Aligned Fitness expands with 13 Club Pilates studios acquisitions

Aligned Fitness, backed by Eagle Merchant Partners, has completed a four-pack expansion through the acquisition of 13 Club Pilates studios, widening its footprint across the American Southeast. The newly acquired locations span Pinehurst, NC, Athens, GA, the Charlotte, NC metro area and metro Atlanta, elevating the platform to 47 locations.

This move underscores the current wave of consolidation in the boutique fitness space, where franchise models are increasingly pooled under scale-driven platforms to improve member experience, instructor development, and operational efficiency. By integrating a larger cluster of Pilates studios, Aligned aims to leverage shared branding, systems, and supply chains to accelerate growth and consistency across markets.

Jake Rubenstein of Eagle Merchant Partners commented: “Aligned has proven its ability to operate at scale while maintaining a strong focus on member experience. These acquisitions reinforce its leadership in the Club Pilates ecosystem and create a platform capable of meaningful expansion through both new studio development and additional add-ons.”

Aligned Fitness was founded in 2016 by Jon Smith and Kerry & Joe Ruggieri with a dual strategy: building greenfield locations and acquiring like-minded franchises that align with its culture and operating standards. Earlier this year, Eagle expanded its stake by adding two more franchises and 11 studios to the platform, setting the stage for this latest expansion wave.

From a market perspective, the Southeast remains a high-growth corridor for fitness concepts that blend wellness with community-based service models. The Club Pilates network itself has benefited from strategic affiliations and roll-ups that seek to optimize site density, cross-market marketing, and instructor pipelines, which can translate into stronger retention and cross-sell opportunities for members across studios.

Eagle Merchant Partners remains a Southeast-focused private equity house that specializes in founder-owned franchises and multi-site platforms, seeking durable value creation through operational excellence and strategic growth. For its part, Aligned Fitness continues to pursue a balanced approach of disciplined expansion and sustained investments in instructors and customer experience.