Between fitness and healthy food, Franchise Expo Paris is particularly focused this year on well-being. A sector that stands out among the most dynamic franchise markets.
With around 5,500 sports halls in France, a turnover of 2,4 billion euros and nearly 7 million members in 2024, fitness confirms its status as an economic pillar, carried by French people who place health and balance at the heart of their priorities. The emergence of practices such as cross training, yoga, hyrox or biking has enabled the emergence of innovative concepts and personalized services, du low-cost au premium. Franchising emerges as the real engine of this growth : 60% of sports clubs in France are franchises. This sustainable model makes it possible to quickly multiply the territorial presence, as evidenced by the spectacular development plans of the main players : Fitness Park reached the milestone of 300 clubs in 2024 ; Blue Orange has nearly 400 locations ; and in Spain, Keepcool-Neoness exceeds 300 clubs. Other challengers are emerging : On Air Fitness plans to reach 100 units by 2026, while One Fitness Club* targets 130 establishments by 2028.
Pilates : one of the keys to success
Long established in the well-being landscape, pilates is on the rise. The very marked increase in reservations in 2024 (+207 % !) reflects less a discovery than a broadening of audiences, densification of the offer, and more accessible formats. The segment remains driven by structured players such as the world leader Club Pilates (1,300 studios in 24 countries) while Anytime Fitness accelerates its French expansion thanks to the master franchise, with the aim of doubling its international workforce by 2030. Listening to trends, franchising thus makes it possible to transform a niche market into solid networks with rapidly developed international networks..
Well-being on the plate
Well-being doesn’t stop at the gym doors : he also invites himself to the meal. Indeed, the French are no longer content with eating : they are looking for healthy products, natural, balanced and environmentally friendly. This evolution in consumption patterns particularly benefits high-quality fast food concepts that combine nutritional quality, freshness of products and speed of service. It also benefits organic distribution brands which place eating well at the center of their concerns.. The healthy catering market attracts innovative brands that combine speed of service and nutritional quality. Pokawa, who democratized healthy pokebowl in France, continues its expansion with its 130 restaurants. With 50 restaurants including 43 franchises, Dubble Food, pioneer of the trend since 2006 continues to embody an accessible and gourmet approach to “eating well”. The Eat Salad brand, with 84 locations, deploys formats out of the ordinary (kiosks, containers, pedestrian drive) and aims for the ambitious milestone of 400 restaurants in France by 2032 and 10,000 points of sale worldwide within 20 years ! Also note the growth of Pizza Viva, the “easy to digest pizza”, made from ancient wheat and 138-year-old natural sourdough.
Organic is regaining color
What about the French organic market? ? It recovers with a turnover of 12,2 billion euros in 2024, and growth of 7% for specialized brands. Biocoop, leader with 740 stores, now aims for 900 points of sale by 2029, while Naturalia (228 stores) accelerates its development with a target of 50% franchisees by 2028. La Vie Claire, pioneer of organic distribution and first organic franchise network (170 franchised stores out of 325), accelerates its development with 26 point of sale openings planned in 2026. Franchising allows these specialized networks to expand while preserving what characterizes them : proximity, the advice, and commitment to healthy and sustainable food products. So many concepts that appeal to an active clientele concerned about their well-being, in a context where, over the last three years, more than half of French people (57 %) changed their eating habits to follow a more balanced diet.
* Read also : The Iriben group in supermarket, in Leader Meeting n° 244, October 2025, and on leaderreunion.fr
