Strong Pilates Expands Into Poland, Czech Republic

Strong Pilates signed a master franchise partnership with Xtreme Brands, Poland's largest wellness franchise operator, to lead its expansion across Central and Eastern Europe. The deal brings the Australian-founded brand into Poland and the Czech Republic first, pushing its global footprint to 16 countries.

A Master Franchise Bet on Local Scale

Xtreme Brands already operates 181 Xtreme Fitness Gyms in Poland and adds roughly three locations a week, backed by investment from bValue Fund. Handing Strong Pilates to an operator with that development machine lets the brand skip years of market-building it would otherwise need to do alone.

What Franchisors Can Learn From the Structure

Strong Pilates becomes the first outside brand in Xtreme Brands' portfolio, and Xtreme Brands gets its first international concept as it works toward 750 locations across Central and Eastern Europe by 2030. For franchisors eyeing cross-border growth, the deal shows how a master franchise partner with existing site-selection and operations infrastructure can compress a multi-year buildout into a single agreement.

Momentum on Two Continents

The Central and Eastern Europe push follows an acceleration of Strong Pilates' U.S. expansion, which is expected to bring the brand to 25 domestic studios by the end of 2026. With more than 125 studios across 14 countries and 200 additional locations confirmed to open, the brand is running parallel growth tracks instead of picking one market at a time.