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đź”´ PRIVATE EQUITY OWNED

Gold's Gym

gym chain · Dallas, TX

PE Firm

RSG Group (German)

Year Acquired

2020

“From Arnold's temple of iron to a bankrupt chain sold to Germans for pennies on the dollar.”

The PE Playbook

  • •Filed Chapter 11 in May 2020 and permanently closed 30 company-owned gyms; ~700 locations temporarily shuttered
  • •German fitness company RSG Group bought it out of bankruptcy for just $100 million — a fraction of former valuation
  • •Sold all 23 Southern California locations to EoS Fitness in 2024, losing decades-old community gyms
  • •Continued closures in Texas through 2025, including franchisee Chapter 7 bankruptcies

Since the Acquisition

  • â–¸Filed for Chapter 11 in May 2020 after permanently closing 30 company-owned locations
  • â–¸In late 2025, sold all 23 Southern California locations to EoS Fitness — ending a 36-year presence in the region
  • â–¸Only the original Venice Beach 'Mecca of Bodybuilding' location survived the SoCal sell-off
  • â–¸Over 1,000 employees transferred to EoS Fitness, with members forced to transition to a completely different gym brand