Gold's Gym Posts Tremendous Growth In First Quarter 2014, Looks Towards Future Expansion

DALLAS, April 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With the first quarter of 2014 complete, Gold's Gym, the world's leading authority in health and fitness, boasts the opening of 14 new gym locations within key domestic and international markets. Led by the return of the brand to the Greater Cleveland, OH area, Gold's Gym is expanding on both the corporate and franchise sides, domestically and internationally.

In addition to the highly anticipated return of the Gold's Gym brand to the Northeast Ohio communities of Akron and Cleveland, Q1 saw expansion across established key markets such as Austin and San Antonio, TX and St. Louis, MO. Spring of 2014 will mark another entry into a major market for the brand with two unique gyms set to open in New Orleans, LA.

With more than 425 U.S. locations currently in operation and more planned over the next 12-18 months − including new locations in Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas − domestic growth is expected to continue throughout 2014 and beyond. Within that, the corporate gym footprint now encompasses more than 110 locations serving 500,000 members.

"On the international front, the passion for the Gold's Gym brand overseas and the caliber of our Master franchisees is at an all-time high," said Aaron Watkins, President of Gold's Gym. "International growth continues to outpace the rest of the brand in terms of new unit growth."

With newly opened locations posting huge success across major markets in India, Indonesia and Japan within the past three months, the already thriving network of more than 250 international locations is on track for continued expansion. By the end of this year, the brand expects to have more than 300 locations internationally, spurred by the growth of the Canadian market, and the development of a new Master franchise group in Australia.

"The first quarter of 2014 was prolific, and we are proud of our results to date and our employees and franchisees that helped to make it happen," added Watkins. "We are well positioned to continue our track record of smart, aggressive growth and fully expect to enter 2015, the year of our 50^th anniversary, with more than 750 gyms in 30 countries."

The complete list of new gyms opened during the first quarter 2014 is as follows:

Domestic

Biddulph Plaza (Cleveland, OH)
Culebra (San Antonio, TX)
Ellisville (St. Louis, MO)
Fairport, NY
Nashville (Bellevue, TN)
Rustic Hills (Colorado Springs, CO)
South Plaza (Akron, OH)
Spartanburg (West), SC
Westlake (Austin, TX)

International

Bengaluru at Whitefield, Bangalore, India
Cilandak Town Square, Jakarta, Indonesia
Hakata Fukuoka, Japan
Jammu, India
Margarita, Venezuela

For more information, visit www.GoldsGym.com or call 800.99.GOLDS. For franchising information, visit www.goldsgymfranchising.com or contact Tim Hicks at [email protected].

About Gold's Gym
Established in Venice, Calif. in 1965, Gold's Gym is the most recognized gym chain in the world with more than 650 locations in 37 states and 28 countries.  The iconic brand ranks in the top 15 percent of Entrepreneur magazine's 2011 "Franchise 500".  Gold's Gym offers the latest equipment and services, including group exercise, personal training, cardiovascular equipment, group cycle, Pilates and yoga.  With nearly 3 million members worldwide, Gold's Gym helps all kinds of people achieve their individual potential through fitness.  For more information please visit www.goldsgym.com, www.facebook.com/goldsgym or www.twitter.com/goldsgym.

SOURCE Gold's Gym