# Snap Fitness

Snap Fitness is a privately-owned global chain of 24/7 fitness centers headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 2003 by Peter Taunton and currently operates over 1,000 locations in over 20 countries across 5 continents, with over half a million members. It received the “Best Fitness Franchise” by Global Franchise in 2022.
Snap Fitness is associated by ownership and otherwise with other fitness and franchise businesses through its parent Lift Brands and various affiliate companies. Those brands include FitnessOnDemand, 9Round and Fitstop.

## History

Snap Fitness was founded in 2003 by Peter Taunton as an industry innovator, created to offer fast, convenient, and affordable fitness. He believed in a lean gym model, providing everything a member needs to get in shape and without the extra amenities and overhead of larger fitness centers.
The first Snap Fitness location opened in River Falls, Wisconsin in 2004.

## International Expansion

In 2007, Snap Fitness opened its first international location, expanding into Canada with a location in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
By 2008, Snap Fitness had 910 clubs with 400,000 members in 46 states in the U.S., and continued its global expansion with its first club in India, as well as adding locations in Australia and New Zealand. In 2009, Snap Fitness continued to expand with locations in Mexico.
In 2010, the company opened its first location in New Zealand in Papanui, Christchurch, and in 2012 opened its first UK location in Milton Keynes.
By 2015, Snap Fitness entered Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Georgia, and the Philippines by way of separate Master Franchise Agreements for each country. That same year, the company signed a Master Franchise Agreement with Saudi Arabia. In late April 2016, Snap Fitness announced that the company had secured a major development deal for the United Kingdom with MSG Life Limited.
An Area Developer Agreement was signed for Ireland in August 2016 and in 2017, Snap Fitness signed agreements with Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Tim McGraw’s Signature Snap Fitness club, TRUMAV, opened in January 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.

## Personnel Changes & Rebrand

In 2019, then-CEO Peter Taunton stepped down from his role to become the nonexecutive chairman of the Lift Brands’ board, where he served as a strategic advisor and Tom Welter, then Lift Brands’ chief operating officer, took over as interim CEO. In August 2020, Ty Menzies was appointed to Global CEO for Lift Brands.
Throughout the early 2020s, Snap Fitness went through an extensive rebrand, moving away from the fast, convenient, and affordable messaging to its current “For the Feeling” model, which emphasizes how fitness makes you feel over how it makes you look.

## Awards

Franchise Market Magazine ranks Snap Fitness #1 on their “Top New Franchise” list in 2007.
Snap Fitness received a 2021 Franchise Innovation Award from Franchise Innovation Media for the company's "MOVE with Snap Fitness at Home" challenge.
Snap Fitness was awarded the Best Fitness Franchise award by Global Franchise in 2022.
Snap Fitness won silver at the TITAN Business Awards in the products and services category in 2024.