing Best Practices Research Report 

We surveyed hundreds of studio owners across the country, identified the successful strategies, and provide them to you in this first-ever research report! 

Access the 2016 Report