FranchiseVerdict
World Gym logo
FV-02999·MODERATEExcellent81

World Gym

Health & FitnessFranchising since 2009Website
Investment
$453K – $2.2M
82nd pct Health & Fitn…
Avg revenue
58th pct Health & Fitn…
Royalty
Units
18
50th pct Health & Fitn…
SBA default
0.0%
vs <3% typical

Bottom line

  • Total investment $453K – $2.2M including a $25K franchise fee.
  • No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
  • Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 57/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 16 loans (below the industry average).
  • Auditor disclosed a going-concern note — flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
World Gym International, LLC
Parent company
World Fitness Services, Limited (“WFSL”)
Incorporated in
Delaware
HQ
1901 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, California 90067
Auditor
Chen & Fan Accountancy Corporation
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$3.2M
vs $3.6M prior year
⚠ Going-concern note
Disclosed in FDD 2026
Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.

Yale framework · single-unit ROIC

Returns Analysis

Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.

The model · Yale framework

What would one World Gym unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
Item 19 not disclosed — typing your own estimate
Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Royaltytyp 68%
%
Ad fundtyp 35%
%
Operating costs · category default: fitness
COGS
%
Labor
%
Rent / occupancy
%
Other operating
%
Total invested capital · what you actually put in
Initial investment
$
FDD Item 7: $453K–$2.2M
Working capital
$
FDD reports $45K–$150K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

15%

Below typical band (30–60%)

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$218K
EBITDA margin
29.0%
Total invested
$1.4M
Payback
79 mo
Unit-level only. A multi-unit portfolio gives up roughly 5–15% of this to shared services (corporate G&A) before reaching the ~10-unit break-even Yale describes.

Overview

About

World Gym franchisees operate full-service fitness centers offering gym memberships, personal training, group classes, and ancillary services (supplements, merchandise). Day-to-day operations include managing facility maintenance, staff scheduling, member retention programs, marketing, and revenue collection from monthly membership dues and personal training services.

CEO
John Caraccio
Founded
2008
FDD year
2026
States available
9

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$453K – $2.2M
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$45K – $150K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$25K
Royalty
$1,250 per month, with a $50 per month increase upon each…
Ad fund
$350 per month

Item 19

Financial Performance

This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
18
Opened
0
Last reporting year
Closed
2
Turnover rate
11.1%
Company-owned
0
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
100%
vs corporate-owned
Net growth (yr3)
-10.0%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
-25.0%
Compounded over last 3 years
2024
18-2
Franchised units
2025
20
Franchised units
2026
24
Franchised units

Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.

Item 20 · 19 states with active franchisees

The Territory Map

Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator — not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).

AK
ME
VT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
NJ
PA
DE
MD
DC
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
UT
CO
AZ
NM
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
MO
AR
LA
WI
IL
MS
TN
MI
IN
KY
AL
OH
WV
GA
VA
NC
SC
FL
HI
Registered · 19 states
Not registered

States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.

Government records

SBA Loan Data

Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.

Total loans
16
Loan volume
Avg loan
Default rate
0.0%
vs <3% typical · system-wide
5-yr default

FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17

Risk & Legal

57
Risk · 0-100
MODERATE57 / 100

World Gym presents meaningful risk due to declining unit count, lack of financial transparency, high capital requirements, and an unstable franchise system that may struggle to support new franchisees.

Score breakdown · what drove the 57 / 100 rating

  1. 01MEDUnit count declined 10% YoY (18 units total) — indicates contracting franchise system with potential viability concerns
  2. 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (no Item 19) — impossible to assess ROI or typical unit economics
  3. 03MEDHigh initial investment range ($452.5K–$2.2M) with no disclosed profitability benchmarks — significant capital at risk
  4. 04MINOREscalating royalty structure ($1,250/month + $50/year) creates headwind for mature locations and compounds ongoing costs
  5. 05MINORFitness industry remains highly competitive post-pandemic with shift to low-cost and digital alternatives
  6. 06MEDSmall franchise footprint (18 units) suggests limited brand recognition and support infrastructure

Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification

FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal

Contract & Territory Detail

Territory
Designated Territory
Protected territory
Yes
Initial term
10 years
Renewal term
10 years
Online sales rights
Restricted
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Hire a manager?
Allowed
Litigation count
0
Right of first refusal
Yes
Franchisor can buy back on resale
Mandatory arbitration
Yes
Jury trial waiver
Yes
Non-compete
2 yrs
Post-termination restriction
Owner-operator
Optional
Governing law
Delaware

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
56 hrs
On-the-job training
8 hrs

Item 20

Franchisee Contacts

Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.

Franchisee contacts

23 numbers

Locked
(804) 371-••••
VA
(608) 261-••••
WI
(801) 530-••••
UT

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

World Gym · FDD (2026) PDF

Single-page checkout · instant download · CSV export of contacts available separately above