Xponential Fitness Previously Owned Both Boutique Fitness Franchises
- Extraordinary Brands has acquired two boutique fitness brands, CycleBar and Rumble, from Xponential Fitness. They join Extraordinary Brands’ previous two fitness concepts, Row House and Neighborhood Barre.
- The personalized approach of boutique fitness has kept its appeal strong and its market steadily growing, even during the pandemic.
- Extraordinary Brands sees acquisition as attractive for multi-brand operators.
Two umbrella franchisors of health and fitness brands made a major deal this week. Extraordinary Brands has acquired two fitness brands from Xponential Fitness: CycleBar, an indoor cycling concept, and Rumble, which offers boxing-inspired group workouts. The acquisition positions Extraordinary Brands as a leader in boutique wellness franchising, RTTNews reported this week. Extraordinary Brands now has four fitness regimens under its franchising umbrella: cycling, boxing, rowing and barre.
In a news release, Extraordinary Brands CEO Paul Flick described the deal as “more than an acquisition. It’s a defining moment. We’re bringing together well-loved brands with untapped potential and pairing them with a platform designed to elevate every franchisee. We now offer consistency, support and shared services across a diversified portfolio, something truly unique in boutique fitness.” Extraordinary Brands’ last major acquisition was its purchase of Row House, another boutique fitness brand, in May 2024.
The boutique fitness market has remained strong, even during the pandemic. “The Global Boutique Fitness Studio market showcased growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.82% during 2020-2023,” according to ResearchAndMarkets.com, which valued the market at more than $47.94 billion in 2023 and sees growth reaching $85.9 billion in 2030. Research and Markets attributes the strength of the boutique fitness sector to rising health-consciousness and clients’ quest for personalized fitness workouts that will prevent obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses.
Appeal for Multi-Brand Franchisees
The move makes Extraordinary Brands more attractive to multi-unit and multi-brand operators (M.U.M.B.O.S.) because of shared infrastructure: streamlined operations, centralized marketing and unified franchise business coaching, the news release stated. Marley Delaney, Extraordinary Brands’ marketing director, emphasized that “Operations are consistent across brands; our marketing team supports the entire portfolio; and our franchise business coaches are boots on the ground helping owners succeed. This is how we help franchisees not only achieve sustainable growth, but scale.”
Chief Operating Officer Katy Richardson said Extraordinary Brands takes a partnership approach with every franchisee. Coming up next on Extraordinary Brands’ agenda for Cyclebar and Rumble will be coordinating with franchisees to trim their fixed overhead, improve branding and optimize programming to enhance members’ experience in the fitness facilities. “We’re focused on listening, learning what drives each brand’s strength, and delivering the tools needed to grow studio performance and long-term value,” Richardson said in the news release.
Flick agreed, adding that profitability for franchisees is Extraordinary Brands’ No. 1 priority. To accomplish that he said, we provide “stable leadership, open communications and systems that help owners run stronger businesses.”
A Look at the Umbrella Franchisors
Flick established Extraordinary Brands, headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., in 2022. The multi-brand franchisor now owns four boutique fitness and wellness concepts. Along with its new CycleBar and Rumble franchises, Extraordinary Brands’ portfolio is made up of Row House, which offers rowing-based high-intensity interval training, and Neighborhood Barre, a combination of ballet, Yoga and Pilates activities.
Irvine, Calif.-based Xponential Fitness was founded in 2017. Its portfolio includes Club Pilates, which has more than 1,200 Pilates studios globally; YogaSix, with over 100 units in operation; BFT (Body Fit Training), specializing in a 50-minute functional training and strength-based program; Pure Barre, a 24-year-old global brand with more than 750 locations; StretchLab, with 500 open units helping clients maintain flexibility; and Lindora, whose mission is to improve metabolic health at its 20-plus units.
