Athletech NewsFitness Ventures Becomes Largest Crunch Franchisee
The operator buys 22 gyms in Texas and Southern California from Harman Fitness, reaching 115 Crunch locations across 30 states.
At its largest franchise gathering yet, the gym brand showed recovery studios and a premium tier built to widen operator revenue.

Crunch Fitness used its 2026 Global Franchise Convention in San Antonio to show franchisees what the brand plans to sell next. The gathering drew more than 700 franchisees, partners, and staff, the largest in company history, and capped a year that pushed Crunch past 550 locations and 3.5 million members worldwide.
The brand unveiled new studio concepts, expanded recovery offerings, and a reworked premium tier for select markets. Each addition gives operators a way to charge more inside the same four walls, which matters in a high-value, low-price model where base membership prices stay deliberately low.
Expanded recovery services follow member demand for saunas, cold plunge, and similar amenities that competitors now use to justify higher tiers. For Crunch operators, recovery turns idle floor space into a second revenue stream and gives the brand a reason to raise average dues.
Crunch reached roughly 1.5 billion dollars in systemwide sales heading into the convention, and a new leadership team is steering the next phase. Introducing premium formats while growth is strong lets operators test higher-priced offers before the broader market softens.
Multi-unit owners should price the buildout of recovery zones and premium studios against the dues increase each one supports. The brands that move first on these formats set the local ceiling on membership pricing, and late movers tend to compete on discounts instead.
Athletech NewsThe operator buys 22 gyms in Texas and Southern California from Harman Fitness, reaching 115 Crunch locations across 30 states.
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