SGB Update Sports & Fitness
Crunch Fitness Franchisee to Open Crunch Gym in Springfield, MA
The 28,000-square-foot gym will open on Main Street in East Longmeadow on May 30, marking Fitness Holdings North America’s first Springfield location and 13th gym in Massachusetts.
New Balance Reopens London Flagship
The flagship store reopened on April 17 “putting people, not products, at the center” of the redesigned space. To mark the reopening, New Balance will host a series of events around the 2025 TCS London Marathon.
Bike Nashbar Founder Arni Nashbar Passes Away; Leaves a Rich Legacy
In response to what he saw as a gap in quality customer service in bike mail-order companies, he and his wife founded Bike Nashbar. At its peak, the company mailed over 14 million catalogs annually across the U.S. and Canada, employed over 350 people and shipped over 6,000 packages daily.
Pickleball Kingdom Franchise to Open in Bryan-College Station, Texas
This new location, led by franchisee Sheryl Miller, adds to the growing number of Pickleball Kingdom clubs in Texas, including those operating in Plano, Dallas, Pflugerville, and soon-to-open Fort Worth. .
REX Roundtables Founder Will Phillips Passes Away
“The Health & Fitness Association joins the fitness industry in mourning the death of Will Phillips, an industry visionary and leader who guided so many of our members on their journeys as successful owners and operators,” said Health & Fitness Association President and CEO Liz Clark.
United Wheels Appoints Bike Industry Vet to Lead BMX Product Strategy
Michael Gonzalez’s tenure in the bike industry also spans collaboration with worldwide distributors, aligning sales strategies with product launches, and direct involvement in quality control, supplier relations and team management.
Buying Group Pioneer Don Pfau Passes Away
Throughout a long and storied life, Prau remained committed to Sports, Inc.’s success and prominence in the sporting goods industry. The group has grown to over 600 from the original seven members, selling billions of dollars in sporting goods from coast to coast.
Sports Endeavors Extends Reach to the Midwest with Soccer Master Acquisition
Sports Endeavors, a portfolio company of Seawall Capital, LLC, acquired Soccer Master, a six store specialty chain based out of St. Louis, MO, serving four Midwest states.
Crunch Franchise to Open Crunch Norfolk this Fall
Crunch Norfolk will be Fitness Ventures LLC’s 68th gym and fourth location in Virginia, with plans to open at least 10 more gyms in 2025.
Strava to Acquire Runna Running Training App
The “acquisition unites the world’s largest fitness community with a leading app in the fiercely competitive running training space, creating compelling value for users and shareholders of both companies.” The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.
PickleRage Expands Midwest Footprint with Ohio Franchise
PickleRage at Centerville is part of a larger, nationwide expansion strategy as the brand continues to grow its presence in markets nationwide.
Revelyst Transitions President Role at Precision Sports Technology Platform
Jeff Foster is assuming the role as president of the company’s Precision Sports Technology segment as Jon Watters and Scott Werbelow, co-presidents and Foresight Sports co-founders, move into special adviser roles with the company.
Stretch Zone Franchise Opens in Bakersfield, CA
This marks Stretch Zone’s 389th nationwide and is operated by first-time studio franchisees Nehal Samtani and Mina Rama.
Play it Again Sports Parent Gets Q1 Bottom-Line Bump from Settlement
The run-off of the franchisor’s leasing portfolio for the Plato’s Closet, Once Upon A Child, Play It Again Sports, Style Encore and Music Go Round retail brands that was first announced in May of 2021 is “substantially complete.”
PGA Tour Superstore CEO Dick Sullivan to Retire
Sullivan will retire from his day-to-day CEO role with the company later this summer. He will remain CEO until a new leader is in place and then continue as executive chairman of the company into the future.
