“We are living longer and that creates business opportunities. And sometimes fads.”

Mark Rivers
CEO
Canyon Ranch
…on demand for fitness with a holistic approach, via the Dallas Morning News

Fitness is flexing its muscles in the Dallas-Fort Worth retail real estate market. Last year, fitness concepts accounted for a whopping 25% of the 1.8 million square feet of retail space leased in the metro, up from the typical 10%, as cited by Dallas-based commercial real estate firm Weitzman in the Dallas Morning News.

According to the publication, the surge is fueled by a mix of large, full-service gyms and boutique concepts catering to specialized interests like yoga, Pilates, and cycling. Bob Young, Weitzman’s executive managing director, called the fitness expansion a “game changer” in filling spaces vacated during the pandemic, with consumers seeking out convenient workout options close to home or work.

Even upscale brands are getting in on the action. Mark Rivers, CEO of Canyon Ranch, which just opened a new facility attached to the Crescent Hotel in the city’s Cultural District, attributed the demand to a desire for longer, healthier lives. The CEO has said his company “is the original thought-leader and market-maker in the lifestyle wellness movement.”

With major players like EoS Fitness planning dozens of new locations and the YMCA investing millions in upgrades, the DFW fitness boom seems to be just hitting its stride. EOS, which moved its HQ to Farmers Branch in 2022, announced its first Texas gym in Euless last year.

It’s one of many “new entrants” and boutique concepts in the market, DMN retail staff writer Maria Halkias noted.

You can read more about why fitness centers, big and small, are filling neighborhood shopping centers in the DMN’s story. 

For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.

Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.

Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.