Solidcore Plots Bay Area Expansion as Part of West Coast Plan
The Pilates-inspired boutique fitness concept reports strong growth since entering the West Coast market 18 months ago
Solidcore is expanding in the Golden State in 2024, having announced two new studio openings in San Francisco, which will be the first of many for the boutique fitness brand in the Bay Area.
The two new Pilates-inspired studios will come to the Castro and Marina neighborhoods, with plans underway to expand Solidcore’s presence to other locations in the Bay Area, including Silicon Valley and the South Bay.
The fitness brand, founded by serial entrepreneur and philanthropist Anne Mahlum, has seen impressive growth since first hitting the West Coast a year and a half ago with 12 fitness studios in operation between Los Angeles and Seattle.
Solidcore received a strategic investment from private equity firm Kohlberg & Company this spring, intended to expand the boutique fitness concept into new cities. The fitness brand said it plans to open approximately 25 studios this year and over 250 studios globally over the next three to five years, including potential expansion into international markets.
Heidi Blesy, vice president of studio development for Solidcore, commented that San Francisco is one of many West Coast cities that prioritizes health and fitness, aligning with the mission of Solidcore and its high-intensity, low-impact Pilates-inspired workout.
“Bringing Solidcore to San Francisco – an iconic fitness market – further reinforces the workout’s influence for people wanting to find the strongest version of themselves wherever they are in their wellness journey,” Blesy said.
Mahlum, who grew the boutique fitness brand to over 100 locations, sold the company for an undisclosed amount in April to Kohlberg & Company. As part of the deal, she awarded full-time employees with funds from an incentive pool she created in 2018, provided they had been at Solidcore for a year prior to the sale.
In addition to Solidcore, Mahlum also founded Ambition and recently invested $150,000 in The Athletic Clubs (AC), a New York City-based fitness startup with an innovative approach to group workouts called “squad training.”
The fitness founder also invested $265,000 in Ice Barrel and extended a line of credit worth $1.5 million to support the cold therapy company specializing in ice baths.
