CHICAGO — LA Fitness has acquired XSport Fitness gyms and will place its nine Chicago locations under different management starting Tuesday.
XSport members received the news last weekend in an email from Capital Fitness Inc., XSport’s parent company.
According to the email, LA Fitness will honor XSport memberships and charge the “same amount as before.” Memberships that provide access to a single club will remain unchanged, but members that provide access to multiple clubs will be able to visit any LA Fitness-branded club nationwide.
“Capital Fitness, Inc. (X Sports Fitness) has decided to exit the health and fitness club business,” an email to club members said. “As a result, effective July 16, 2024, operations of our clubs, including your home clubs, will be transferred to Fitness International, Inc., doing business as LA Fitness.”
XSport and LA Fitness did not respond to requests for further comment.
The announcement did not say whether any gyms would be closed. XSport operates nine gyms in Chicago, while LA Fitness operates 10. The deal brings nearby gyms under the same management, including LA Fitness’ Foster Avenue gym, XSport’s Elston Avenue location on the Northwest Side, its East Lake View gym and its South Loop location.
Some XSport members are concerned that the acquisition could result in shorter hours: XSport’s Chicago location is open 24 hours a day, while local LA Fitness gyms are open from 9 to 11 p.m. on weekdays and close earlier on weekends.
North Park resident Matt Lago works two jobs and said he worries his gym will lose flexibility if it becomes part of LA Fitness.
“I think that’s unfortunate,” Lago said. “The 24-hour model is a necessity for a lot of people, especially those who have multiple jobs or who have relatively demanding jobs.”
Belmont Cragin resident Omar Vega also relies on the 24/7 model, going to his local XSport around 1 a.m. after his bartending shift ends. He hopes LA Fitness’ acquisition will reinvent XSport.
“Anyone who comes to XSport will tell you they don’t have the best equipment, their equipment isn’t working, they need repairs or they’re missing equipment,” Vega said.
The transfer of the clubs means LA Fitness continues to expand within the fitness industry.
$153 million transaction In 2011, the company acquired 171 clubs, including 27 in Illinois, from Chicago-based Bally Total Fitness. The following year, LA Fitness acquired two smaller clubs, Urban Active Fitness Clubs and Lifestyle Family Fitness Clubs.
Despite the growth, one expert said it’s unlikely that LA Fitness will be able to establish a monopoly on the health club sector.
“The reality is that, like the athletic footwear sector, the fitness sector is a huge market,” said Joe Pellegrini, managing director at Baird, a financial services firm that focuses on the fitness and wellness sector. “My intuition is that LA Fitness wouldn’t be moving into this space unless they thought it was a quality asset, or an asset with characteristics that matched very well with their business.”
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