Fitstop reports 160-plus locations across four markets

Fitstop’s international franchise network, which includes New Zealand, has grown to more than 160 locations, according to a report published by The Economic Times on 1 October 2026. The Australian-founded functional fitness brand’s expansion offers a story of growth through repeatable systems, although the published figures do not isolate the performance or size of its New Zealand network.

From a Brisbane garage to four markets

The report traces Fitstop’s beginnings to 2013, when founder Peter Hull was running fitness sessions from his parents’ garage in Brisbane. More than a decade later, the brand operates across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States.

That footprint is the clearest measure of scale in the supplied reporting: more than 160 locations across four countries. It is an international total, not a count of New Zealand outlets, and the report does not provide a country-by-country breakdown.

For New Zealand’s franchise community, the local connection is therefore participation in an established cross-border network. The research does not identify a newly opened New Zealand gym, an incoming local franchise owner or a specific expansion timetable here.

That distinction matters when interpreting the headline. A growing international presence establishes the reach of a brand, but it does not, on its own, show how quickly that brand is expanding in any individual market.

Systems underpin the franchise model

The account describes Fitstop’s move into franchising as a shift from a business dependent on Hull opening and managing gyms himself to one in which franchise owners could establish locations in their own markets.

To support that change, the business developed its brand, technology, marketing, training and day-to-day processes. The central operation supplied the structure, while franchise owners took responsibility for building locations under the Fitstop name.

This is the most useful operational element of the story for prospective franchisees. The reported growth was accompanied by the development of a model intended to be followed by other operators, rather than simply the replication of a founder’s personal coaching activity.

The report also supplies an earlier milestone. Citing Australasian Leisure Management, it says Fitstop had reached 25 locations by 2019 and generated $8.5 million in total revenue over two years. Those historical figures provide context for the brand’s subsequent scale, but they are not a measure of current New Zealand trading.

What the revenue headline does and does not show

The Economic Times also cites a 2025 report by The Courier-Mail that put collective membership revenue across the network at about $1.2 million a week.

The important words are “collective membership revenue”. This is a network-wide revenue figure, not the founder’s personal earnings, the franchisor’s profit or the income available to an individual franchise owner. The supplied reporting does not specify the currency, so the figure should not be read as a New Zealand-dollar total.

Nor should the weekly revenue headline be divided by the latest location count to suggest typical gym turnover. The revenue figure relates to reporting from 2025, while the 160-plus footprint is described in the October 2026 account. They are not presented as matching measurements from the same period.

The research provides no New Zealand membership revenue, outlet-level operating costs or franchisee profit figures. Consequently, it supports a story about international network scale, not a conclusion about the financial return from buying a local Fitstop franchise.

Questions for a New Zealand franchise buyer

For someone considering a fitness franchise, Fitstop’s reported trajectory offers a starting point for enquiry rather than a substitute for local due diligence.

Useful questions would include how the central technology, marketing and training arrangements operate in New Zealand, what support is available before and after opening, and what responsibilities remain with the local owner. A prospective buyer should also seek current, locally relevant financial information and understand the assumptions behind any forecasts.

International scale and local commercial viability are different tests. The reporting establishes Fitstop’s presence across four markets and describes the systems behind its franchise model; it does not resolve the economics of an individual New Zealand location.

Practical takeaway: Treat Fitstop’s international growth as a reason to investigate the model, then assess any opportunity using current New Zealand evidence, full cost information and independent advice.