A fitness company that launched in New York City in 1989 has its eye on expansion including right here in central Pennsylvania. Crunch Fitness opened its first location in the Harrisburg area on Dec. 22 at the Dauphin Plaza shopping center in Susquehanna Township. Eight years ago, Crunch Fitness started to franchise its locations, and now has 270 locations. The Harrisburg-area location that opened in Dauphin Plaza next to Ashley HomeStore at 3880B Union Deposit Road was one of about 70 Crunch Fitness locations that opened last year.
And the chain hopes to open around 80 more locations this year including five or six locations in Pennsylvania.
“We have big plans to open across the state,” Ben Midgley, CEO of Crunch Franchise said.
Midgley says that Crunch Fitness is a high value, low price fitness center. Monthly memberships cost between $9.95 and $39.95. The fitness chain says that it embraces a “No Judgments” philosophy and everyone regardless of fitness level is welcome. Midgley says that while the “No Judgments” tagline may sound familiar to Planet Fitness’ “Judgement Free Zone” tagline, Crunch Fitness has been using the “No Judgements” tagline since 1995 which he says was years before Planet Fitness’ “Judgement Free Zone.”
“That all started with Crunch,” he said.
Crunch Fitness has been able to expand aggressively as of late. Midgley says that even though there is at-home fitness equipment and fitness programs, fitness centers haven’t had to worry as much about an Amazon-like effect, that has doomed some retailers. And he says that Crunch Fitness has even been able to take advantage of the many large retail spaces that have been available in strip centers that provide plenty of parking. Crunch Fitness usually leases a portion of a large retail space, he said.
And Crunch Fitness will continue to expand. The company has sold about 1000 franchise locations to about 75 franchisees like Chad Smith who opened a location in the York area two years ago and also is the franchise owner of the new Harrisburg-area location. The location was previously occupied by its neighbor Ashley HomeStore and was also once home to Big Lots which recently expanded its current location in the shopping center. The space was also home to a Hechinger store which closed in 1999.
Smith says that you can find everything under one roof at Crunch Fitness. The 29,000-square-foot location includes outside fitness space, fitness equipment, a HIIT zone, a cycling studio, locker rooms, a sauna, a personal training area, a relax and recovery area for hydromassage and tanning, and more.
And Crunch Fitness has more than 100 classes weekly, everything from Pilates to yoga and Zumba and HIIT (high intensity interval training) classes, and Midgley says that Crunch Fitness produces most of its own content when it comes to classes. During the week classes start as early as 5 a.m. and as late as 7 p.m. Smith says that the HIIT classes, cycling classes and the gym’s 360 3X -total body workouts are all very popular.
“We’re really known for our fitness classes,” Smith said.
Crunch Fitness has opened for business in the Harrisburg area.
Crunch Fitness also offers personal training.
And Crunch Fitness has a number of different ways that its clients can crunch the numbers when it comes to tracking their progress and meeting their goals from three-dimensional body scannning and heart rate monitors tracking results to being able to track workouts online and working with Crunch Fitness to customize nutrition plans. And Crunch Fitness also offers live video workouts when clients are out of town or are just unable to make it to the gym.
Crunch Fitness is opened from 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays; 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. The gym employs 35 people. The gym is currently holding its grand opening celebration with a special promotion until Jan. 15.
Smith who has been working in the fitness world for a decade and also owns the Crunch Fitness at 905 Loucks Road in York, says he expects to open more locations in central Pennsylvania.
“I feel as though Crunch has the best member experience,” he said. “We’re really changing people’s lives.