Club Pilates, owned by Xponential Fitness, announced it had signed a Master Franchise Agreement in the UK, including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The agreement allows the Master Franchisee to license at least 50 Club Pilates studios over the next ten years. The new studios will bring Club Pilates’ international reach to twelve countries outside North America, following Master Franchise Agreements in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Austria, Germany, and Spain.
The deal marks parent company Xponential Fitness, Inc.’s first Master Franchise Agreement in the UK.
Xponential Fitness established itself in the region in the first quarter of 2022 with a direct franchise territory sale for its portfolio brand Body Fit Training. The first Club Pilates studio in the UK is expected to open in 2023.
Behind the Master Franchise Agreement in the UK is Richard Uku, founder of Deblankson Fitness Group and a multi-unit franchisee of Club Pilates and sister brand, AKT, in the United States. Uku currently has six studios in New Jersey and New York.
“Richard Uku is a seasoned Club Pilates owner, and we look forward to teaming up with him to debut Club Pilates in the United Kingdom,” said John Kersh, chief international development officer, Xponential Fitness.
“In the U.K. today, equipment-based Pilates that uses reformers and other spring-loaded apparatus is still a niche offering within the health and fitness market, and there are no brands with a national presence,” said Uku. “This creates a great opportunity for Club Pilates to establish itself and grow in the UK market in a similar way as it has done in the U.S. market.”
In 2018, Club Pilates became an international brand when it debuted in Canada and has since expanded worldwide, with locations in four continents, most recently Singapore. Along with the new agreement in the U.K., the brand expects to open its first studio in Germany in late 2022. Club Pilates is backed by Xponential Fitness, the largest global franchisor of boutique fitness brands, including Pure Barre, CycleBar, StretchLab, Row House, YogaSix, AKT, Rumble, BFT, and Stride.
