Gold’s Gym is returning to Southern California with a 15-unit franchise development agreement signed with Roknipour Investment Group, covering Los Angeles and Orange County. The deal marks a formal re-entry into a market the Venice Beach-born gym franchise brand vacated in 2025, when EoS Fitness acquired 23 of its regional locations.
The agreement, announced September 28, 2026, pairs Gold’s Gym with Roknipour Investment Group, whose founder Matt Roknipour will lead the build-out across two of California’s most competitive fitness markets. Gold’s Gym currently operates more than 600 gyms across 30 countries. The brand was acquired by RSG Group in 2020 following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, and has since pursued a franchise-forward growth strategy under CEO Brad Reynolds.
Gold’s Gym
Know Your Strength
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- Liquid capital: $Not disclosed
A 15-Unit Commitment to Los Angeles and Orange County
The development agreement calls for 15 new Gold’s Gym locations across the greater Los Angeles area and Orange County, though specific site addresses and opening timelines have not yet been disclosed.
Each location is expected to feature the brand’s current amenity package: HydroMassage, saunas, and CryoLounge recovery stations alongside traditional strength training and cardio equipment. The new concept represents a departure from the bare-bones aesthetic the brand was associated with for decades, reflecting broader industry shifts toward recovery-focused membership offerings.
Why Southern California, and Why Now
Gold’s Gym’s roots in the region are well documented: the original location opened in Venice Beach in 1965, becoming a landmark in American fitness culture. The brand built a substantial SoCal footprint over the following decades before EoS Fitness purchased those 23 locations in 2025, creating a gap in the market. Roknipour Investment Group is now stepping into that gap with a multi-unit commitment. Matt Roknipour framed the agreement in terms of the brand’s heritage in the region.
Competitive Context in the US Fitness Franchise Sector
Southern California’s fitness market is among the most saturated in the United States, with Planet Fitness, Equinox, EoS Fitness, and a broad range of boutique studios competing for memberships. Gold’s Gym’s re-entry relies on brand recognition built over six decades and on the recovery-amenity trend that has drawn operators away from low-price, low-service models.
The US fitness industry generated an estimated $40.3 billion in revenue in 2025, according to IHRSA data, with multi-unit franchise deals remaining one of the primary growth mechanisms for established names. No investment figures were disclosed for the Roknipour agreement.
What Comes Next for the Brand
Gold’s Gym has not announced a timeline for the first Roknipour location to open. Multi-unit development agreements of this scale typically unfold over three to five years, with site selection, permitting, and construction each adding to the timeline.
The brand has been active with franchise signings across multiple US markets in 2025 and 2026, part of a broader post-bankruptcy rebuild effort under RSG Group’s ownership. The Southern California deal is among the largest single-operator commitments the chain has disclosed this cycle.
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