KARVE Franchise
Reformer Pilates Franchise: How KARVE Compares
If you’re evaluating reformer Pilates franchises, the core question is differentiation: what does the brand own that a competitor can’t copy next door? Most franchises license programming on standard reformers. KARVE owns the method, builds the machine and designs the club — and grants each market to exactly one partner.
Transformer Pilates™ is not reformer Pilates
KARVE classes run on the Transformer — a machine KARVE designs and manufactures, engineered for fully configurable resistance and a harder, athletic style of training than a standard reformer. The method is taught only in KARVE clubs by instructors certified through KARVE’s own programme. That means a KARVE franchisee cannot be undercut by a lookalike studio buying the same equipment catalogue.
A club, not just a studio
Every KARVE is a designed club: the architectural system is part of the franchise, and the in-club Functional Café adds a revenue line that reformer-only studios simply don’t have. Class packs and memberships sit at the core, with café, merch and brand partnerships around them.
The London clubs — Kensington, Chelsea, Victoria — run this format at consistently high occupancy for a premium clientele, and the system operates across five countries.
The franchise terms, at the level we publish
Minimum liquid capital is £500,000. Every franchisee receives an exclusive protected territory, KARVE-supplied machines, managing-director-led onboarding, instructor certification, the design system and launch marketing from TONE, KARVE’s in-house agency. Full financial details are shared with qualified applicants — KARVE deliberately doesn’t publish fee or revenue figures.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a reformer franchise and KARVE?
A reformer franchise licenses programming on standard, commercially available machines. KARVE owns its method (Transformer Pilates™), manufactures its own machines and includes a café revenue line and protected territory — differentiation a neighbouring studio cannot replicate.
Does KARVE supply the machines?
Yes — KARVE designs, manufactures and supplies its proprietary Transformer machines to every franchise club, along with the design system and the certification to teach on them.
How much capital do I need?
A minimum of £500,000 in liquid capital is required to be considered for any KARVE territory. Full terms are shared during the application.
Which territories are available?
Open markets span the UK (Birmingham to Brighton), Europe (Paris to Helsinki), the Middle East, Asia, Australia and the Americas — each with its own opportunity page and one exclusive partner per market.
Open KARVE territories
Every open market has its own opportunity page — model the numbers for your city.