After recently eclipsing the milestone of 150 franchise agreements signed, Matt McCollum sat down with ATN to discuss what’s next for Bodybar, one of the fitness industry’s fastest-growing brands
Pilates brands are expanding across the United States at breakneck speed, driven by surging demand for the low-impact workout modality. One of those brands, Bodybar Pilates, believes it’s got what it takes to stand out from the crowd and firmly establish itself as one of America’s top fitness brands.
Led by husband-and-wife team Matt and Kamille McCollum (Matt serves as CEO, and Kamille as president), Bodybar Pilates has become one of the fastest-growing brands in fitness over the past few years, appearing on Entrepreneur’s Top 500 Franchises list for the second year in a row.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based brand currently has 58 open studios and over 150 franchise agreements signed, with 75 to 80 locations projected to be open by the end of this year. It’s eyeing even more aggressive expansion in the years ahead, Matt McCollum told Athletech News.
“We expect to sign 80 to 90 agreements this year,” he said. “We’re already halfway there at 40 agreements signed. We think next year, we’ll double that number.”
Looking further into the future, McCollum believes Bodybar Pilates can support as many as 800 to 1,000 studios in the U.S., with international expansion a strategic goal as well.
A Welcoming Approach to Pilates
A former college football player and longtime weightlifter turned Pilates enthusiast, McCollum took over as Bodybar’s CEO in 2019 after he and Kamille opened one of the brand’s first franchise locations back in 2016. He says the brand has been able to expand so rapidly thanks to a combination of a few key factors: the surging popularity of Pilates across the U.S., Bodybar’s unique take on the modality and a commitment to supporting franchise owners with best-in-class resources.
For starters, McCollum believes Bodybar offers the best of both worlds when it comes to workouts, serving as a middle-ground option between the classical style offered by brands like Club Pilates and the more hardcore, athletic style driven by Lagree studios and concepts like Solidcore.
“We cross both of those spectrums,” McCollum says. “Our workout methodology … appeals to those who want more of the classic-type and also the athletic version. I’ve been in classes where you’ll have a 75-year-old grandfather or grandmother, and you’ll have college-aged folks that are in great shape.”
Bodybar offers nearly 10 different classes, including “balanced” and “athletic” types to suit a variety of fitness preferences. McCollum also notes that instructors are given creative license to add their own flair to classes.
“In doing this since 2016, I’ve never taken the same class,” he says. “It’s always unique.”
Assembling a Savvy Leadership Team
In terms of supporting franchisees, McCollum points to Bodybar’s executive leadership team, which includes him and his wife as CEO and president, respectively, but also other experts in franchising and fitness. For example, the brand recently hired Michael Piermarini, a key figure in Orangetheory’s global expansion success, as its chief operating officer.
Last month, Bodybar tapped Prestige Franchise Partners to handle franchise development, bringing on board franchise vets including Samantha Schweitzer, Brittany Bode and Mike Baguley (Baguely has been credited for helping grow Gameday Men’s Health franchise locations across the U.S.).
“We have phenomenal operators on our teams that work very closely with our franchise owners to make sure that they’re getting all the support they need,” McCollum said.
Gearing Up for Expansion
It all seems to be working well so far: Bodybar has locations open everywhere from California to Wichita, Kansas, including a particularly strong presence in its home state of Texas. Looking ahead, McCollum mentioned cities including Tampa, Atlanta and Denver as markets where Bodybar is seeing strong interest from franchisees.
In the future, Bodybar could look to expand internationally, with McCollum identifying Canada as a natural first landing spot. Asia and Europe could follow after that.
As Bodybar eyes even more aggressive expansion in the years ahead, it will do so in a highly competitive market for Pilates. On the franchising side alone, brands including JetSet Pilates, FS8/Vaura Pilates and Studio Pilates are all chasing serious growth, while Anthony Geisler’s new brand Pilates Addiction is eyeing at least 100 locations after opening in West Hollywood two months ago. That’s to say nothing of market leader Club Pilates, which opened its 1,000th location last year and is still in expansion mode.
While competition is stiff, McCollum and his team are confident Bodybar has what it takes to establish itself as a household name in Pilates — maybe the household name, if all goes according to plan.
“‘Pilates near me’ has been a top Google search term for the last five years,” McCollum notes. “Our goal is to make that ‘Bodybar near me.’”
