Crunch Fitness ranked No. 1 in the fitness category and No. 29 overall in the annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500 — the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. The company remains in the top 10% for the third straight year.
The Franchise 500 is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry, and the 2024 list is Entrepreneur’s most competitive ever, with a record number of 1,389 franchisors submitting. The recognition comes during widespread growth for Crunch Fitness, which serves over 2.5 million members at over 450 gyms worldwide and in 41 states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, Puerto Rico and Spain. The company notably scored in the top 2% for consistent, positive U.S. franchise unit growth for over a decade, robust training and support for franchisees.
“It’s an honor to receive Entrepreneur’s recognition as the leading fitness brand in franchising,” said Ben Midgley, the CEO of Crunch Franchising in a statement. “We’re particularly proud to lead the fitness category this year. Crunch has climbed the ranks for over a decade, and this year’s ranking is a testament to the commitment of our franchisees, corporate team, millions of loyal members and our culture. Crunch is the originator of the ‘No Judgments’ environment and our gyms are all about helping members feel good. We look forward to an even more successful year in 2024.”
2024 is a milestone year for Crunch Fitness as the company celebrates its 35th anniversary and projects to increase its franchise footprint to 500 gyms worldwide. The gym franchisor aims to hit 3 million members by the end of the year.
“Every brand on the Franchise 500 has its own unique story, but they all collectively make the same statement: Franchising is strong and resilient, is full of innovation and opportunity, and provides a powerful entrepreneurial path for many people,” said Jason Feifer, the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine in a statement. “Our 45th annual ranking is full of companies with fresh ideas, exciting business models, cultural sway, and the kind of business sophistication that will define the next 45 years and beyond.”
In Entrepreneur’s continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace, the company’s ranking formula also continues to evolve. The editorial team researches and assesses several factors, including costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is then given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500 in ranked order.
Other fitness franchises making the list include:
- No. 77 Anytime Fitness
- No. 96 Orangetheory Fitness
- No. 176 Gold’s Gym
- No. 202 Club Pilates
- No. 224 Pure Barre
- No. 319 Burn Boot Camp
- No. 342 Bodybar Pilates
- No. 345 Alloy Personal Training
- No. 356 StretchLab
- No. 357 Mayweather Boxing + Fitness
- No. 411 CycleBar
- No. 431 Workout Anytime
- No. 472 YogaSix
To read the full ist visit entrepreneur.com/franchise500.
