We sat down with CEO Jonathan Fisher to talk about where his Pilates journey started, what the industry has been missing, and where PILAT3S is heading next.
1. What was your first exposure to Pilates – and did you ever imagine it would become such a widely embraced fitness modality?
My first exposure to Pilates was in 2000 through my dear friend Mary who was at the time working with the acclaimed Boulder studio “The Pilates Centre” to expand some their know-how outside of the U.S. Holmes Place contracted Mary and The Pilates Centre to certify a group of teachers for its first dedicated Pilates studio. The certification for the instructors took 12 months and the studio was and still is successful from both an impact and commercial point of view. It was clear to me at the outset however that despite the quality of outcome this would be very difficult to scale and was therefore unlikely to become mainstream.
2. Tell us about the decision to launch PILAT3S in 2024 and integrate it into the Tribute Brands portfolio.
Although Reformer Pilates had been growing in popularity, we identified that the offerings in the market had not satisfactorily resolved some of the main obstacles to efficiently scaling a Reformer Pilates concept. We set out to do that in mid-2023 and with the benefit of the franchising know-how and digital platforms, we launched our dynamic Reformer concept, PILAT3S, in June 2024 and established proof of concept.
3. Where do you see PILAT3S going over the next 3 to 5 years – both as a brand and as an exercise modality within the fitness landscape?
Tribute Brands has an overarching vision of making elitist or niche exercise modalities more inclusive whilst keeping authenticity; PILAT3S seems to be the right product at the right time as we continue to witness a growing interest in Reformer Pilates across all demographics; having solved the main obstacles to scaling, PILAT3S is very appealing to existing health club chains looking to elevate their group exercise offering with a Reformer Pilates offering whilst not adding complexity and overhead costs to their existing operations. Our goal over the next 3 years is become the leading Reformer Pilates brand in Europe.
4. What does your own exercise routine look like these days – and where does Pilates fit in, if at all?
I am what we call a “Combiner” and an enthusiastic user of both PILAT3S and TRIB3. My weekly routine includes a TRIB3 full body class, a 30 minute TRIB3 Strength workout a PILAT3S “Align” routine and a personal training session on Sundays when I have the rest of the day to recover!
5. If someone asked you why they should take on a PILAT3S franchise, what would you tell them?
Pilates as a modality has been around for decades and will continue to be so for decades – so it is a trend and not a fad. This is a good foundation for an investment. Currently demand is outpacing supply and supply is creating more demand, so the market is ripe for new studios. Our PILAT3S concept has already proven to be very financially rewarding to our existing franchise partners who without exception appreciate how we have reduced complexity in delivering this excellent exercise modality to the market in a scalable manner.
