For many owners, fitness franchises have continually proven to be a great business. Successful fitness franchise owners do this focusing on generating sales revenue and simultaneously keeping expenses low.
But, with so many fitness franchises, you may be wondering which franchise makes the most money.
Which Fitness Franchise Makes the Most Money?
Planet Fitness makes the most money in terms of sales revenue. The average Planet Fitness franchise location made $1,741,000 in sales revenue (2019 Planet Fitness FDD).
In this article, we will be discussing which fitness franchise makes the most money in terms of average gross sales revenue per franchise location.
Despite the growth of fitness niches such as kick boxing and dance fitness classes, the most profitable fitness franchises are still traditional gyms. This can be shown by looking at 2021 official FDD filings from the largest US-based fitness franchises. Using these same filings, we can see that Planet Fitness had the highest sales revenue of any individual fitness franchise.
Let’s look at the top 8 highest sales revenue fitness franchises based on 2021 FDD filings:
The Top 8 Highest Fitness Franchises Ranked by Average Sales to the Franchisee
1. Planet Fitness average sales
Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest growing fitness franchises in the world. They even went public in 2015. Their main draw is their “Judgement Free Zone” and low monthly membership fee.
This business strategy has worked out well for them as in 2019, the average Planet Fitness location made $1,741,000 in gross sales revenue. They also had one of the largest gaps between highest and lowest earning individual clubs with a high of $5,769,000 and a low of $288,000.
2. RetroFitness average sales
RetroFitness is another traditional gym with a lot of amenities. Each location has a smoothie bar, a pro shop. tanning beds, and child care services.
Unfortunately, RetroFitness had high sales from from 2019 to 2020, and then realized a per club averages drop in sales as much as 40-50%. In 2020, the average RetroFitness franchise had average gross sales of $730,631 with the highest earning franchise having gross sales revenue of $1,215,974 and the lowest earning having gross sales of $533,697.
3. Discover Strength average sales
Surprisingly high on this list is the smallest franchise on this list, Discover Strength. As of time of writing, Discover Strength has only 9 locations across the Minneapolis, MN area. But, with the high revenues of these locations, it is only a matter of time until they expand further.
On their FDD filing, Discover Strength lists their four main, corporately owned franchises with revenues varying from $304,450.38 to $1,450,577.04 in 2020. This brings the average sales revenue per location to $709,813.64.
Discover Strength also lists their revenue data for the first quarter of 2021 and these sales numbers are stable at each location and some showing increase as his as almost 60% year over year.
4. D1 Training average sales
D1 Training advertises themselves as a gym built for athletes. Their group and individual workouts are built around real professional athletes workouts in their own specialized facilities.
In 2019, the average D1 Training franchise had an average gross revenue of $620,261. Once again, there is a wide gap between the lowest and highest earning clubs. During the same year, the lowest earning club had gross revenues of only $239,958 and the highest earning club had earnings of $985,018.
Unlike any other franchise on this list, D1 Training also lists the average EBITDA for a individual franchise. D1 Training lists their numbers after a 6% royalty, average marketing expenditures, and estimated labor costs. So, the average EBITDA for all locations was $230,674 while the highest earning club had an EBITDA of $480,267 and the lowest earning club had an EBITDA of only $43,678.
5. Fitness Premier average sales
Like Planet Fitness, Fitness Premier is another standard gym franchise. Each location offers a high amount of amenities, one-on-one trainings, and traditional gym equipment.
In 2019, the average Fitness Premier club generated $541,453.57 in gross sales revenue. In the same filing, Fitness Premier also lists their 2020 financial results with the average gross revenue per individual franchise falling to only $365,001.12, but much, or all, of this drop is attributable to external factors outside of Fitness Premier’s control.
6. Athletic Republic average sales
Barely beating out the next franchise on this list, Athletic Republic is a gym built around helping student athletes improve at their game and train to get to the next level.
In 2020, the average Athletic Republic franchise had a total sales revenue of $443,089. As always, there is significant variability between the highest and lowest revenues. During this same year, the highest earning Athletic Republic grossed $1,796,312 while the lowest grossed $65,332.
7. Anytime Fitness average sales
Next up is the largest fitness franchise in the US, Anytime Fitness. Anytime Fitness is a traditional gym with traditional offerings with the additional benefit that all locations are open 24/7.
The average Anytime Fitness franchise had gross sales of $441,116.03 in 2019. They also have the largest spread on this list with the lowest earning club having revenues of $110,832.17, while the highest earning club has $1,404,746.04 in revenue.
Unlike any of the other franchises on this list, Anytime Fitness breaks down their sales revenue by source. The average club had monthly membership revenue of $337,712.81, making this the largest income source. The other income sources include an average personal training revenue of $96,279.11 and an average annual pay-per-visit revenue of $7,124.11. FOr more details about how to compare fitness franchises, using Anytime as a benchmarking tool, visit: How to compare fitness franchises.
8. Snap Fitness average sales
Similar to most other franchises, Snap Fitness is a traditional gym offering low-cost memberships to acquire members.
Snap has published their results for the first 4 months of 2021. During this time frame, the average club had gross monthly sales revenue of $15,391.43 with 360 members. This adds up to $184,697.16 per year.
The highest earning club had 2,236 members and had $86,995.50 per month in gross revenue, which is an impressive $1,043,946 per year. The lowest earning club only had 5 members and had gross monthly sales of $1,741.92, or roughly $20,903.04 per year.
These all seem to be solid fitness models and for the right person, may present a great option for gym ownership. Be sure to contact the franchisor of your choice and review their FDD for the most current information and see if their is a fit for you and your goals.
Per official filings, those are the 8 highest earning fitness franchises in the US. Want to learn more about fitness franchises to help you pick the right one? Then check out the best and most convenient source on fitness franchises, FitnessFranchiseInfo.com.