Anytime Fitness is stepping up its expansion in France through the acquisition of INTERVAL Sport Fitness Group by its French master franchisee, Anytime France S.A.S.
Announced by Purpose Brands on August 11, 2026, the deal will see 10 INTERVAL Sport properties converted into Anytime Fitness clubs. The transaction will add 23 team members and approximately 14,000 members to the Anytime Fitness network in France.
Anytime France currently operates three Anytime Fitness clubs in the country, with locations across Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The acquisition therefore represents a significant increase in its French footprint.
“Bringing the INTERVAL Sport clubs into the Anytime Fitness network means welcoming 10 new locations, 23 team members, and 14,000 members into our family,” said Benoit Hanssen, co-owner of Anytime France. “Our focus now is making sure every one of them gets the same personalized, high-quality experience our existing members already know.”
Hanssen owns Anytime France with Matt Burgess. The two entrepreneurs also operate Anytime Fitness clubs in Italy and have been involved with the brand since 2015. Anytime France was appointed the brand’s French master franchisee in 2023, when the company began developing the market.
The acquisition comes as Anytime Fitness targets faster growth across Europe. In July, Purpose Brands said France, Germany and the UK were among its key European growth markets. At the time, Anytime Fitness had reached its 6,000th location globally, while its European footprint stood at around 465 clubs.
“The Anytime Fitness brand is on an incredible growth trajectory: we just opened our 6,000th location and expect to open 500 clubs globally this year,” said Sander van den Born, Chief International Officer at Purpose Brands. “With European fitness trends favouring strength training and recovery, brand growth in France is a natural next step, and the Anytime France team is exactly the right partner to deliver on it.”
He added that the company’s approach of working with local master franchise partners had “proven itself repeatedly on a global scale” and said Purpose Brands expects further growth across Europe.
Stacy Anderson, Global Brand President of Anytime Fitness, described the transaction as the type of expansion the company is seeking in Europe. “This acquisition reflects exactly the kind of growth we want to see across Europe; deliberate, community-first expansion that brings strong country operators, like Anytime France, into new locations,” Anderson said.
She added that adapting the club network to local member needs while maintaining global brand standards remains central to Anytime Fitness’ growth strategy.
The first French Anytime Fitness club opened in Villeurbanne in September 2024, followed by planned openings in Nice and Colombes. At the time, the company described France as a market with significant room for fitness penetration growth.
The acquisition also gives Anytime Fitness a larger member base from which to build its French network, while bringing existing INTERVAL Sport locations and employees into the global franchise system.
Anytime Fitness was founded in the United States in 2002 and operates a predominantly franchised model, with individual clubs owned and operated by franchisees. The company says members can access Anytime Fitness clubs worldwide through a single membership, while its clubs operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
According to Purpose Brands’ latest announcement, Anytime Fitness now has more than 6,000 clubs, 5.6 million members and operations in 40 countries and territories across all seven continents. The company expects to add approximately 500 clubs globally during 2026.
Earlier in 2026, the brand said its franchise network had opened more than 365 clubs during 2025, averaging more than one new club per day.
For Anytime Fitness, the INTERVAL Sport acquisition provides a sizeable platform for the next phase of its French expansion, increasing its local club base from three to 13 locations once the conversions are completed.
