Fitness industry business models: from the traditional franchising chain to the fitness boutique

Abstract

Objective of the study: Fitness centres or “gyms” nowadays represent a real need for human beings in daily life routines worldwide. Through an exhaustive analysis of the literature has been possible to define the concept of the fitness boutique by analysing the current state of the art of scientific publications on business configurations/schemes and during the postmodern fitness industry timeline available until now. Methodology: Regarding the study design, three main databases have been utilised: ISI-WoS, Scopus, and SportDiscus. The following combination of search was employed: “fitness” intersected with “chain”, “studio” and “franchise”. Originality/Relevance: The research and keywords utilised revealed about 33 articles, and three thematic areas have been sorted: (1) franchise: from 1st to 2nd generation; (2) the boutique “essence”; and (3) social responses. Main results: Above all, the eight (8) main untouchable-qualitative features obtained of the fitness boutique model have been listed. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The research points out how the fitness industry evolved with its proper business and market models during the most recent timeline. Social/managerial contributions: This study could (1) assist researchers and professional alike in familiarising themselves with the extent of work published in the most relevant sports and leisure databases, and (2) in understanding all the qualitative secrets and successes of the franchising schemes inside the fitness field.