- Fitness centers in Dallas-Fort Worth are on pace to lease nearly 1M SF in 2025, more than in 2023 and 2024 combined, helping push retail vacancy down to 4.8%.
- Chains like Crunch Fitness and EōS Fitness are expanding aggressively, while closures from older brands are quickly backfilled by new entrants.
- Gyms are now seen as valuable anchors for both healthy and struggling retail centers, benefiting from population growth, changing shopping habits, and the fitness boom fueled by wellness trends and pickleball.
Fitness centers are proving to be an unexpected driver in Dallas-Fort Worth’s retail market rebound, reports Bisnow. Gyms are taking over vacant big-box spaces and drawing steady foot traffic. This is helping retail vacancy across the Metroplex drop to a near-historic low of 4.8%.
Muscle In The Market
In 2025, gyms are on track to lease 920K SF of retail space — more than in the last two years combined. Crunch Fitness leads the expansion, with more new locations in the works than currently open. EōS Fitness has already signed 85K SF in new leases this year, with more openings planned.
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A Growth Workout
Fitness centers have become go-to replacements for shuttered tenants like Bed Bath & Beyond, Big Lots, and Office Depot. Even with LA Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness trimming locations, other chains are racing to fill the gap. And thanks to record-high national membership — 73M Americans in 2023 — demand isn’t slowing.
Population Power
Nearly 2M Dallas-Fort Worth residents now belong to a gym. With the region on track to overtake Chicago as the third-largest US metro by 2030, fitness brands see long-term opportunity.
From Resistance To Reliance
Landlords once avoided gym tenants over parking concerns and higher build-out costs, but attitudes are changing. Fitness centers now anchor both vibrant and struggling shopping centers. They often boost nearby businesses like coffee shops, restaurants, and boutiques.
The Variety Effect
Gyms range from national chains to boutique concepts like Club Burn. This studio combines infrared and vacuum technology with cardio equipment, showing how the industry is diversifying. Niche offerings and trends like pickleball are driving fresh demand for space.
Why It Matters
Fitness centers don’t just fill space; they bring steady, repeat foot traffic and community engagement to retail centers. With high occupancy, long-term leases, and strong consumer demand, gyms have become one of DFW’s stealthiest retail recovery tools.
