Scoop: Orangetheory Fitness Accelerates UK Expansion, Partners with Digme Fitness

Orangetheory Fitness is teaming up with Digme Fitness to strengthen its UK foothold.

Inside the deal. Boutique operator Digme Fitness is acquiring four Orangetheory studios in London and becoming a master franchisee. Part of OTF’s plans to launch 20 new UK sites by 2026, the brands will work together to drive expansion of owned and franchised studios.

Already counting 1.2K members, OTF CEO Dave Long sees London as a cornerstone for international growth, citing community engagement as a key growth driver.

For context: Laying the groundwork, OTF has nine total UK sites, but COVID slowed its ambitions in the region. Now, having spent $30M to scale its UK franchise network, while Digme will target four additional London sites by 2025.

Strength in numbers. As the new MD of OTF London, WIT Fitness co-founder Dan Williams and Digme CEO Geoff Bamber (who’ll operate Digme’s four studios alongside the acquired OTF sites) will leverage their local market knowledge to lead the brand in the capital and surrounding boroughs.

According to OTF International President Jason Dunlop, as the brand accelerates its footprint, the London partnership mirrors a company-wide “consumer-centric approach” prioritising “localisation of studios”.

HIITing All Bases

Beyond the UK, as boutique fitness rebounds, OTF is meeting consumers where they are.

• Last year, the brand opened its 1,500th studio across 25 countries including the US, the UK, France, Spain, Japan, India, Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
• In 2022, OTF partnered with employee wellness platform Gympass for US sites.
• Meeting demand for holistic fitness, it debuted functional strength training class Strength 50 earlier this year.

Looking ahead: With 300 new studios in development globally, Orangetheory’s back in hyper-growth mode. But, learning from the shortcomings of rivals like F45 Training, it’s combining speed with caution – working with the right partners, in the right places, to grow sustainably.