Every December, we at Entrepreneur like to make our predictions for what will be the hottest franchise categories in the year ahead. How do we decide? For one thing, we consider the data that we’ve collected over the past year. We look at the types of businesses that are just beginning to franchise in large numbers, like poke restaurants and DIY studios. We also take note of existing franchises that are experiencing a lot of growth even in more established industries, like childcare and fitness. And, to be honest, we also rely a bit on our gut. After 40-plus years of covering the franchise industry, we think we’ve developed a pretty good sense of how to tell what’s trending. So whether you’re interested in getting in on the ground floor of the next big thing or investing in a franchise industry that’s already proven itself and looks to continue going strong, consider this list of the hottest franchise categories for 2019.
Fitness
Fitness is one of the biggest franchise industries, and one that continues to grow year after year, with no sign of slowing. From big-box gyms to boutique studios, there’s something for everyone—including kids, who have a large number of sports and fitness franchises aimed at them.
AKT Franchise
Fitness studios
STARTUP COST
$346.1K-$487K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
3/0
Alkalign Studios
Group fitness classes, streaming fitness classes, nutrition coaching
STARTUP COST
$173.3K-$521K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
2/2
Amazing Athletes
Educational sports programs
STARTUP COST
$30.4K-$43.9K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
100/0
Anytime Fitness
Fitness centers
STARTUP COST
$107.5K-$722.8K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
4,043/38
Atlas Fitness
24-hour fitness centers
STARTUP COST
$184.2K-$707.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/1
Baby Boot Camp
Prenatal and postpartum fitness and nutrition
STARTUP COST
$6.1K-$13.2K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
84/1
The Barre Code
Barre fitness classes
STARTUP COST
$222.5K-$466K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
31/6
barre.d studio
Barre fitness studios
STARTUP COST
$104.5K-$240.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/1
Blink Fitness
Health and fitness centers
STARTUP COST
$636.8K-$2.1M
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
1/69
Body Therapeutix
Outdoor fitness centers
STARTUP COST
$44.1K-$90.7K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/1
British Swim School USA
Swimming lessons for ages 3 months and older
STARTUP COST
$92.9K-$239.4K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
63/0
Burn Boot Camp
Women’s fitness centers
STARTUP COST
$142.3K-$349.2K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
151/3
CKO Kickboxing
Kickboxing fitness classes
STARTUP COST
$112.99K-$378.4K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
81/0
Club Pilates Franchise
Reformer Pilates classes
STARTUP COST
$220.3K-$310.7K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
367/0
Core Capacity Transformations
Fitness and nutrition programs, dietary supplements
STARTUP COST
$162.96K-$274.3K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/8
Crunch Franchise
Fitness centers
STARTUP COST
$304.5K-$1.98M
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
213/26
CycleBar
Indoor cycling classes
STARTUP COST
$284.4K-$497.2K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
150/0
D-BAT Academies
Indoor baseball and softball training, batting cages, merchandise
STARTUP COST
$397K-$698.98K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
59/0
D1 Sports Franchise
Athletic training
STARTUP COST
$221.5K-$492.2K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
25/2
Eat the Frog Fitness
Fitness studios
STARTUP COST
$429K-$636.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
1/3
The Exercise Coach
Personal training
STARTUP COST
$113.1K-$297.7K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
43/2
F45 Training
Fitness studios
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
611/2
Fit Body Boot Camp
Indoor fitness boot camps
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
489/2
Fit4Mom
Prenatal and postpartum fitness and wellness programs
STARTUP COST
$6.2K-$24.3K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
297/1
Fitness Together
Personal training
STARTUP COST
$147K-$192.4K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
143/0
Fit36
Group fitness training
STARTUP COST
$173.9K-$266.7K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
13/0
Fun Bus Fitness Fun on Wheels
Mobile children’s fitness and entertainment
STARTUP COST
$140.5K-$171.8K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
24/0
Get In Shape For Women
Small-group personal training for women
STARTUP COST
$71.4K-$172.7K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
39/4
Gold’s Gym
Health and fitness centers
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
553/150
GolfU
Children’s golf training
STARTUP COST
$130.1K-$185.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/1
GymGuyz
Mobile personal training
STARTUP COST
$56.1K-$121.7K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
162/4
Hard Exercise Works
Boot camp fitness programs
STARTUP COST
$136.3K-$466.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
18/1
iLoveKickboxing.com
Kickboxing fitness classes
STARTUP COST
$214.9K-$559.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
259/5
i9 Sports
Youth sports leagues, camps, and clinics
STARTUP COST
$36.5K-$69.9K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
136/1
Jabz Franchising
Boxing studios for women
STARTUP COST
$99.2K-$194.4K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
12/3
Jazzercise
Group fitness classes, conventions, apparel, and accessories
STARTUP COST
$2.4K-$17.2K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
8,930/2
Just You Fitness
Personal training
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
4/1
Kidokinetics
Mobile children’s physical education programs
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
5/10
Kidz On The Go
Mobile children’s fitness programs
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
2/2
Kinderdance International
Children’s dance, gymnastics, fitness, and yoga programs
STARTUP COST
$17.95K-$46.1K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
148/2
Last Real Gym
Gyms
STARTUP COST
$487.6K-$965.4K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/1
Legacy Fit
Group interval training classes
STARTUP COST
$217.7K-$391.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
3/1
Legends Boxing
Boxing fitnes programs
STARTUP COST
$276.9K-$472.1K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
2/1
The Little Gym International
Child-development/fitness programs
STARTUP COST
$181.5K-$428.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
403/0
The Max Challenge
10-week fitness and nutrition programs
STARTUP COST
$146.9K-$295.6K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
61/1
Middle School Matchup
Middle-school baseball tournaments
STARTUP COST
$41K-$137.7K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/0
Moms on the Run
Fitness programs for women
STARTUP COST
$5.6K-$13.98K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
35/9
9Round
Kickboxing fitness circuit-training programs
STARTUP COST
$91.6K-$133.2K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
708/7
NZone Sports of America
Sports leagues and programs for ages 2 to 15
STARTUP COST
$41.1K-$63.1K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
49/1
Orangetheory Fitness
Group personal training
STARTUP COST
$563.5K-$999.1K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
977/23
Overtime Franchise
Youth sports programs
STARTUP COST
$59.9K-$68.6K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
12/2
Parisi Speed School
Youth sports performance training
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
98/0
PickUp USA Fitness
Basketball-focused fitness clubs
STARTUP COST
$337.3K-$794.1K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
5/0
Planet Fitness
Fitness clubs
STARTUP COST
$969.6K-$4.2M
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
1,540/68
Pure Barre
Barre fitness classes and apparel
STARTUP COST
$178.4K-$370K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
486/13
Pure Physique
Fitness and wellness centers
STARTUP COST
$125.1K-$184.9K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/1
Real Life Ninja Academy
Obstacle-course training
STARTUP COST
$117.8K-$232.9K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/1
Retro Fitness
Health clubs
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
146/0
Row House Franchise
Indoor rowing classes
STARTUP COST
$231.6K-$333.8K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
3/1
Shred415
Fitness studios
STARTUP COST
$440.3K-$959.2K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/9
Snap Fitness
24-hour fitness centers
STARTUP COST
$149.8K-$462.8K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
1,351/44
Soccer Shots Franchising
Soccer programs for ages 2 to 8
STARTUP COST
$41K-$53.95K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
200/9
StretchLab Franchise
Stretching classes and related therapy services
STARTUP COST
$153.1K-$223.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
3/1
Sudore Wellness
Group interval training
STARTUP COST
$355.6K-$745K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/1
Tapout Fitness
Fitness and martial arts
STARTUP COST
$93.8K-$566.5K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
14/0
TGA Premier Junior Golf
Youth golf programs
STARTUP COST
$21.5K-$62.8K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
52/2
TGA Premier Sports
Youth sports programs
STARTUP COST
$29.8K-$68.2K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
13/1
TGA Premier Youth Tennis
Youth tennis programs
STARTUP COST
$21.5K-$62.8K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
44/1
30 Minute Hit
Kickboxing circuit-training programs for women
STARTUP COST
$97.9K-$147K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
49/0
Title Boxing Club
Boxing and kickboxing fitness classes, personal training, apparel
STARTUP COST
$162.8K-$478.9K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
168/3
Tough Mudder Bootcamp
High intensity interval training studios
STARTUP COST
$297K-$521.4K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
2/0
Tutu School
Children’s ballet schools
STARTUP COST
$73.7K-$135.2K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
27/3
UFC Gym
Fitness, boxing, kickboxing, and MMA classes
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
116/17
Warrior Factory
Obstacle-course training programs for children and adults
STARTUP COST
$685.5K-$1.1M
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
0/1
Workout Anytime 24/7
24-hour health clubs
STARTUP COST
$555.5K-$996.4K
TOTAL UNITS
( Franchised / Company-Owned )
156/1