The world’s largest Pilates brand is undergoing aggressive international expansion under the umbrella of its parent company, Exponential Fitness.
Club Pilates, the reformer Pilates concept with more than 1,000 studios worldwide, is expanding in Germany and eyeing further growth in countries such as the Netherlands and Austria.
Four Club Pilates studios are scheduled to open in Germany this summer in Hamburg and Kaiserslautern, with further locations planned in major German metropolitan areas by early 2025.
LifeFit Group established its first Club Pilates studio in Germany last spring, and a few months later a second studio was opened in Königstein im Taunus by franchisee Leah Laukin, a European development partner at Black Forest Ventures. Laukin is now helping run the new Club Pilates studio in downtown Hamburg.
“After attending the opening of the first Club Pilates studio in Frankfurt-Bornheim as a student, I fell in love with the Club Pilates concept and got to know Leah,” says Vivienne Agena, Operations Manager at LLCP Fitness GmbH. “Ever since then, we have shared the dream of bringing Club Pilates to Hamburg. As Operations Manager, I am especially excited to be opening three locations in Hamburg this summer.”
Club Pilates’ Kaiserslautern studio is due to open on July 27 under the franchise rights of former LifeFit Group director Isabel Hessel.
LifeFit Group also holds the licensing rights for Club Pilates in the Netherlands and Austria and plans to expand in these countries as well.
“The studios that have opened so far have performed better than expected and Club Pilates has great potential to establish and expand its network in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands,” said Christophe Collinet, Chief Operating Officer of LifeFit Group. “A number of further studios with suitable franchises are expected to open in the coming years.”
The popular Pilates brand is also set to grow in France following a master franchise agreement, with additional deals in the works in Ireland, Portugal, Qatar, New Zealand and Switzerland.
Club Pilates will be sailing on Princess Cruises next month on a seven-day voyage to Alaska as part of a unique partnership that will offer complimentary Club Pilates classes to cruise passengers.
