“Expanding Fitness”: an X-ray of the sector through the voices of its protagonists
Madrid, June 19, 2025
On June 19, the Franchise Innovation Summit (FIS), in collaboration with the Spanish Franchise Association (AEF), held the professional day “Fitness in Expansion: trends, challenges and opportunities of the franchise model” in Madrid. A meeting that brought together representatives from ten leading fitness sector brands to share strategic vision, identify opportunities and address the challenges of franchise growth.
Moderated by Manel Valcarce, managing director of the consulting firm Valgo, the discussion allowed attendees to learn firsthand how the franchise model is evolving in one of the sectors with the greatest projection in number of establishments in Spain.
Training as a differential value
Among the most notable interventions, José Nercellas, CEO of L’Orange Bleue, explained that his network is already the number two in France by number of clubs, with most under a brand licensing arrangement, and plans to open between 40 and 45 centers in 2025. He emphasized strategic interest in the Spanish market, where they already have owned and licensed centers, and highlighted the differential value of their training campus, through which more than 1,000 future trainers pass annually, with a diploma accredited by the French government, as well as their focus on group classes.
Age segmentation, the success of hyper-specialization
From Sano Center, its CEO Felipe Pascual shared the brand’s evolution from its first franchise in 2015 to the current 73 centers. He explained that Sano Center has redefined its focus toward an over-40 audience, developing the Good Life concept, centered on health, longevity and wellbeing. “Sano has learned what it wants to be when it grows up,” he noted, and argued that the model’s resilience is one of its main strengths: “If we have enough persistence, we will get there.”
Taking care of the franchisee and building community
David Estébanez, expansion and development director of Distrito Estudio, revealed that 50% of its current 18 centers are company-owned and that its model is based on an investor franchisee who does not get involved in management. “We take care of every operational detail so that the franchisee trusts the brand and delegates 100%,” he stated, referring to their boutique approach specialized in functional training. Distrito Estudio also stands out for having an events department, whose purpose is to build community, create team spirit and offer personalized treatment in its boutique centers.
Álvaro Bachiller, founding partner of Fenómeno and Company, recounted how they went from a research project to opening 15 centers in two years, betting on a vision that integrates training, physiotherapy and medical prescription. Without capital to scale organically, the entry of investors allowed them to structure their franchised network. Today, they are even collaborating with operators in the concession sector, tracing hybrid paths between fitness and health services.
In the case of QOMBO Pilates, its CEO Juan Carlos Hurtado explained his vision of progressive growth, from Madrid and with a very defined focus: “We want to bring pilates to areas it hasn’t reached, with an affordable average fee and a clear differentiation proposal.” His colleague, Mery Macarro, area manager of the firm, added: “We have been in the sector for 20 years and now we seek to transfer processes, acquisition and training to new franchisees to accelerate their success.” Among the particularities that differentiate them is the development of their own pilates machines.
The formula for combining training and preventive medicine
Juan Francisco Ramírez, expansion director of Énergie Fitness, highlighted the disruptive nature of their proposal. With eight centers and a ninth on the way, their flagship in Sant Cugat combines high-intensity training with mindfulness studios in facilities of more than 1,000 m². “Longevity is an unstoppable trend and our proposal combines health, technology and premium experience,” he emphasized. Energie Fitness is part of the Fit Brands International (Énergie Fitness / Zenergie Body & Soul) group, who were represented at the event by their founder and CEO, Rod Hill, who highlighted the focus they place on three key aspects: Wellbeing, longevity and preventive medicine.
Model scalability as a success factor for internationalization
From Brooklyn Fitboxing, Alberto Campo, business development director, noted that the chain is already present in nine countries, with 260 operational centers and aiming to reach 300. “We have achieved a scalable experience, completely homogeneous in all markets,” he explained, to achieve this, the same training programs are sent from headquarters, with the aim of replicating them in all their centers, regardless of the country. He also highlighted the launch of their new SMART format, designed for populations under 100,000 inhabitants: “We want to democratize access to fitboxing without losing the essence of the model.”
Sergio García, founding partner of Wellzone, also participated, an exclusive boutique center for women recently created, who explained that his objective was to listen to and learn from sector leaders to better define their future positioning. “We are in an initial phase, but we believe that combining personalized and group training can give us a differential space,” he explained.
FIS: epicenter of the franchise ecosystem
The meeting featured an intervention by Raúl Calleja, FIS director, who emphasized that “it’s not about creating more events, but about building real reasons to attend them.” He added that “FIS is a human-to-human space, designed to connect expanding brands with key agents in the franchise ecosystem.”
For his part, Eduardo Abadía, executive director of the AEF, described the day as “a masterclass of the sector.” “I cannot help a franchising brand if I don’t know it well. That’s why these types of sessions are so necessary,” he stated. He also spoke about the Cities and Franchising forum, an initiative that seeks to select locations interested in boosting their business fabric through the franchise model. For Abadía, knowing the cities where a brand is going to establish itself is fundamental for making good decisions.
The president of FAGDE, Milagros Díaz, also joined the event, which she considered very illustrative and loved seeing that this sector is so alive and active. She also wanted to thank the role of the franchise system in promoting sports: “we owe you a very important part of sports promotion in this country.”
As a result of the day, FIS will launch an exclusive sector dossier with the main conclusions, success stories and shared value propositions, from the integration of fitness and health, to training, including proximity not only in large cities, as well as the emergence of the boutique model based on service personalization.