Planet Fitness Ends Decade-Long Hold on New U.S. Franchisees
Planet Fitness spent much of the last decade growing its U.S. footprint without aggressively recruiting new domestic franchisees. Existing operators provided enough capital, experience and appetite for expansion to keep hundreds of new gyms moving through the development pipeline.
That approach is beginning to change.
The fitness giant has awarded three area development agreements in Florida to Ian McClure, CEO of Gulf Coast Hotel Management, opening the door to a new U.S. Planet Fitness franchisee for the first time in more than a decade without the operator entering through an acquisition.
More than a dozen additional Planet Fitness clubs are expected from the agreements.
The significance of the deal is less about Florida itself and more about what it says about Planet Fitness’ next stage of growth.
An Established Franchise System Needs More Builders
Planet Fitness has reached a scale few fitness concepts ever achieve.
The company reported 2,930 clubs and approximately 21.5 million members as of the end of June 2026. Its network reaches all 50 states as well as several international markets.
Most of those gyms do not belong directly to Planet Fitness corporate.
Independent franchise operators control roughly nine out of every 10 clubs in the system, making franchisee investment essential to the company’s expansion model.
Historically, existing operators have handled much of that growth.
When attractive territories became available, established Planet Fitness franchisees frequently expanded into them. This allowed the brand to grow with partners who already understood its operating system, real estate requirements and membership model.
But eventually, a growing franchise network can face a different question: does the existing franchise base have enough capacity to develop every remaining opportunity?
Planet Fitness now appears willing to broaden the answer.
Population Changes Are Producing New White Space
Territory maps do not remain static.
A community considered too small or too undeveloped for a major fitness center several years ago may look very different today after new homes, shopping centers and infrastructure arrive.
Planet Fitness has been reevaluating prospective markets as population patterns change across the country.
This is particularly relevant in fast-growing states such as Florida, where continued residential development can create new trade areas around suburban and secondary markets.
The company’s development team has indicated that more U.S. markets could ultimately be made available to outside franchise candidates.
That would represent a meaningful departure from the highly closed domestic development environment of recent years.
Ian McClure Fits the Multi-Unit Growth Model
Planet Fitness’ choice of its first new franchisee provides clues about how selective the company intends to remain.
Ian McClure is an experienced hospitality and real estate developer rather than a first-time business owner pursuing a single gym.
Gulf Coast Hotel Management is developing more than 30 extended-stay hotels across multiple states. McClure also has experience with retail and multifamily property development and oversees broader real estate interests spread across the country.
Those capabilities translate well into franchise development.
Large-format fitness locations require sophisticated site selection, lease analysis, financing, construction management and operating systems. An investor developing multiple gyms must be able to repeat that process across different locations while maintaining brand standards.
Planet Fitness appears interested in franchise partners who can bring that infrastructure with them.
The Company Is Still Opening Clubs at Scale
Planet Fitness’ decision to recruit new franchisees is not being driven by a lack of activity from its current operators.
Franchisees continue to produce most of the system’s new clubs.
Planet Fitness opened 181 locations during 2025. Of those, 158 were franchise-owned.
The pattern continued into 2026. During the second quarter, 21 of the company’s 23 new clubs were developed by franchisees.
For the full year, Planet Fitness continues to expect approximately 180 to 190 system-wide openings.
In other words, the existing development engine is still running. The company is simply looking for ways to add more horsepower.
New Club Formats Could Widen the Opportunity
Real estate is another part of the strategy.
Fitness centers require substantial square footage, and limited large-format retail availability has previously created challenges for new development.
As the retail property market changes and more second-generation space becomes available, Planet Fitness may have additional opportunities to secure locations.
The brand has also been refining its club layouts.
Recent strategic initiatives have included increasing strength equipment, reconsidering functional training areas and optimizing club formats with the goal of improving both the member experience and franchise-level economics.
A more adaptable club model could make additional markets economically viable.
That becomes particularly useful when expansion begins moving beyond the most obvious high-density trade areas.
Why Opening Franchising Now Makes Sense
Planet Fitness already has significant brand awareness, national advertising scale, established operating systems and a massive membership base.
For a mature franchise company, adding new operators is therefore less about proving the concept and more about matching development capital with available territory.
Existing franchisees will almost certainly remain important growth partners.
But relying exclusively on the same group of operators can eventually limit how quickly newly identified markets are developed.
Bringing in qualified outside investors gives Planet Fitness another option.
A hospitality group may have relationships with landlords. A restaurant franchisee may already have multi-unit operating infrastructure. A real estate organization may know emerging markets before they become obvious development targets.
Those capabilities can accelerate expansion when paired with an established franchise platform.
Planet Fitness Begins a New Development Cycle
The Florida agreements may ultimately prove to be the first example of a much larger shift.
Planet Fitness is not suddenly turning itself into an open-entry franchise system. Its size, capital requirements and multi-location growth strategy are likely to keep the opportunity focused on financially capable operators with substantial business experience.
But the barrier that kept new U.S. franchise groups largely outside the system for more than a decade is beginning to move.
For multi-unit investors, that matters.
For Planet Fitness, it creates another channel through which the company can pursue underdeveloped markets, deploy more franchise capital and continue building toward a considerably larger domestic footprint.
After years in which most growth came from familiar franchise partners, the next Planet Fitness territory may increasingly be developed by someone new.
Learn more about Planet Fitness Franchise opportunities.
