The HFA Global 25—Truly Global and Truly Diverse

There are many ways to find success in the global industry, and HFA can help you get there.

Our feature on the HFA Global 25 is a testament to the variety and global reach of the industry. HFB’s features cover four companies based in different nations: Benefit Systems Group (Poland); Fitness Park Group (France); LifeFit Group (Germany); and Purpose Brands (United States).

As the articles make clear, the diversity of nations represented in the list may not be the most interesting detail. It’s the diverse strategic plans used by the four companies to achieve success that stand out.

For those who don’t know, the HFA Global 25 is the product of HFA’s annual must-have research report, the 2026 HFA Global Report. Get it now if you don’t already have it. (I’ll wait.)

New Names Join Perennial Industry Giants

The Global Report is as comprehensive an analysis of the global industry as you’ll find. But it doesn’t just give you the play-by-play and state of the sector over the last year—it delivers insights from nearly every global region on the planet. What emerges from the illuminating charts, data interpretation, and dispatches from global federations is how the industry is moving toward an identity as preventive healthcare that delivers benefits in disease prevention, mental wellness, longevity, and other health-related improvements.

Some brands embrace this identity directly, while others have different value propositions that are less reliant on a gym-as-a-health-clinic model, but all facilities gain reputational value from the message that regular physical activity, particularly structured exercise, delivers health benefits for a lifetime.

Benefit Systems Group is one of them. The Warsaw-based company has leveraged a corporate wellness program called MultiSport into a thriving network of clubs acquired in the purchase of MAC Group, a Turkey-based brand with more than 120 units. After not being ranked in HFA’s Global Report last year, Benefit Systems Group shot up to $6 in revenue with $1.206B.

“The 2026 HFA Global 25 is aspirational, but HFA can help make it achievable.”

Fitness Park Group, based in Paris, offers a model described as “affordable premium” that appeals to a younger demographic, with nearly 80% of its 1.38 million members under 35 years old. The company has aggressively moved into other European markets, with less than 25% of Fitness Park’s facilities located in France. More than 70% of Fitness Park’s portfolio is operated by franchisees, while 30% is corporate-owned.

Like Fitness Park Group, LifeFit Group GmbH is backed by private equity, but with a different strategic plan. Under the leadership of CEO Martin Seibold, former HFA intern and winner of the 2026 HFA Global Leader Award in Honor of John Holsinger, LifeFit Group ranked #1 in global revenue growth (51.3%), according to the Global Report. The company also grew its membership 63% over the last year.

Purpose Brands, the most high-profile company covered in HFB’s article, is eyeing a larger international footprint beyond its already industry-leading portfolio of more than 7,500 units. Under its revered franchise model, Purpose Brands hopes to grow both Orangetheory and Anytime Fitness brands in the coming months.

HFA Can Help Guide Your Journey to the ‘Top’

There’s no single path to reach the HFA Global 25 or to rank among world leaders in the Global Report’s other categories, and that’s good news for an industry consistently pressed to adapt to volatility in both consumer behavior and economic markets.

To do so takes research, networking, marketing to investors, and protection from regulatory and legislative forces that can derail your business before it hits its stride.

HFA can provide tools and guidance to meet this challenge:

• HFA research, such as the Fitness Benchmarking Report released this month, provides insider information on what’s working for successful companies, some of them in HFA’s Global 25;

• HFA’s advocacy mission, which protects the industry’s bottom line from onerous legislation/regulation;

• HFA’s conferences and media channels, such as HFB, provide best practices and tips from respected experts to help operators succeed, while offering discounts and support of day-to-day operations; and

• HFA’s relentless messaging about the industry’s rightful place in healthcare infrastructure helps raise the profile of an industry that has often been mischaracterized in the past.

The 2026 HFA Global 25 is aspirational, but HFA can help make it achievable.

Contributors

Patricia Amend

Patricia Amend, who holds an M.A. in journalism from New York University, has been a writer, editor, and author for 30+ years. She took up long-distance running, which piqued her interest in healthy lifestyles and the fitness industry. She also specializes in financial health—small business and personal finance.

In addition to writing some 600 articles about the industry—mostly for HFA—Ms. Amend served as Executive Editor of Health & Fitness Business (formerly Club Business International) and Managing Editor of Club Business Europe, and she produced research reports, newsletters, program guides, and marketing materials for HFA.

Other stories have appeared in Club Industry, ACE Fitness Matters, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, Money.com, AARP.org, and AARP The Magazine. One of her books, The 30-Minute Fitness Solution, published by Harvard University Press, received an Award of Excellence from the American Medical Writers Association. She can be reached at patriciaamend2@gmail.com.

Jon Feld

Jon Feld has been writing for four decades. He has a diverse and varied background: editor for Club Industry magazine, publications director at Boston University, director of Content Development at Inc. Magazine, media business owner, and more. One thread has been a near constant for most of his career: He’s been writing for HFA since 1987. He can be contacted at jfeld@oncoremedia.net.

Julie King

Julie King is a freelance writer with more than 30 years of experience in the fitness industry. She’s worked as a content creator, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, fitness director, fitness/wellness coordinator, and health club manager. Since 2002, King has been a contributing writer to Health & Fitness Business. Her work has also appeared in the Journal on Active Aging, Club Solutions, Recreation Management, Campus Recreation, National Fitness Trade Journal, and Fitness Management. Holding a B.S. in journalism and an M.S. in kinesiology, King was a contributing author to The Fitness Handbook, published by Stairmaster Sports/Medical Products. She can be contacted at julie.king1@comcast.net.

Health & Fitness Business is a publication of

Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading health and fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues, and news that impact the industry.

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