Planet Fitness flexes hard by moving into old Toys ‘R’ Us and Sears stores

Planet Fitness is literally filling in the spaces left behind by retailers including Sears and Toys ‘R’ Us

Planet Fitness is looking pretty huge after putting in so many hours at the gym: Earlier this week, the fitness chain announced plans to move into vacant Sears and Toys ‘R’ Us locations as part of a nationwide expansion.

Planet Fitness flexes hard by moving into old Toys ‘R’ Us and Sears stores

Other retailers are shriveling up, but Planet Fitness is pumping iron

Retailers including Sears and Toys ‘R’ Us have announced 6k+ US store closures this year.

But Planet Fitness is expanding its retail footprint: The company has 1.8k gyms across the US, 60% more than 3 years ago. 

It plans to open another 225 gyms this year.

Six-pack abs are not yet available on Amazon Prime

Biceps aren’t the only things growing: Shares of Planet Fitness have increased 400% over the past 4 years.

Consumers can buy nearly anything from the comfort of a couch. But investors believe gyms can still bring butts into buildings: Gym memberships have increased 37% since 2008 — even though 80% of Americans still don’t belong to a gym.

Planet Fitness has posted 12 straight years of sales growth at gyms open for at least 1 year and plans to expand its network to 4k gyms.

Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t.