RSG Group

RSG Group, formerly known as the McFit Global Group and formally associated with the name Rainer Schaller Global Group, is a privately held German fitness and lifestyle company. It was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur Rainer Schaller, initially around the McFit concept of large, accessible, low-cost gyms with extended or round-the-clock opening hours. The first McFit studio opened in Würzburg in 1997, after which the company expanded across Germany and developed into one of Europe’s largest fitness operators. The group’s central business is the ownership, operation and franchising of fitness clubs. Its best-known brands include McFit, Gold’s Gym and John Reed Fitness. McFit is positioned around affordable memberships, broad access and practical equipment for endurance, functional and strength training. John Reed Fitness addresses an urban, design-conscious audience through curated interiors, art, music, live DJs and a club-like atmosphere. Gold’s Gym gives the group a globally recognized premium fitness name with a strong bodybuilding and strength-training heritage. The portfolio also includes Heimat, an upscale fitness and wellness club concept combining training with hospitality, spa and lifestyle services. RSG Group broadened its geographic and commercial scope through acquisitions, international expansion and investments in adjacent businesses. McFit entered Austria and Spain in 2009 and Italy in 2014, including through the acquisition and rebranding of the Italian Happy-Fit chain. The group acquired the American Gold’s Gym business in 2020 after the chain entered bankruptcy proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The transaction brought a large network of company-owned and franchised clubs into the group and materially increased its presence in North America and other international markets. Beyond conventional gyms, RSG Group has developed digital, media, nutrition, modelling, hospitality and equipment-related activities. Cyberobics offers digital workout content and app-based training. Gold’s Gym Nutrition supplies sports nutrition and dietary supplements. McFit Models operates as a pan-European sports and lifestyle modelling agency, while Loox is a fitness and healthy-living media property. The Reed in Berlin combines restaurant, café, bar and event-space functions. RSG Group has also held or maintained interests and partnerships involving gym80, Hero Workout and the Berlin urban-art duo Ron Miller. The company changed its group identity from McFit Global Group to RSG Group in 2019 as its portfolio expanded beyond McFit. Its administrative headquarters are in Berlin and its registered office is in Schlüsselfeld. Following the death of founder and long-time chief executive Rainer Schaller in October 2022, Hagen Wingertszahn and Dr. Jobst Müller-Trimbusch became co-CEOs in December 2022. RSG Group continues to operate as a major international fitness platform with a multi-brand strategy spanning value gyms, lifestyle clubs, premium wellness, digital training and related consumer businesses.

RSG Group began in 1996 when Rainer Schaller established the business that would become McFit. The founding idea was to make gym access more affordable by operating large studios with an efficient service model and long opening hours. The first McFit club opened in Würzburg in 1997. The concept expanded through Germany during the following decade and helped establish McFit as a significant mass-market fitness operator. In 2007, McFit acquired competitor Fit24. The transaction strengthened its position in the German market, and the company reported revenue above €100 million that year. The McFit brand also increased its public visibility through a multi-year association with boxers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, who appeared as celebrity ambassadors from 2008. International expansion began in 2009 with clubs in Austria and Spain. Italy followed in 2014, including the acquisition of the 14-location Happy-Fit chain, whose clubs were subsequently converted to the McFit format. The group began diversifying its club concepts in the middle of the 2010s. John Reed Fitness was developed as a more urban and lifestyle-oriented proposition, giving music, art, architecture and interior design a central role in the customer experience. Clubs were individually curated and some included wellness areas such as saunas, pools and whirlpools. John Reed subsequently expanded into the United States, including locations in Los Angeles and Dallas, and opened a London location in 2021. Its European flagship in Vienna opened in 2022. As the business developed beyond its original German low-cost chain, McFit Global Group became the group-level identity in 2016. The company also established a North American base in Los Angeles. In 2019, the group adopted the name RSG Group, derived from Rainer Schaller Global Group, to reflect its broader collection of brands and investments. A major turning point came in 2020, when RSG Group acquired Gold's Gym for approximately $100 million. Gold's Gym had entered bankruptcy proceedings in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The acquisition gave RSG Group control of more than 70 company-owned clubs and access to a worldwide franchised network of more than 530 locations. Gold's Gym brought a heritage dating to 1965 and strong associations with bodybuilding, strength training and its original Venice Beach location. RSG Group opened a Berlin flagship for the brand in 2021. RSG Group continued to extend its portfolio through premium, digital and adjacent businesses. Heimat was introduced as an upscale fitness and lifestyle club combining training with wellness, hospitality and personal-care services; its first location opened in Hollywood in 2022, followed by a women-focused Paris location in 2023. Cyberobics developed app-based and video-led training, while Gold's Gym Nutrition addressed sports supplements. Other activities included McFit Models, the Loox digital fitness magazine and The Reed restaurant and event venue in Berlin. The group also developed partnerships and minority investments in the fitness ecosystem. In 2020 it acquired a 35% interest in German equipment manufacturer gym80, and it held a 50% interest in fitness technology start-up Hero Workout. The company incorporated art into the John Reed environment through relationships including its association with the urban-art duo Ron Miller. Schaller remained the group's central leader from its foundation until his death in October 2022. In December of that year, Hagen Wingertszahn and Jobst Müller-Trimbusch became co-CEOs. RSG Group remains a privately held international fitness company with operations and franchises across multiple markets, combining high-volume gym formats with premium clubs, digital services, nutrition, media, hospitality and other lifestyle offerings.

• 2022

  New co-CEO structure

  [1]RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Hagen Wingertszahn and Jobst Müller-Trimbusch became co-CEOs after the death of founder Rainer Schaller.

• 2020

  Gold's Gym acquired

  [1]RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org

  RSG Group purchased the Gold's Gym business following its bankruptcy proceedings during the pandemic.

• 2019

  Renamed RSG Group

  [1]RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The corporate group adopted the RSG Group name.

• 2016

  McFit Global Group established

  [1]RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group adopted the McFit Global Group identity as its business expanded beyond the original chain.

• 2014

  Entry into Italy

  [1]RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org

  McFit opened in Italy and acquired the Happy-Fit chain, converting its 14 clubs to the McFit brand.

• 2009

  International expansion begins

  [1]RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org

  McFit opened studios in Austria and Spain.

• 2007

  Fit24 acquired

  [1]RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org

  McFit acquired competitor Fit24 as it expanded its German market position.

• 1997

  First McFit studio opens

  [1]RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The first McFit gym opened in Würzburg, Germany.

• 1996

  RSG Group predecessor founded

  [1]RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Rainer Schaller founded the business that developed into McFit and later RSG Group.

A multi-brand international fitness and lifestyle platform spanning value-oriented gyms, music- and design-led urban clubs, premium wellness destinations, digital training and adjacent sports businesses.

• Value fitness clubs · 1997

  McFit

  McFit is RSG Group's core European mass-market fitness brand. Its studios emphasize accessible pricing, extensive equipment and long opening hours, often operating throughout the year and around the clock. Facilities generally cover endurance, functional and strength training, together with group exercise offerings. The format limits nonessential amenities such as saunas in order to maintain a lower membership price. McFit operates in Germany, Austria, Spain and Italy.

• Fitness clubs and franchises · 1965

  Gold's Gym

  Gold's Gym is an internationally recognized fitness brand with roots in bodybuilding and strength training. RSG Group acquired the business in 2020, including company-owned clubs and a large global franchise network. The brand is associated with its historic Venice Beach location and has expanded across multiple continents. RSG Group subsequently developed new European locations, including a Berlin flagship opened in 2021.

• Lifestyle fitness clubs · 2016

  John Reed Fitness

  John Reed Fitness is an urban club concept built around the combination of training, music, art and interior design. Locations are individually curated and may feature live DJs, specially selected artwork and a nightclub-inspired atmosphere. A portion of the clubs also provide wellness amenities such as saunas, swimming pools or whirlpools. The concept has expanded in Europe and North America.

• Premium fitness and wellness clubs · 2022

  Heimat

  Heimat is RSG Group's premium fitness and lifestyle concept. It combines gym training with wellness and hospitality services, potentially including massages, saunas, swimming pools, health classes, restaurants, hydrafacials and pedicures. The concept is designed as an exclusive club environment that treats fitness as part of a broader lifestyle experience. Its first location opened in Hollywood in 2022.

• Digital fitness

  Cyberobics

  Cyberobics provides digital workout videos and app-based training for different ability levels. Its programming covers strength, weight management, endurance, flexibility, Pilates, dance, wellness and equipment-based workouts. The service is intended for use at home, while travelling and through business partners, extending RSG Group's fitness offering beyond physical clubs.

• Sports and lifestyle modelling

  McFit Models

  McFit Models is a pan-European modelling agency focused on sports and lifestyle work. Its scouting approach draws in part from RSG Group gym members and emphasizes healthy, athletic presentation rather than conventional fashion-model measurements. The agency supplies talent for sports, fitness and lifestyle productions and introduced the McFit Body Award in 2017.

• Fitness and lifestyle media · 2012

  Loox

  Loox is a fitness and healthy-living media property covering exercise, nutrition and lifestyle topics. It originally appeared as a print magazine from 2012 to 2014 and later continued as a free online publication in Germany from 2018. Its editorial material includes interviews and training stories involving celebrities, members and fitness practitioners.

• Sports nutrition

  Gold's Gym Nutrition

  Gold's Gym Nutrition is an international sports-nutrition and dietary-supplement line associated with the Gold's Gym brand. Its products are positioned around athletic goals including muscle development, weight management and general exercise support.

• Restaurant, bar and event venue

  The Reed

  The Reed is a Berlin venue at Alexanderplatz combining restaurant, café, bar and event-space functions. It hosts music and cultural events and includes a large LED installation used for digital artistic presentations. The venue also has an association with the John Reed and John & Janes concepts.

• 2017McFit Body Award

  Europe

  McFit Models launched a body-focused award connected with its sports and lifestyle modelling activities.

  Outcome. The award supported the agency's positioning around athletic and healthy-looking talent.

  Source
• 2009McFit European expansion

  Austria · Spain

  McFit extended its club model beyond Germany into Austria and Spain.

  Outcome. The initiative established the basis for McFit's wider European operating footprint.

  Source
• 2009Die Arche social partnership

  Germany

  RSG Group began supporting Die Arche, a German organization serving children and young people, through donations and employee participation in activities.

  Outcome. The relationship continued as a long-term social commitment involving financial, material and personal support.

  Source
• 2008McFit celebrity ambassador campaign

  Germany

  Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko appeared as celebrity ambassadors for McFit for several years, linking the affordable gym chain with high-profile professional boxing and strength training.

  Outcome. The partnership increased the brand's public visibility during its expansion in Germany.

  Source

• 2022

  Transition to co-CEO leadershipStrategy

  Background

  Founder and long-time leader Rainer Schaller died in October 2022.

  Action taken

  Hagen Wingertszahn and Jobst Müller-Trimbusch were appointed co-CEOs in December 2022.

  Aftermath

  Operational leadership moved from the founder-led model to joint executive management.

  Source

• 2020

  Acquisition of Gold's GymM&A

  Background

  Gold's Gym entered bankruptcy proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an opportunity for a strategic acquisition.

  Action taken

  RSG Group acquired the Gold's Gym business, including more than 70 company-owned clubs and a global franchised network.

  Aftermath

  The transaction significantly broadened RSG Group's international presence and added a globally established strength-training brand.

  Acquisition price. $100 million (2020)

  Source

• 2020

  Investment in gym80M&A

  Background

  RSG Group had used gym80 equipment in its studios and sought closer cooperation in equipment development.

  Action taken

  RSG Group acquired a 35% stake in German fitness-equipment manufacturer gym80.

  Aftermath

  The investment supported collaboration on strength-training equipment and potential expansion into new business areas.

  Source

• 2019

  Adoption of the RSG Group identityStrategy

  Background

  The group had expanded beyond the original McFit chain into multiple fitness formats and adjacent businesses.

  Action taken

  It replaced the McFit Global Group identity with RSG Group, derived from Rainer Schaller Global Group.

  Aftermath

  The new name provided a group-level identity for McFit, Gold's Gym, John Reed Fitness and other activities.

  Source

1. 1RSG Groupen.wikipedia.org