Fitness chain opens in Mo Valley

A fitness center chain has opened a 20,000-square-foot operation in Moreno Valley, its first in the city and sixth in the Inland Empire.

Crunch Fitness at Moreno Valley Mall opened at the end of January on the mall’s lower level, said Dave Harman, managing partner with the company.

The New York-based chain already operates two fitness centers in Riverside and one each in Upland, Hemet and La Verne, and it has signed agreements to open facilities in Rancho Cucamonga and Diamond Bar.

Crunch Fitness is also looking at a possible third site in Riverside as well as potential locations in San Bernardino, San Dimas, Chino and Pomona.

Ultimately, the company hopes to operate more than 30 fitness centers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, with no more than a 20-minute drive between each facility, Harman said.

“The Inland Empire is densely populated, which is the kind market we need,” Harman said. “We started [in the Inland Empire] in 2012 in Upland and Riverside, and since then the community has responded well to what we’re doing.”

A Crunch Fitness operation generally attracts between 7,000 and 10,000 members, which is several thousand more than it needs to be profitable, and employs 30 full and part-time workers.

Crunch Fitness takes a more basic, straightforward approach to physical fitness training than other fitness centers, according to Harman.

“We don’t do a lot of stuff like pools and racquetball courts,” Harman said. “We have more floor space than most other places.”

Even though the economy is shaky, now is a good time for Crunch Fitness to expand, Harman said.

“I wouldn’t use the term ‘recession-proof,’ but the business does well when things are slow,” said Harman, who said he learned the business working for 24-Hour Fitness. “People tend to cut back on other things.”