Bally Total Fitness
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| Public | |
| Industry | Fitness |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Defunct | October 2016 |
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Area served
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United States |
| Website | www |
Bally Total Fitness Holding Corporation was an American fitness club chain. In November 2011, Bally sold 171 Bally locations to competitor L.A. Fitness. In April 2012, Bally sold an additional 39 facilities to Blast Fitness. In December 2014, Bally sold most of its remaining gyms (an additional 32) to competitor 24 Hour Fitness. At its 2007 peak, prior to the filing of the first of two Chapter 11 bankruptcies, Bally operated nearly 440 facilities located in 29 U.S. states, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, China, and the Caribbean under the Bally Total Fitness, Crunch Fitness, Gorilla Sports, Pinnacle Fitness, Bally Sports Clubs, and Sports Clubs of Canada brands. The company's headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois.
As a result of Bally Technologies's acquisition by Scientific Games Corporation in 2014 to which it uses the Bally name under a licensing agreement, and Williams shuttering their headquarters in Waukegan, IL the following year in June to Scientific's new global corporate headquarters in Las Vegas (in which Bally Technologies already has its headquarters in that city); it is the last-surviving non-gambling ex-subsidiary of the original Bally Manufacturing company and the last-remaining former Bally division to exist as an independent company (excluding Bally Wulff and Bally France) to continue using the Bally name, and also the last-remaining non-gambling descendant (Bally, Williams, or Midway Games) to remain headquartered in Chicago. It is also the last-remaining former Bally division to remain headquartered in Chicago as well as the last-surviving all-ages-friendly division to bear the Bally name.
In 1983, slot-machine maker Bally Manufacturing purchased Health and Tennis Corporation of America and Lifecycle, an exercise bike manufacturer. In 1987, it was the world's largest owner and operator of fitness centers. It further expanded with the purchase of the American Fitness Centers and Nautilus Fitness Centers, which were once connected to Vic Tanny and Jack LaLanne. The various brands were consolidated under the Bally Total Fitness brand in 1995.
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Wikipedia