A $5 million Crunch Fitness franchise is coming to 2025 Lancaster Drive NE, and its arrival already sparked a public confrontation with one of Salem's homegrown gym chains.
Physiq Fitness posted video to Instagram on Monday, July 27, showing a Crunch-branded membership table set up in the parking lot of one of its Salem locations.
Physiq said the Crunch representatives were soliciting memberships from Physiq customers and refused to leave when staff asked them to go.
"Competition is part of business, and we're all for fair competition," Physiq said in the post, questioning whether pitching memberships on a competitor's property crossed a line.
The incident drew widespread attention online before Fitness Ventures LLC, the Florida-based company operating the incoming Crunch Salem location, contacted Physiq to apologize.
According to Physiq's updated Instagram post, Fitness Ventures leadership confirmed the promotional team had violated instructions to stay off Physiq's property and said those responsible would be held accountable.
What's coming to Lancaster Drive
City of Salem permit records show Crunch is leasing 46,245 square feet in an existing building at the Lancaster Drive address, the Salem Business Journal reported Thursday, July 30. Company announcements describe the project as an approximately 50,000-square-foot facility expected to open this summer.
Fitness Ventures LLC identifies itself as the largest Crunch franchise operator in the country, with 118 locations across 30 states and nearly 1 million members. CEO Brian Hibbard founded the company in 2016, according to a company press release. The firm is backed by Meaningful Partners, a private equity group that acquired Fitness Ventures in August 2024.
Local gym pushes back
Physiq Fitness, founded in 2007 and owned by three Oregon families without outside investors, operates six gyms across the state plus one in Arizona.
Its Lancaster Drive location sits on the same commercial corridor where Crunch is building out, and where Planet Fitness already operates.
Physiq said it had seen social media posts showing similar Crunch marketing near Planet Fitness on Lancaster Drive and that other gym operators reported comparable experiences.
The dispute appears resolved. Physiq said it appreciated Fitness Ventures' leadership taking responsibility. Crunch Salem's opening date has not been publicly confirmed beyond the summer 2026 target.
