Crunch Names New CEO, Enters Latin America

Crunch Fitness used its largest franchise convention ever to hand the CEO job to Chequan Lewis and to lay out an aggressive international plan. Lewis, who joined as president, succeeds Jim Rowley, who moves to executive chairman. The brand now runs more than 550 gyms and serves 3.5 million members across a $1.5 billion system.

A handoff built over years

Lewis and Rowley ran the brand together through its recent expansion, including last year's strategic investment from Leonard Green & Partners. For franchisees, the continuity matters, because the partnership that drove unit growth and operational gains stays intact. Rowley keeps a hand in strategy and performance rather than stepping away entirely.

Latin America opens up

Crunch signed a master franchise agreement for Mexico that targets at least 50 gyms and marks its first entry into Latin America. A master deal hands one operator the rights to develop and sub-franchise across a country, so Crunch gains scale without funding each location itself. The brand also plans 10 gyms in New Zealand over five years, with the first opening in early 2027.

What operators should watch

Crunch plans roughly 100 new gyms worldwide this year and is pushing its Crunch 3.0 prototype, which folds Pilates, strength, boxing, and recovery studios under one roof. Operators weighing a new build face a richer format that also costs more to open. The premium Crunch Select concept, debuting in Long Beach, New York, gives multi-unit owners a second model to test against their market.