Retro Fitness is expanding its horizons, opening its first West Coast locations in San Jose, Calif.
Ed Krampf, the co-owner of the San Jose locations, will open Retro Fitness clubs at 868 Blossom Hill Rd. and 1661 Foxworthy Ave.
These two locations are just the start for Retro Fitness’ Californian expansion. The company plans on opening additional clubs throughout Northern California over the next three to five years.
According to Eric Casaburi, the founder and CEO of Retro Fitness, the San Jose openings are part of a strategic strategy to expand Retro Fitness’ geographical footprint. Currently, most Retro Fitness locations can be found in New Jersey and along the East Coast. Recently, the franchise opened its first locations in Detroit, Mich. and Chicago, Ill.
“We have a road map,” said Casaburi. “What we’re doing is plotting and planning that road map, for new geographic [areas]. As you can imagine, we’ll fill in the blanks — we want to checker the Midwest.”
Retro Fitness’ expansion plans have been bolstered by the addition of Ray Lauletti to the company’s corporate staff. Lauletti will serve as the VP of real estate and development for both Retro Fitness and Let’s YO!, a frozen yogurt company founded by Casaburi in 2011.
“[Lauletti] is very successful at planning for franchises,” said Casaburi. “We’re investing in expansion by hiring the right people.”
Currently, Retro Fitness boasts over 100 franchises in 13 states, and an additional 100 locations are expected to open in 2014.
“2014 is really exciting for us, geographically speaking,” said Casaburi. “We have some great operators and strong business partners — they understand what it takes to go into new markets.”
By Rachel Zabonick
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
