STRONG Pilates has officially integrated its Canadian operations within its global structure – a strategic move to support the brand’s accelerated growth, strengthen franchisee support, and further investment in innovation and customer experience.
In Canada, STRONG Pilates is set to expand from seven studios at the end of 2025, to 22 locations by the end of 2026, with plans to reach 40 by 2027. New studios have already opened in Toronto, Oakville, Kingston, St. Catherines, Ottawa, and Vancouver.
The expansion reflects growing demand for boutique fitness concepts that deliver results without high-impact strain and highlights the strength of STRONG Pilates’ global integration and franchise-led model.
It has carved out a distinct position as the only nationwide workout blending Pilates, cardio, and strength into one high-intensity, low-impact session – an approach that continues to resonate with modern Canadian fitness consumers.
STRONG Pilates Global CEO Michael Ramsey said the brand will have 11 locations in Canada by the start of May.
“The first studio launched in January 2024. That was Little Italy in Toronto. Ever since then, from the inception of the brand, we’ve really started to see that supercharged growth. It’s based on consumer demand, so we find the best thing we can do to expand our footprint is open studios and get people talking. I think it’s relatively strong growth for a 2024 business – exciting times ahead,” said Ramsey.
The brand has 115 locations in 14 countries and soon to be more countries.
“We’re expanding through Europe a little bit more and into Saudi Arabia and those areas. In the pipeline, we’ve sold over 250 locations, so our goal is to get to 300 by the end of 2027,” said Ramsey.
“Our goal by the end of 2027 is 40 locations in Canada, and I think that’s quite a conservative goal. Given the demand for boutique fitness, particularly Pilates, it’s booming right now. I think we can certainly get to 100 locations in Canada.
“For us, it’s more about slow, sustainable growth with good partners. We don’t want to come in and suddenly open 200 locations. It’s about working with the market and the operators. But I’d like to say we’ll get to 100 for sure.”
Ramsey described STRONG as a Pilates, strength, and cardio concept.
“We’re probably the first true hybrid Pilates concept in the world. We use a patented piece of equipment called a Rowformer. It’s effectively a rower attached to a reformer and a bike, and then we have heavy dumbbells, we go up to 30 kilograms, or about 70 pounds,” he explained.
“We fuse Pilates, strength, and cardio together in one. What we’re seeing is that Pilates is booming and having its day in the sun. Not only do we get people who train in Pilates and want a little bit more, we also get people doing functional training, people with regular gym memberships, and people who do spin classes. It’s a really broad mix of consumers.
“In the boutique space, Pilates is popular, but so are many other concepts. People only have so much to spend, and they might have two, three, or four memberships. What makes us different is we give them strength training so they’re building lean muscle, Pilates for mobility and core strength, and cardio for heart health and overall fitness. We’re delivering a full solution, which is why the brand has grown the way it has. It’s been consumer-led, and we have a strong following of people who love what we’re doing and can do it without spending a fortune.”
Ramsey said the typical client ranges anywhere from 16 years old through to 70-plus.
“It’s a very broad client base. For the most part, if I were to create a typical profile, it would be a 28- to 45-year-old female as our primary consumer,” he noted.
“The really cool thing with us is we’re very gender-neutral in our branding and the way we communicate. Pilates has traditionally been very female-focused in the past, but we probably have the highest male participation of any Pilates brand as well. Some of our studios can get up to 25–30% male participation, which is huge. The average Pilates studio would generally be 90–95% female.
“It’s been really positive for us to get men into Pilates. As I mentioned before, they also get strength training and cardio as well, so it’s a perfect combination.”
More from Retail Insider:
