This Cult US Fitness Concept Is Heading To Australia

IRVINE, United States — Boxing-inspired boutique fitness brand Rumble is gearing up to launch in Australia following the inking of a Master Franchise Agreement that will see at least 100 studios open across the country over the next five years.

The cult fitness concept, which joined the portfolio of Xponential Fitness, a curator of leading boutique fitness brands, earlier this year, is currently located exclusively in the US. Its existing studios can be found in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Chicago.

“Australia is proving to be a major emerging market for boutique fitness,” revealed John Kersh, Chief International Development Officer for Xponential Fitness, when speaking about the strategy.

He added: “Rumble will be a strong addition to the Xponential brands, CycleBar, Club Pilates and StretchLab, already sparking excitement in the market.”

Box X Operations Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Boutique Fitness Studios Pty Ltd., which is the existing master franchise partner in Australia for Xponential Fitness brands, CycleBar and StretchLab will oversee Rumble’s expansion into the country, as the Australian Master Franchisee.

Rumble is gearing up to launch in Australia — Image: Xponential Fitness/Rumble

According to the company, it has already secured multiple studio development deals which are expected to bring four Rumble studios to the Sydney and Newcastle markets.

Rumble and Box X have also teamed up with former F45 Franchise Owners and well-known entertainment industry duo, The Stafford Brothers, to promote Rumble in Australia and open their own Rumble studios.

“We are certain that Australians will embrace the results-oriented workout and immersive customer experience at Rumble studios,” commented Matt Gordin, CEO of Boutique Fitness Studios Pty. Ltd.

“And our promotional collaboration with Matt Stafford will extend our reach as we continue to develop our network of franchise partners around Australia,” he added.

For Rumble, the deal follows a challenging period for the brand which had been forced to pivot online due to the coronavirus pandemic. The fitness boutique, which launched in 2017, securing investment from Equinox Holdings and capturing the attention of celebrities including Justin Bieber and Kevin Hart, had until then, been enjoying a period of fast growth.

However, with the backing of Xponential Fitness, which acquired the brand back in March 2021, Rumble’s recognisable form of full-body strength and conditioning workouts, utilising teardrop-style boxing bags, are set to take to the global stage.

No stranger to international growth, having made debuts in Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, Dominican Republic, Spain and Australia with its family of brands, Xponential Fitness plans to leverage its seasoned team of fitness and franchising experts to attract and support new franchisees who can help grow the boxing brand and bring the workout to diverse communities around the world.

2021 has been a busy year for Xponential. Following its debut on the New York Stock Exchange in July, the boutique fitness franchisor revealed it had surpassed $35 million in revenue.

Speaking about the results, Anthony Geisler, Chief Executive Officer said:

“As is evident from our solid year-over-year revenue growth and the sale of 197 North American franchisee licenses in Q2, our business has rapidly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels and importantly, as of today’s date, is showing no signs of slowing down in the third quarter.”

The company, which currently boasts more than 1,850 studios across brands including Rumble, Pure Barre, Club Pilates, Row House, AKT and more says it expects to open a further 215 to 235 studios this year, as well as predicting systemwide sales of $690 million to $700 million and revenue in the range of $135.5 to $137 million.

“In July, we reached an important milestone in our history by completing our IPO, which positions us well to continue to successfully execute our mission and differentiated business strategy for years to come,” commented Geisler.

“Looking ahead, we are confident in our ability to continue expanding our market share in the large and growing boutique fitness industry as we unlock the incredible power of the Xponential platform.”