At the end of October 2024, the group's newest facility, the premium club in Wiesloch, was opened with an investment volume of 11.8 million euros. In a central downtown location, the facility offers generous strength, cardio and functional training options on 3,500 m², a varied course schedule and a wide range of wellness offers and has its own parking garage.

Founded in 1978, namesake Werner Pfitzenmeier has built up a company that is still entirely family-owned and in which 2,500 people work and 176,000 people train. In terms of members, the group is in the top 10 in Germany. It is unique nationally that a provider is represented in its regional market with such a large number of facilities and occupies all market segments from discount to premium with various brands such as the premium clubs and resorts, VeniceBeach and FitBase. The company's offering is complemented by the IFAA, its own academy for training and further education.

The company differs significantly from other providers in its regional expansion, but also in its investments in locations, and is far removed from the widespread maxim of a business model that is as asset-free as possible and focuses on a quick (resale) sale. When it comes to growth, Pfitzenmeier relies on both new developments and acquisitions and has its own planning department with 18 employees.

Currently, around another 30,000 m² or four football fields of fitness and wellness areas are under development, for which land has already been secured and in which the company will invest around 50 million euros over the next three years.

Interview with company founder Werner Pfitzenmeier

Niels Gronau: How do you manage to fill a large facility in the upper price segment in a small community like Wiesloch?

Werner Pfitzenmeier: We have created an absolute premium club there in a prime location in the center, with direct access and its own parking garage. After the move, we exceeded the 3,500 member mark with advance sales and the opening weekend. But this success is certainly also due to our decades-long presence in our region, through which we have built up a certain level of awareness, and we work closely with a wide variety of local players.

Niels Gronau: The facility in Wiesloch has a total investment of 11.8 million euros. How does that work for you?

Werner Pfitzenmeier: Although this facility is only rented, albeit very cheaply, we have certainly invested a relatively high amount here. However, this does not only include the usual expansion costs, but we have also built our own parking garage with over 300 parking spaces for the club, for example. In principle, however, we also like to invest in the property itself and keep it at around 80% of our facilities.

Real estate investors used to always tell me that they couldn't build the facilities for us like that because they would then no longer be usable in any other way. So we just did it ourselves. On the financing side, we naturally contribute a certain amount of our own money and prefer to work with local banks, as in the current case of Volksbank Wiesloch, with whom we have managed this large investment in close coordination.

Niels Gronau: Why have you never dared to venture beyond the region's borders? What are the goals of your expansion?

Werner Pfitzenmeier: Our philosophy has always been that we come from and stay in our region around our company headquarters in Schwetzingen. We want our customers to always be able to reach one of our studios within a radius of 80 kilometers within 20 minutes. We are already represented at 51 locations for our 176,000 members and already have a further 30,000 m² under development.

On the personnel side, it is much easier for us to find employees and, above all, to give them a natural perspective in our family business, in which we have employed several generations.

But there is always movement in our region too and new providers want to come to us, as is currently the case in Heidelberg in particular. For me, it's like in sport: competitive athletes need challenges in order to develop further. In Heidelberg alone, we are currently working on a Venice Beach Supreme, an XXL FitBase and another Pfitzenmeier premium resort. So we are prepared.

Niels Gronau: You opened your first club on 60 m² in the basement of your parents' house and in 2028 you will celebrate the 50th anniversary of your company with what will probably be 160,000 m². What does the future look like at Pfitzenmeier?

Werner Pfitzenmeier: I still have as much fun and energy today as I did at the beginning and I have never felt as good as I do now. We have built up the structures and processes in our group to such an extent that I am only partially involved and have a clear head for the essential questions.

Today I can also realize new locations much more easily, which I previously had to fight for. It is not for nothing that they say: look at your past and you will see your future, and today we can look back on a very successful development.

There are still so many opportunities for new projects that we are far from finished, but rather still at the beginning. In the three years up to our company's 50th anniversary we will invest another 50 million euros in new facilities and then we want to welcome the 200,000th customer to our group.

Source: BODYMEDIA / edelhelfer
Image: Pfitzenmeier Group