Financial research concept

Fitness Club Franchisee-Owned Club Count

measures the number of fitness clubs owned and operated by franchisees at period end.

By Lee BaileyPublished Sep 26, 2026

Research context

See what supports this page, how current it is, and where comparable or historical context is available.

Research date: Sep 26, 2026Use the dated article and cited sources for the definition, examples, and stated limitations.
Operating-model context: 17 connected conceptsPart of the reviewed Fitness Club Franchise & Membership Economics; issuer definitions remain distinct where disclosed.
Company examples: 1 reviewed companyRelationships reflect supported examples, not a normalized cross-company KPI ranking.

Ending count reflects openings, refranchising, and exits
Franchisee-owned clubs drive the asset-light side of the model
Club count alone does not measure same-club performance
Part of the Fitness Club Franchise & Membership Economics
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Fitness club franchisee-owned club count measures the number of locations owned and operated by franchisees at a reporting date.

Planet Fitness ended 2025 with 2,604 franchisee-owned clubs, up from 2,445 a year earlier.

Ending count reflects openings, refranchising, and exits

During 2025, Planet Fitness reported 158 new franchisee-owned clubs opened or acquired, eight corporate-owned clubs refranchised into the franchise system, and seven franchisee-owned clubs debranded, sold, or consolidated.

The resulting year-end count increased by 159 clubs.

That bridge makes clear why ending club count is a stock measure rather than simply a count of annual openings.

Franchisee-owned clubs drive the asset-light side of the model

Franchisees fund and operate these clubs and bear their store-level operating costs. Planet Fitness monetizes the footprint through royalties, fees, advertising-fund revenue, equipment sales, and related services.

That is economically different from the company's 292 corporate-owned clubs, where Planet Fitness directly records member revenue and operating costs.

Club count alone does not measure same-club performance

Newer locations may not yet qualify for the same-club sales base. Ownership transfers can also temporarily remove a club from the ownership-specific same-club base.

Use franchisee club count for system footprint and same-club metrics for seasoned-unit demand.

Primary source: Planet Fitness 2025 Form 10-K.

Part of the Fitness Club Franchise & Membership Economics

Connects fitness-club member scale, pricing and premium mix with same-club demand, franchise royalty economics, owned-versus-franchised footprint growth, equipment monetization, and mature corporate-club unit economics.

Browse the full operating model in Company Analysis →

Where this concept fits

Franchise royalty economics and ownership footprintCurrent relationship
Average royalty rate converts franchisee member billings into franchisor economics, while franchisee-owned and corporate-owned club counts show ownership mix. New openings expand both channels, and segment revenue separates franchise monetization from directly operated club revenue.
Average Royalty Rate Corporate-Owned Club Count Corporate-Owned Club Revenue Franchise Segment RevenueFranchisee-Owned Club CountCurrent conceptNew Club Openings
Member scale, pricing, premium mix, and same-club demand
Member count and net member growth show the customer base, average dues and premium membership penetration show monetization mix, system-wide sales aggregate member billings, and same-club growth plus the same-club base isolate performance in seasoned locations.
Average Monthly Dues per Member Member Count Net Member Growth Premium Membership Penetration Same-Club Sales Base Count Same-Club Sales Growth System-Wide Sales
Equipment monetization and mature corporate-club unit economics
Equipment segment revenue and new-club equipment placements connect franchise development and refresh cycles to product sales, while mature corporate-club AUV and four-wall Adjusted EBITDA margin show seasoned unit-level revenue and profitability.
Corporate Club Average Unit Volume Corporate Club Four-Wall Adjusted EBITDA Margin Equipment Placement Count Equipment Segment Revenue

See It in Company Research

These companies are examples of how the concept is reported or discussed in public filings. Definitions can differ by issuer; these links open company research rather than a normalized metric comparison.

PLNTOpen operating-model research →17 of 17 reviewed concepts in Fitness Club Franchise & Membership EconomicsFranchise royalty economics and ownership footprint6 of 6 bridge concepts supportedContinue through this bridge:Average Royalty Rate Corporate-Owned Club Count Corporate-Owned Club Revenue Franchise Segment Revenue New Club Openings

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Compare franchised footprint growth

Compare franchise system scale after accounting for openings, refranchising, debranding, and consolidations.

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