Gold's Gym Continues Aggressive Growth Strategy with Acquisition of The Rush Fitness Complex

Leading Authority on Health and Fitness Acquires All Twenty-Three Locations in Cities throughout Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina

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Gold's Gym

Jul 28, 2014, 12:43 ET

DALLAS, July 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Gold's Gym, the world's leading authority on health and fitness, announced today that it has signed a new deal to acquire The Rush Fitness Complex – a regional gym chain boasting 23 clubs in communities including Knoxville, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Dalton, GA, Greenville, SC, Asheville, NC and the Triad (north-central region of North Carolina). The deal is officially slated to close in the next month.

All 23 of the new locations will be corporate-owned, growing the brand's corporate-owned gym portfolio to 146, a 40 percent increase from the gym chain's 104 corporate-owned gym count from July 2013, just one year ago, and an 80 percent increase from its July 2012 count of 81 corporate-owned gyms.

As part of the agreement, The Rush Fitness Complex's 23 clubs will be rebranded under the Gold's Gym name, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year, and will remain open throughout the transition. All existing memberships will be honored at the new locations – automatically converting to Gold's Gym memberships without any interruption to current members. These members will also be given the option to gain travel privileges to the Gold's Gym network of more than 700 locations in 38 states and 28 countries.

"Following steady growth this last quarter, which included the acquisition of Aspen Athletic Clubs, we are excited to kick off the second half of the year with this announcement," said Gold's Gym President Aaron Watkins. "There were obvious synergies between The Rush Fitness Complex offerings and Gold's Gym offerings, which is why this deal was attractive to us. We look forward to providing award-winning service and helping these new members of the Gold's Gym family reach their individual fitness goals."

The deal marks the entry of Gold's Gym into several new markets including Knoxville, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Dalton, GA, and Asheville, NC. In the Triad (NC), the newly acquired clubs will join an existing Gold's Gym location in Winston Salem, NC, which is independently owned and operated by a current franchisee.

"This is an exciting development for our Rush employees and members," says David Carney, President and CEO of The Rush. "We share a similar operating philosophy with Gold's Gym along with a passion for customer service. Our members and employees will now be part of one of the strongest brands in the industry."

The 23 new Gold's Gym locations include:

KNOXVILLE, TN

Gold's Gym Lenoir City
785 Highway 321
Lenoir City, TN 37771

Gold's Gym Oak Ridge
302 South Illinois Ave.
Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Gold's Gym Knoxville Center Mall
3001 Knoxville Center Drive
Knoxville, TN 37924

Gold's Gym Farragut
10708 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37934

Gold's Gym West Knoxville
8445 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37919

Gold's Gym Alcoa
157 N. Calderwood
Alcoa, TN 37701

Gold's Gym Chapman
6510 Chapman Highway
Knoxville, TN 37920

CHATTANOOGA, TN

Gold's Gym Downtown Chattanooga
210 W. 4th St.
Chattanooga, TN 37402

Gold's Gym Hixson
5510 Highway 153
Hixson, TN 37343

Gold's Gym Lee Highway
6933 Lee Hwy.
Chattanooga, TN 37421

Gold's Gym Cleveland
201 Keith Street
Cleveland, TN 37311

DALTON, GA

Gold's Gym Dalton
816 Walnut Sq., Bldg. E
Dalton GA 30721

GREENVILLE, SC

Gold's Gym Cherrydale
3245 N. Pleasantburg Drive
Greenville, SC 29609

TRIAD - NORTH CAROLINA

Gold's Gym Jonestown
420-R Jonestown Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27107

Gold's Gym Downtown Winston-Salem
400 W. 4th St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Gold's Gym High Point
2620 N Main St.
High Point, NC 27265

Gold's Gym Randleman
3120 Randleman Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27406

Gold's Gym Greensboro Sportsplex
2400 16th St.
Greensboro, NC 27405

Gold's Gym Burlington
2356 South Church St.
Burlington, NC 27215

Gold's Gym Brassfield
3711 Battleground Ave.
Greensboro, NC 27410

Gold's Gym Wendover
4835 W. Wendover Ave.
Jamestown, NC 27282

ASHEVILLE, NC

Gold's Gym Patton
1047 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28806

Gold's Gym Hendersonville
1815 Hendersonville Road
Asheville, NC 28803

About Gold's Gym

Established in Venice, Calif. in 1965, Gold's Gym is the most recognized gym chain in the world with more than 700 locations in 38 states and 28 countries. The iconic brand ranks in the top 15 percent of Entrepreneur magazine's 2011 "Franchise 500". Gold's Gym offers the latest equipment and services, including group exercise, personal training, cardiovascular equipment, group cycle, Pilates and yoga. With nearly 3 million members worldwide, Gold's Gym helps all kinds of people achieve their individual potential through fitness. For more information please visit www.goldsgym.com, www.facebook.com/goldsgym or www.twitter.com/goldsgym.

SOURCE Gold's Gym