”Don’t confuse effort with results.” It’s an oft-repeated principle for Tony Zaccario, and he even has a coffee mug that sports the saying. “Trying only gets you so far,” said the Stretch Zone CEO. “You have to understand what actually moves the needle.” For the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company that specializes in practitioner-assisted stretching, enhancing franchisee support across the whole system—not just for underperformers or those who actively sought help—proved beneficial. “In the early days, we were focusing our attention on the squeaky wheels,” said Zaccario, who’s been with the brand since store four.
Tony Zaccario, CEO, Stretch Zone
The company in recent years built out a regional support layer and emphasized proactive involvement to ensure franchisees were maximizing the full suite of tools provided. New to the Fast & Serious, Stretch Zone’s systemwide sales grew 131.5 percent from 2021 to 2023, hitting $109 million. It finished 2023 with 335 locations, up 76.3 percent from 2021. Another impactful adjustment came on the labor side as Stretch Zone made “small tweaks” in scheduling to best serve demand and “lift the ceiling on potential AUVs,” he said. Investments in marketing and customer acquisition aim to educate consumers on a type of service still unfamiliar to many. “People barely know what stretching is, let alone what the Stretch Zone system is,” said Zaccario, but the prioritization of health and wellness more broadly is a beneficial tailwind. Princeton Equity Group, which invested in Stretch Zone in early 2023, is supporting the brand as it bolsters its leadership team. The brand last year hired Chief Operations Officer Jordan Levine, formerly COO at Sola Salons, and Jeremy Rosenthal, who spent eight years in franchise development at Orangetheory Fitness, as its director of real estate.
| F&S Rank 2024 | Prior Year Rank | 2021-2023 Sales Growth % | 2021-2023 Unit Growth % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | NI-3 | 131.50% | 76.30% |
NI-3: Not 3 years of information last year or unreliable past data