LifeFit Group has added regional club operator, In Shape, to its growing portfolio of brands.

In Shape operates 13 clubs across the Stuttgart and Ulm region and has more than 15,000 members and 300 employees.

The chain's clubs offer a number of fitness concepts – including Premium, Physio & Fitness, Dynamic, Pure and Pure Express – serving a range of different customer segments from premium to low cost.

In Shape founders, Nico Scheller and Michael Schetter, will continue to manage the brand together with LifeFit Goup CEO, Martin Seibold.

Speaking to HCM,, Seibold said: "We're very pleased that the agreement has now been finalised.

"With the In Shape brand, we are joined by the local market leader with its innovative concepts and two outstanding founders within the fitness industry.

"Nico Scheller and Michael Schetter have been active in the fitness industry for years, know their way around and are very well connected. With their support, we plan to open new clubs as well as acquire other existing clubs in their region.”

LifeFit Group currently operates clubs under six brands in Germany – Fitness First, Elbgym, Barry's Bootcamp, Smile X, The Gym Society, Pure Barre and Club Pilates. In Shape has now become the seventh in the group's portfolio.

LifeFit was set up in 2019 to acquire and operate a diverse selection of fitness operators in order to cater for different segments in the booming German market.

It is majority-owned by Oaktree Capital and is headed by CEO Martin Seibold, a long-time Fitness First executive.

In November 2019, just months before the pandemic, LifeFit signed a master franchise agreement with US-based fitness giant Xponential Fitness to bring Xponential's brands to the German market.

Read HCM’s interview with Martin Seibold on the launch of LifeFit here.