Dave Long, co-founder and CEO of Orangetheory Fitness, has told HCM the boutique fitness franchise is aiming to expand to 100 more locations globally this year.

The company currently has 1,500 studio franchises operating in 50 US states and 23 countries. Long says there are 300 more in the pipeline.

“Internationally, aggressive development plans are set in place for 2023 in countries such as Canada, UK, Spain, Japan, India, Dubai and Saudi Arabia,” he told HCM.

He says US presence will also continue to grow this year and that New York is one of the areas the company is focusing on. “We have studios under construction and slated to open in Hell’s Kitchen, Rockefeller Center, West Village and Tribeca,” he explains. “We’re also finalising deals in West Harlem and Noma. In total, we have six new projects coming to New York.”

There will also be more Orangetheory studios coming to the UK, which currently has nine sites. London is central to the UK expansion plans and will see more locations opening in the near future. ”London is a strong market for us,” said Long. “We're looking for potential new locations in and outside the city.”

In 2017, Orangetheory announced it had signed a deal with master franchisee 3 Kings to expand in 'southern England' with 70 studios opening in ten years, including 30 in London, but these plans were delayed by the pandemic.

In 2022, the company sold franchises in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, China, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Spain and Poland, as well as its first in France. Jason Dunlop was appointed in August 2022 to oversee global expansion.

Orangetheory provides classes that take members through the five heart rate zones while taking part in rowing, cardio and strength training. The goal is to spend up to 20 minutes in its 'orange zone' to optimise the impact on metabolism.

The company launched a new workout called MaxHR in August 2022, which runs on a proprietary algorithm. The AI driven system customises users’ heart rate zones, becoming more accurate over time.