Pure Barre, YogaSix Head to Japan in Latest Expansion Moves

Xponential Fitness and its master franchise partner see Japan as an up-and-coming fitness market with strong consumer demand

At least 50 Pure Barre and YogaSix studios are expected to open in Japan after Xponential Fitness signed a master franchise agreement with Osaka-based Sunpark Co. Ltd., a StretchLab master franchisee and franchisor of restaurants, entertainment concepts and fitness centers.

The deal marks the first expansion of Pure Barre into Asia, with it and YogaSix joining four of Xponential’s other brands with a current presence in Japan: Club Pilates, StretchLab, CycleBar, Rumble Boxing and AKT. As for YogaSix, Xponential signed its first international agreement for the brand for Germany with an existing master franchisee of Club Pilates.

The master franchise agreement follows Sunpark’s launch of StretchLab, which opened its first location last summer in Tokyo. The assisted stretching brand has been a hit in the U.S. and elsewhere, opening its 400th location in November.

“Sunpark’s track record of expansion in Japan and Asia with multiple restaurant brands blends well with Xponential’s extensive experience in boutique fitness,” said John Kersh, chief international development officer of Xponential Fitness. “We are excited to expand into a new, multi-brand relationship with Sunpark.”

The Japanese market has caught the interest of Xponential as the company continues to scale, Kersh told Athletech News in a November interview.

“Japan has a growing population of people that are participating in gyms and other fitness activities,” he noted. “And it’s got a really strong franchising culture and background.”

Entrepreneur Ken Takagi, founder and CEO of Sunpark, also noted that the fitness and wellness sector is still in its infancy in Japan. Sunpark is ready to help build a strong foundation for growth, he assures.

“We believe the time is right to build on our successful launch of StretchLab by introducing Pure Barre and YogaSix to the market and continue tapping into the strong consumer demand for health, wellness and fitness,” Takagi said.

With eight brands operating or in development in 23 countries, Xponential has continued to grow its international presence, recently appointing franchising industry veteran Bob Kaufman as president of international to expand its number of overseas locations.

In addition to its international growth plans, Xponential is embarking on a new frontier with the recent acquisition of Lindora’s metabolic health clinics — a move marking the franchisor’s entrance into the GLP-1 weight-loss drug and non-invasive wellness therapies game.