On Tuesday, February 19, 2013, Planet Fitness announced its plan to build 10 additional gyms in underserved communities throughout the Chicago area. The announcement was made during the grand opening of Planet Fitness’ largest club to date — a 40,000-square-foot club in Avondale, an upcoming neighborhood in Chicago.
According to Bryan Rishforth, the owner and developer of Planet Fitness Chicago, the decision to expand was spurred by the many “fitness deserts” Rishforth said are scattered throughout many Chicago localities. “There are many underserved communities in Chicago that don’t have many fitness solutions readily available,” he explained. “Our model can really transcend into any neighborhood.”
Rishforth attributed this to Planet Fitness’ “Judgement Free Zone,” free fitness training and low price point ($10 per month), which he said are particularly attractive to Chicago’s initiative to be the healthiest city in the U.S. “Chicago’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, is really excited about the partnership,” said Rishforth. “Part of the city’s initiative is to make health and fitness options more readily available, and with our low price point, ‘Judgement Free Zone,’ and 24 hour facilities, we can help with that.”
At the grand opening of the Avondale club, Planet Fitness also announced its partnership with ASPIRA Early College High School, a charter school in the Avondale community. According to Rishforth, many schools are struggling to provide students with health and fitness options, and a partnership with Planet Fitness can help remedy that. “We’re working with ASPIRA to give their students special access to a world-class facility to work out at while they’re in school,” said Rishforth. “For schools, especially in the inner city, this is a good solution to providing fitness options for students.”
Currently, there are 19 Planet Fitness clubs throughout northern Illinois, and 12 clubs in the greater-Chicago area. The 10 new clubs will be built over the course of the next couple of years, and upcoming projects include gyms in Chatham Market and Stony Island, Illinois.
“Chicago is the nation’s third-largest city,” continued Rishforth. “We feel that Planet Fitness’ non-intimidating environment better serves 85 percent of the market, where other models are more narrowly designed. We’re excited about our partnership with the city of Chicago moving forward.”
By Rachel Zabonick
