Crunch Fitness Celebrates Record-Breaking Year at 2026 Global Franchise Convention Under New CEO Leadership

Largest convention in Crunch history gathers more than 700 attendees to celebrate the leading fitness brand's new leadership, accelerated global growth, and community impact initiatives

SAN ANTONIO, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Crunch Fitness, one of the fitness industry's leading high-value, low-price gym brands, welcomed more than 700 franchisees, partners, and team members from across its growing global network to San Antonio this week for its 2026 Crunch Global Franchise Convention, the largest gathering in company history, to celebrate a milestone year of record growth and brand expansion.

The convention comes as Crunch enters a new phase of acceleration under newly appointed CEO Chequan Lewis, fueled by strong franchise momentum, innovation, and expanding international demand. The convention also marks the company's first global franchise convention following the strategic investment from Leonard Green & Partners and welcomes franchisees and leaders from emerging international markets, including India, New Zealand, and Mexico.

Crunch Fitness Continues Rapid Global Expansion

Crunch continues to accelerate its international expansion, with plans to open approximately 100 gyms worldwide this year, building on its current network of more than 550 locations serving 3.5 million members globally. The brand recently entered India with the opening of its first club in Noida and plans to develop 75 locations across the country, reinforcing Crunch's position as one of the world's fastest-growing fitness brands.

Recent international milestones also include Crunch's expansion into Mexico through a new master franchise agreement, which will bring at least 50 gyms to the country in the coming years and mark the brand's entry into Latin America.

Crunch is also expanding its presence in New Zealand, where the brand plans to open at least 10 locations over the next five years. This development marks another key milestone in the company's international growth strategy, with the first New Zealand gym expected to open in Q1 2027.

Brand Evolution and Crunch Select Expansion

The 2026 Convention unveiled the future of Crunch, showcasing the most significant evolution of the brand experience to date. From new studio concepts and expanded recovery offerings to the reinvention of its elevated select market consumer offering, attendees received an exclusive first look at the innovations that will shape the next generation of Crunch gyms around the world.

At the center of that evolution is the continued expansion of Crunch 3.0, the brand's next-generation gym design. The enhanced prototype features a growing portfolio of specialized fitness experiences, including Crunch Reform Pilates™, Pump Strength Training Studio, Spar Boxing Studio, and a dedicated Abs & Glutes studio, alongside expanded Relax & Recover^® amenities focused on recovery, contrast therapy, and red-light therapy. Together, these innovations reflect Crunch's commitment to delivering more ways for members to train, recover, and achieve their goals under one roof.

The convention also announced the next evolution of Crunch Select, the brand's premium concept designed to bring an elevated version of the Crunch experience to select markets. Combining boutique-inspired studios, enhanced recovery experiences, premium amenities, and elevated finishes, the reimagined Crunch Select represents a bold expansion of the brand's vision for the future of fitness, creating an entirely new pathway for growth while redefining what the Crunch experience can be. The Long Beach, New York location, expected to open later this year, will be the first club to showcase the next-generation Crunch Select model and serve as the standard for future Crunch Select development.

"Crunch is on a mission to transform lives, and it takes thousands of dedicated people across our system to bring that mission to life every day," said Chequan Lewis, CEO of Crunch Fitness. "This convention recognizes the legendary franchisees, team members, and partners who continue to elevate the brand. I'm honored to step into the CEO role as we continue our strong unit growth, introduce the next evolution of concepts such as Crunch Select, and evolve the member experience while staying true to what makes Crunch, Crunch. We've built tremendous momentum and are growing faster than ever. With this franchise network behind us, it's time to seize the moment, with no limits."

Crunch Cares: Fueling Our Heroes

The convention also highlighted Crunch's continued commitment to community impact through Crunch Cares: Fueling Our Heroes, the company's philanthropic initiative focused on supporting active-duty service members and veterans. In partnership with Soldiers' Angels, more than 350 volunteers across 10 teams came together to assemble over 500 care packages, create 150 no-sew fleece blankets for veterans, and write thousands of handwritten notes of appreciation for active-duty military members and veterans.

"This year's theme, 'No Limits,' is really a celebration of the people who show up every day and bring the Crunch experience to life," said Jim Rowley, Executive Chairman of Crunch Fitness. "Each team member treats every check-in as a moment of truth, and that helps define what the brand means to gym-goers around the world. That commitment is what makes Crunch such a meaningful partner in our communities and gives us confidence in where we are headed next."

Awards and Recognition

A new addition to this year's awards program was the inaugural James P. Rowley Award for Frontline Leadership, recognizing club, district, and regional leaders who embody Crunch's mission through exceptional leadership, service, and operational excellence. Named in honor of Executive Chairman and former U.S. Marine Jim Rowley, the award celebrates frontline leaders who exemplify the qualities he believes define great leadership: vision, results orientation, innovation, courage, integrity, leading by example, and emotional intelligence. The inaugural recipients were:

• Jaci Petrock, CR Fitness
• Fatima Rodriguez, JEM Wellness Brands

The convention also celebrated the franchisees, operators, and teams helping fuel Crunch's continued growth and success, recognizing outstanding achievements across revenue performance, club growth, operational excellence, and brand leadership, including:

• Highest Total Revenue: CR Fitness, The Undefeated Tribe, Fitness Management Enterprises
• Upswing Year-Over-Year Growth: Fit Fusion
• Commitment to Excellence: CR Fitness, Red Brick Fitness
• Strategic Impact: Fitness Ventures
• Brand Builder: The Undefeated Tribe
• 5-Star Ops Group Average: CR Fitness, Primetime Fitness, Fitness Growth Capital

About Crunch:

Crunch is a gym that believes in making serious exercise fun by fusing fitness and entertainment and pioneering a philosophy of 'No Judgments.' Crunch serves a fitness community for all kinds of people with all types of goals, exercising all different ways, working it out at the same place together. Today, we are renowned for creating one-of-a-kind group fitness classes and unique programming for our wildly diverse members. Headquartered in New York City, Crunch serves 3.5 million members with over 550 gyms worldwide in 41 states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and India. Crunch is rapidly expanding across the U.S. and around the globe.

SOURCE Crunch Fitness