Fitness Premier Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Fitness Premier is a gym franchise offering memberships, personal training, and group fitness classes in a community setting. Franchisees run the clubs, managing memberships, staff, and equipment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Fitness Premier franchise requires a total initial investment of $457K – $1.6M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $337K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $457K – $1.6M
- 83rd pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- $337K
- Outlet subsetn=18th pct Health & Fitn…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 10th pct Health & Fitn…
- Units
- 17
- 47th pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Health & Fitness avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $457K – $1.6M including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $337K/year (reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 53/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGRevenue data based on only 1 reporting unit. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- FP Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- PTS Capital Partners, LLC
- CEO title
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Jason Markowicz
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 28 W Nebraska Street, Frankfort, Illinois 60423
- Auditor
- Hearne & Associates, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.4M
- vs $1.4M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jason Markowicz
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 78% above the typical health & fitness franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $392K | $1.5M |
| Total initial investment | $457K | $1.6M |
Source: Fitness Premier 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $457K – $1.6M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $335 |
| Training fee | $199 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $2K – $13K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 45% below the health & fitness norm.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$101K
30.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
10%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
10.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Fitness Premier unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
10%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Fitness Premier units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$1.5M
on $7.7M purchase
Total debt
$6.2M
SBA $3.9M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average
- Avg gross sales
- $337K
- Per unit/yr · from the Item 19 franchised-cohort breakdown (no single system-wide average disclosed)
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 1
- vs category median 12 · small
- Reported figure
- $337K
- A single outlet — not a range
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 173 Health & Fitness brands
Revenue is only 0.3x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $337K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.3x. Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 11.0% — above the Health & Fitness average of 8.4%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 0/10 — minimal disclosure beyond the required average. Hard to judge the distribution of outcomes across units. Sample size of 1 unit — treat as directional only.
Operator retention
System expanding at 50.0% CAGR over 3 years across 17 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Multi-unit rate
Only 25% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Health & Fitness averages
How Fitness Premier Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 17
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 14
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 18%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 25.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +50.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +50.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 8 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 8
- Loan volume
- $3.3M
- Median loan
- $380K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (8 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Fitness Premier presents significant caution-level risk due to franchisor going concern status, absence of financial disclosures, minimal unit count, and unprotected territories—making profitability assessment impossible and franchisee ROI highly speculative.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Hearne & Associates, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 53 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status indicates franchisor financial distress or viability questions
- 02MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosed (Item 19) — impossible to assess ROI or profitability
- 03MINOROnly 17 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests stagnant or declining system
- 04MINORNo territorial protection exposes franchisees to direct competition from other franchisees and franchisor
- 05MINORWide investment range ($456,900–$1,591,600) indicates inconsistent unit economics or hidden costs
- 06MED6% royalty on undisclosed revenue makes financial projections impossible to model
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 11.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Cook County, Illinois |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | IL |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 22 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 18 hrs
- Training location
- Frankfort, Illinois
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- ABC Financial
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: ABC Financial
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
5 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Fitness Premier · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Fitness Premier franchise?
The total investment to open a Fitness Premier franchise ranges from $457K – $1.6M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Fitness Premier franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Fitness Premier FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $337K. Important context: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system; Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Fitness Premier FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Fitness Premier FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Fitness Premier's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Fitness Premier (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Fitness Premier franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Fitness Premier has 17 total units in the United States, including 3 franchised units and 14 company-owned units.
Is Fitness Premier a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Fitness Premier as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 53 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Fitness Premier, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Health & Fitness franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Health & Fitness category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.