Club Pilates Franchisee Ignites Growth With Eagle Merchant Partners
Club Pilates franchisee Aligned Fitness scales up with investment backing from Eagle Merchant Partners.
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Aligned Fitness, a Club Pilates franchisee, is expanding rapidly with the support of Eagle Merchant Partners, acquiring multiple franchises to reach 49 locations. The considerable backing comes from Eagle's recent $415 million fund and reflects confidence in the Club Pilates brand's stability and growth potential.
Why It Matters
This growth strategy suggests a consolidation trend in the fitness sector, possibly impacting territory availability as multi-unit operators vie for expansion opportunities within a stable market.
Aligned Fitness, a franchisee of Club Pilates, has secured a majority investment from Eagle Merchant Partners to drive its growth strategy. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but it reflects the ambition to expand Aligned's footprint, which currently encompasses 49 Club Pilates locations across Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The investment marks a significant move for Eagle Merchant Partners, which previously exited the fitness sector in 2019 after selling United PF Partners. Since joining forces with Eagle, Aligned Fitness has added 13 new studios through additional acquisitions, enhancing its positioning in the franchising space.
Jon Smith, CEO of Aligned Fitness and a franchisee since 2016, emphasized the importance of Eagle Merchant’s dual understanding of both franchisee and franchisor perspectives, stating, “That was really important to me, that they would be able to see things, not only from a franchisee level, but the franchisor, and build that relationship with [parent] Xponential Fitness.” This partnership comes at a pivotal time, as Xponential Fitness is reportedly exploring strategic alternatives, including a potential sale.
With Club Pilates boasting over 1,400 units nationwide, the franchise enjoys strong brand recognition. Eagle Merchant’s vice president, Jake Rubenstein, highlighted the stable demand for Pilates, noting that the modality requires specialized equipment and expert instruction, which cannot be easily replicated at home. He asserted, “We, historically, have always tried to stay away from the next trend, the fad within fitness, because you just don’t know how long that’s going to last.”
