Pilates Franchise UK: How KARVE, Club Pilates and PILAT3S Compare

This page was written by the KARVE Franchise Team. Every fact about Club Pilates and PILAT3S was read on 13 November 2026 from the pages each brand publishes itself, named in the text below. Franchise terms change, so confirm every figure with the franchisor concerned before making any decision. If a fact here is out of date or wrongly attributed, write to hello@karve.club and we will correct it.

Club Pilates is a US brand headquartered in Southern California. Its UK franchise page (clubpilates.uk/franchise) states 1,300+ studios and 1,800 licensed locations globally. UK studios are open at Bankside, Fulham Broadway and Wapping, with Putney listed as coming soon. Classes are reformer-based, with eight class types across four levels, and also use the springboard, EXO-Chair, TRX and Bosu; equipment is bought manufacturer-direct. Club Pilates runs its own 450-hour teacher-training programme.

Its UK franchise FAQ (clubpilates.uk/franchise/faq) publishes an initial franchise fee of $65,000, an 8% royalty on gross sales and a 2% marketing fund, referring to its 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document; the figures are shown with a $ sign and no currency code. Support listed: site selection and real estate, a build to approved layouts, a 16-stage sales training, recruitment of instructors and general managers, three-day corporate and general-manager courses, marketing support, an intranet and point of sale. Multi-unit and master franchise agreements are offered. Territory terms for a single UK unit are not stated on the published pages.

PILAT3S launched in Portugal in 2024 and is backed by Tribute Brands, the group behind TRIB3 (pilat3s.com/about). The UK sites it lists (tribute-brands.com/pilat3s) include standalone studios in Putney, Westfield London, Leeds and Sheffield, plus boutique-in-gym studios inside Fitness First and Gymbox sites. The format is Dynamic Reformer Pilates in 50-minute Align, Tone and Power classes, delivered with proprietary studio technology and pre-programmed routines. Equipment comes from suppliers named in its operations manuals.

The Tribute Brands FAQ (tribute-brands.com/faq) publishes a total investment of €225,000 to €275,000 for a standalone studio, €100,000 to €150,000 of liquidity, €40,000 upfront on signing (€10,000 for boutique-in-gym), royalties of 8% for standalone or €2,000 a month for boutique-in-gym, and a technology fee of €1,295 or €500. The pilat3s.com FAQ states €100,000 to €200,000 of finance, so the two published ranges differ. Its FAQ grants each franchise its own territory with a 500-metre protected radius. Support listed: concept design and layout, instructor training through the PILAT3S Academy, system tutorials, CRM and marketing automation, social media management, a brand asset library and the Jukebox system. Single-unit, multi-site, area development and master franchise options are listed.

KARVE was founded in London. Transformer Pilates™ is its trademarked 50-minute method, taught only in KARVE clubs by instructors who have passed KARVE’s own certification course and exam. KARVE designs and manufactures the Transformer machine itself; it is not available through any other brand or supplier. The KARVE club format includes a café, private sessions, retail and recovery features. Corporate-owned clubs are open in Kensington, Chelsea, Victoria and Dubai, with Clapham opening in January 2027. Partner clubs operate in Athens, Jeddah and Kuwait City; Muscat opens in November 2026, Doha on 1 December 2026 and Singapore in January 2027.

The only published financial figure is a minimum of £500,000 in liquid capital to be considered; full terms are shared under NDA. Territory rights are agreed case by case. Country development rights and any exclusivity are available only through a separate development agreement, where applicable. Support: onboarding led by KARVE’s managing director, architectural drawings from the partner’s floor plan, help recruiting trainers, an on-site academy or the academies in London or Dubai, front-of-house and manager training, ongoing operational review, the KARVE app, a KARVE website and ClassPass, and TONE, KARVE’s in-house marketing agency, from before opening. Machine financing over 6 or 12 months is available. Single-club, multi-unit and master-territory pathways exist. KARVE franchises are granted by KARVE Partners Ltd.

The table draws only from the published sources named above, as read on 13 November 2026. Where a figure is not published, the cell says so. Where two pages from the same brand give different figures, both are shown.

Published figures. Club Pilates publishes its fee structure in US dollars against its 2026 FDD, so a UK investor needs to confirm the conversion and how the FDD applies to a UK agreement. PILAT3S publishes euro figures on two pages that give different ranges, so ask which set applies. KARVE publishes a sterling liquid-capital minimum but not fee or royalty rates; those are disclosed under NDA. If you want every number before a first conversation, the other two brands publish more than KARVE does.

Method and machine ownership. Club Pilates runs its own class programme on reformers bought from manufacturers, so the equipment is not exclusive to it. PILAT3S uses equipment from its named suppliers and delivers classes through pre-programmed technology. KARVE owns both the trademarked method and the machine design; the Transformer is not available outside a KARVE club, which also means a partner’s equipment comes from one supplier.

Territory. PILAT3S publishes a defined 500-metre protected radius for a standalone studio. Club Pilates offers multi-unit and master agreements but does not state single-unit territory terms on its published pages. Territory rights are agreed case by case. Country development rights and any exclusivity are available only through a separate development agreement, where applicable.

Scale. Club Pilates has the largest published footprint of the three, with 1,300+ studios stated on its franchise page. PILAT3S launched in 2024 and lists UK sites in London, Leeds and Sheffield. KARVE operates across five countries, with openings announced in Muscat, Doha and Singapore.

Support. All three train instructors through their own academies. Club Pilates lists a 16-stage sales training and general-manager recruitment. PILAT3S lists CRM, marketing automation and social media management. KARVE’s onboarding is led by its managing director, and TONE, its in-house agency, starts on the market before the club opens; KARVE also offers 6 or 12 month financing on its machines.