Among the 62 gym chains with the most centers in Spain, they currently reach 2,219 establishments. Of all, the ones that have added the highest number of new facilities since pre-pandemic 2019 have been Crossfit, Basic-Fit and Brooklyn Fitboxing. Of these 62 chains, during the last five years, Bigg Fit, F45, Fitness Park and Trib3 have landed in the country.

The 2023 data is up to the end of October 2023. SOURCE: CMD

The 2,219 gyms that make up the 62 chains with the most centres currently in Spain represent 39.91% more than the 1,581 gyms they had in 2019. Among these 62 main chains, F45 and Trib3 landed in 2019, while Fitness Park would do so, precisely, in the year of the pandemic (2020), and the Argentine chain Bigg Fit would open its first center in Spain in 2022.

Of the 62 chains, the one with the highest number of employees in Spain today is Crossfit, with 679 establishments, followed by Brooklyn Fitboxing, with 173, and Basic-Fit, with 143.

ABSOLUTE AND PERCENTAGE GROWTH

Among those operators that have opened the highest number of gyms from 2019 to October 2023 are Crossfit (181 new center openings), Basic-Fit (109), Brooklyn Fitboxing (74), and Synergym (63).

In addition to these growths in absolute figures, it is worth noting the percentage growth in the number of establishments from 2019 to 2023 of: Fitness Park (+1,150% -since 2020-); F45 (+800%); Trib3 (+350%); Basic-Fit (+320%); Synergym (+262%); David Lloyd and Veevo (+250%, respectively); Evofit and Sparta Sport Center (200%, respectively); Viding Group (+175%); and Study District.

CORPORATE OPERATIONS

From pre-pandemic 2019 to 2023, some operators have been involved in notorious corporate operations. Among these, it is worth highlighting that of the Eurofitness chain, which absorbed the Ubae Fitness centers in 2020, which meant reaching 22 centers in Spain, not counting 2 that Ubae had outside Spain.

For its part, the Viding Fitness Center Group closed in June 2021 the acquisition of the leading gym chain in the Balearic Islands, Illes Clubs Fitness. With this purchase, Viding began to have a presence on the islands and also to strengthen its position on the Spanish scene: it had five sports centres and went on to have eleven.

Subsequently, also in July 2021, the Forus chain closed the acquisition of 10 clubs in Holmes Place: three private clubs that they had bought years ago from Virgin Active plus three concession clubs (Les Corts and Sardenya in Barcelona and the municipal club in Mollet del Vallés). Following this takeover, Forus went on to manage 44 sports centres in Spain at the end of 2021.

Another chain that debuted in a new territory in 2021 was Duet Sports (today Duin Club), which in October of that year completed the incorporation of Marisma Wellness Center into its network of gyms, an acquisition that allowed its premiere in Cantabria, where it did not yet have a presence. In this case, there was a prominent presence of investment funds.

The North American investment group Sixth Street Partners, which together with the Spanish Ithaca had bought Duet Sports in December 2020, acquired Fitmar Norte S.L., the company that governs and has registered the trademark of the emblematic sports complex of Santander. With this, Duet Sports now has eleven sports centres in Spain.

The last major corporate transaction to be closed in 2021 was the purchase, by David Lloyd, of three Áccura clubs in Gavà Mar, Zaragoza and Málaga, as well as the company’s head office. These three acquisitions strengthen David Lloyd’s position, which has grown from two to five centres in Spain.