Franchise News

EXPERIENCED FRANCHISING INVESTOR PARTNERS WITH SEASONED FITNESS PROFESSIONALS TO SCALE FRANCHISEE PLATFORM

Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in promising midmarket companies, today announced its acquisition of Bandon Holdings, the largest franchisee in the Anytime Fitness family. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Based in Austin, Texas, Bandon operates 213 Anytime Fitness clubs and has more than 140,000 members. Bandon's strategy has traditionally focused on owning and operating clubs in small suburban and rural markets with limited fitness club options. Bandon's clubs are well maintained and feature high-quality equipment and personal training services, offering a friendly, convenient fitness solution to local communities in 24 states.

Anytime Fitness, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Woodbury, Minnesota, is the largest fitness company in the United States and the fastest growing gym franchise in the world, with more than 5,200 clubs in nearly 40 countries and territories.  Anytime offers affordable fitness options that emphasize a complete gym product offering and unparalleled convenience for members, including 24-hour access. For franchisees, Anytime's small-box format with low buildout costs promotes attractive unit economics and return on investment.

"We look forward to the opportunity to partner with the Bandon team as they continue to expand through new development and a proven acquisition strategy," said Marc Buan, principal at Sentinel. "Bandon's talented management has developed an impressive growth model over the past decade and its robust acquisition pipeline is highly actionable."

"We are excited to partner with Sentinel as Bandon continues to expand our footprint in the Anytime system," said Jeff Kiecke, co-founder and co-CEO of Bandon. "We believe Sentinel's expertise in helping companies in the franchising industry accelerate growth will enable us to execute on the many available growth opportunities and realize our long-term strategic business goals."

Sentinel is one of the most experienced private equity investors in the U.S. franchising space, capable of investing in both franchisees and franchisors. In its 27 years, Sentinel has invested in 14 franchisors and 3 franchisees across a wide range of industries, including restaurants, healthcare, and consumer retail. Recent franchising investments include American West Restaurant Group, a franchisee of Pizza Huts; Vital Care, a franchisor of infusion therapy clinics; and The Recreational Group, the franchisor of Purchase Green artificial grass and lawn retail stores.

Bandon Holdings is the largest franchisee in the Anytime Fitness system. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Bandon operates 213 Anytime Fitness clubs across 24 states. To learn more, please visit www.anytimefitness.com.

Anytime Fitness ® is the fastest-growing gym franchise in the world, serving more than 4.2 million members at more than 5,000 gyms in nearly 40 countries on all seven continents. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Anytime Fitness offers a "Real AF" experience for members – personalized fitness and nutrition coaching available anywhere they need it. All franchised gyms are individually owned and operated and features the "Anywhere Access" policy which allows members access to any Anytime Fitness gym worldwide. For more information on franchise opportunities, visit www.anytimefitness.com/franchise/.