Puregym acquires Nonstop Gym: goal of 100 clubs by 2026

Context

TL;DR

• Puregym acquires Swiss chain Nonstop Gym
• Puregym operates 49 gyms in Switzerland
• Nonstop Gym has 48
• More than 100 facilities by the end of 2026

Key facts

• Transaction → sale of Nonstop Gym to Puregym
• Seller → Invision, based in Zug
• Buyer → Puregym, based in Leeds
• Objective → more than 100 gyms by the end of 2026
• Coverage → German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino
• Origin → Nonstop Gym was founded in 2014 in Geneva

A merger that expands the network

In Zurich, British competitor Puregym acquired the Nonstop Gym chain from Invision, a holding company based in Zug. The transaction is reshaping Switzerland’s fitness sector and effectively doubling the English group’s presence in the country.

Puregym currently operates 49 gyms in Switzerland, while Nonstop Gym has 48. The stated objective is to exceed 100 facilities by the end of 2026, extending the network to German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino.

Two brands, a national outlook

The complementarity highlighted in the announcement is primarily geographical. Puregym also intends to make use of Nonstop Gym’s operational experience and organization. The acquired brand was founded in 2014 in Geneva and is intended to disappear in the long term.

The announcement issued on the occasion of the acquisition states:

“Together, we are creating an exceptional nationwide club network that could become number one in Switzerland and reach even more members”

For the British group, the acquisition represents a further step in its international expansion and pursuit of a leading position in the Swiss fitness market. Puregym is based in Leeds, England, and operates in six countries: it has 467 gyms in Great Britain, 128 in Denmark and 61 in the United States. Through a franchise partner, it also operates 23 fitness centers across Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The scope described is national: the planned network includes the three areas mentioned in the announcement and aims for a broader and more coordinated presence across Switzerland.

Operational details

What changes on the Swiss fitness map

The practical impact of the deal lies in the possible concentration of a network spread across several areas of the country. The announcement describes Puregym and Nonstop Gym as geographically complementary chains. For the Swiss public, this formula indicates a project spanning German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, rather than remaining tied to a single area.

A two-stage transition

The before-and-after comparison should be read carefully. Before the integration, there are two distinct brands, both present in the country; afterwards, the stated objective is a network of more than one hundred facilities, and the Nonstop Gym brand is intended to disappear in the long term. These are two different levels: the first measures the physical extent of the centers, while the second concerns the identity by which the network will be recognized.

The source places the quantitative objective by the end of 2026, but does not set a precise date for the disappearance of the brand. For those observing the local offering, this distinction avoids treating as already completed a process still described as an objective and transition. The growth of the network and the name change are therefore not the same step.

The third level is corporate. Puregym is majority-controlled by the US fund Leonard Green & Partners, while KKR has been among the shareholders since December 2021 with a significant minority stake. The presence of these investors places the acquisition within an international ownership structure, while the announcement presents it as a further step in the group's expansion.

For the national public, the useful point remains limited but concrete: follow the territorial integration and the transformation of the brand without attributing effects already achieved to the announcement. The ambition of a broader Swiss network is explicit; its completion remains tied to the stated horizon.

Key points

How to follow the operation through the end of 2026

The source makes it possible to establish a simple check, useful for anyone who wants to follow the expansion without confusing announcements with results. The method does not require estimates: it is enough to keep the initial data, objective, geography, brand and financial information separate.

Five steps for a rigorous verification

1. Establish the starting point. Record the Swiss presence of the two operators separately, because the announcement starts from two distinct networks. Do not automatically add up the clubs as if the new organization had already been completed: the final figure is indicated as a future objective.

2. Check the deadline. Use the end of 2026 as a reference point to verify progress toward a network of more than one hundred gyms. The deadline concerns the announced objective and must not be treated as a result already achieved.

3. Divide the territory into three areas. The communication mentions German-speaking Switzerland, Romandy and Ticino. This framework makes it possible to view the expansion without focusing only on Puregym's headquarters in Leeds or Nonstop Gym's Geneva origins: the stated project concerns the Confederation.

4. Follow the brand change. Nonstop Gym was founded in 2014 in Geneva and, according to the plan described, is destined to disappear in the long term. The wording does not set a precise date. It is therefore advisable to distinguish the brand transition from the network's numerical milestone.

5. Keep the financial dimension separate. The financial details of the operation have not been disclosed. When updating the news, only any data made public should be used, without attributing an undisclosed amount to the sale.

This procedure avoids two confusions: mistaking the target network for a result already achieved and interpreting the disappearance of the brand as an event occurring on a precise date. The source instead speaks of an objective to be achieved by a deadline and of a disappearance in the long term. The point to follow is the announced transformation of the network on a Swiss-wide scale.

Source: tio.ch