What Fitshop does

Fitshop GmbH is a privately held European specialty retailer of home fitness equipment, founded in 1984 in Schleswig, Germany, by former Bundesliga table tennis player Ulrich Tiedje. The company operates an omnichannel model comprising 69 physical retail showrooms across 9 countries (Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Denmark, and Poland) and 24 country-specific e-commerce webshops in 12 languages, supported by a 51,000 m² central warehouse in Osterrönfeld plus regional facilities in Glasgow, Bodegraven, and Obernau, and a service network of 75+ in-house technicians and 45 delivery vans. Its catalog spans 7,000+ SKUs across cardio (crosstrainers, treadmills, rowing machines, exercise bikes, recumbent bikes, indoor cycles), strength (multi-gyms, benches, free weights, functional training), and adjacent categories (trampolines, table tennis, massage/yoga/wellness), offered under a mix of owned brands (cardiostrong, Taurus, Darwin Fitness, NOHRD, FINNLO) and distributed third-party brands (Kettler, Life Fitness, NordicTrack, WaterRower, Concept2, Tunturi, Bodycraft, Hammer, Bowflex, Berg).

The company generates revenue primarily through one-time hardware sales to consumers, with a price ladder from accessories under €100 to professional treadmills above €10,000, and increasingly through recurring service revenue: annual maintenance contracts, equipment rental (Fitness-Rent.nl), used-equipment sales (Fitness-Dump.nl), and B2B installation services for hotels, corporate wellness programs, and physiotherapy practices. It has served more than 4 million customers cumulatively and processes 300,000+ orders per year, typically shipping same-day with a stated 98% inventory capacity. The management team consists of founders/operators Christian Grau, Sebastian Campmann, and Dr. Bernhard Schenkel, and the company holds no external private equity or venture capital, having grown through reinvested earnings and the 2015 acquisitions of OZI Sport B.V. (Benelux) and Laidir Leisure Ltd. (UK).

Name

Fitshop

Legal name

Fitshop GmbH

Website

https://fitshop.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fitshop is Europe's largest specialty retailer of home fitness equipment, operating 69 retail showrooms and 24 multilingual e-commerce sites across 9 countries, selling cardio, strength, and rehabilitation equipment under its own brands (cardiostrong, Taurus, NOHRD) and third-party labels to over 4 million consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Home Fitness Equipment Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

akta.pro primary industry

Fitness Equipment & Performance Accessories Retail (CRAMABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cardio Equipment Retail (Treadmills, Bikes, Rowers, Ellipticals) (CRAMADAA), Strength Training Equipment Retail (Racks, Benches, Barbells, Plates) (CRAMADAB), Fitness, Exercise & Gym Equipment Distribution (CRAOAJAG)

Keywords

• Home fitness equipment
• Cardio training machines
• Strength training equipment
• Fitness equipment retail
• Exercise machine store

Headquarters

HQ city

Bodegraven

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fitness equipment sales: One-time hardware sales of fitness equipment including cardio machines, strength training equipment, accessories. Products range from budget hometrainers (under €100) to professional equipment (€10,000+).
2. Maintenance and service contracts: Annual maintenance contracts with two options: contract basis (fixed annual fee with included inspection, report, and loan equipment) or pay-per-service (travel and labor costs). Repairs and technical support.
3. Fitness equipment rental: Through fitness-rent.nl website, renting fitness equipment to customers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fitshop is Europe's leading specialty retailer for home fitness equipment, selling cardio machines (crosstrainers, treadmills, rowing machines, exercise bikes, recumbent bikes), strength training equipment (multi-gyms, weight benches, dumbbells), and related accessories. The company combines 24 online webshops in 12 languages with 69 physical retail showrooms across Europe, supported by in-house delivery, installation, and maintenance services.

Product overview

Fitshop is Europe's leading specialty retailer for home fitness equipment, operating both physical stores (69 locations across Europe) and online webshops. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of cardio and strength training equipment through multiple product categories including crosstrainers, treadmills, rowing machines, exercise bikes (hometrainers), recumbent bikes, indoor cycles, multi-gyms (krachtstations), weight benches, trampolines, ab trainers, back trainers, and table tennis. Fitshop carries its own sub-brands (cardiostrong, Taurus, Darwin Fitness) alongside premium third-party brands including NOHRD (high-end wooden fitness), Kettler, Life Fitness, NordicTrack, WaterRower, Tunturi, Bodycraft, and Hammer/FINNLO. The company provides comprehensive fitness solutions for home use, physiotherapy/rehabilitation, and semi-professional settings, supported by in-store testing, expert advice, and maintenance services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% inventory availability
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Decathlon: Global sporting goods retail giant with significant home fitness equipment assortment at value price points. Comparable because it sells cardio and strength equipment to European consumers across both physical stores and e-commerce, but operates as a much broader sporting goods generalist rather than a fitness specialist.
• INTERSPORT: World's largest sporting goods retail cooperative with thousands of stores across Europe. Comparable because INTERSPORT member retailers sell fitness equipment alongside broader sporting goods, representing a substitute channel for European consumers shopping for home fitness products.
• SportScheck: German multichannel sporting goods retailer owned by Otto Group, operating a strong e-commerce business and physical stores. Comparable because it sells home fitness equipment alongside broader sporting goods, competing for the same German-speaking consumer with overlapping brand assortments.
• Technogym: Italian premium commercial and home fitness equipment manufacturer with global brand presence. Comparable as a competitor for premium home fitness buyers (especially B2B/hotel gym installations that Fitshop also targets) and as a third-party brand Fitshop's premium assortment overlaps with at the upper price tier.
• Life Fitness: Global commercial-grade fitness equipment manufacturer (owned by KPS Capital). Comparable because Life Fitness is a brand Fitshop distributes while also competing with Fitshop for B2B sales to hotels, corporate wellness facilities, and semi-professional gyms in Europe.
• WaterRower: Premium rowing machine manufacturer and parent company of NOHRD (which Fitshop distributes). Comparable because WaterRower sells direct to consumers and through other retailers in parallel to Fitshop's distribution, creating both a partnership and competitive overlap in premium home rowing equipment.

Direct peers

• Gymcompany: Nordic European online specialty retailer of home and commercial fitness equipment. Directly comparable to Fitshop's e-commerce-led model, offering cardio and strength equipment across similar premium third-party brands (including NordicTrack, WaterRower, Concept2) targeting the same home fitness consumer.
• Hammer Sport AG: German fitness equipment manufacturer and retailer behind the FINNLO premium strength brand. Directly comparable because Hammer operates its own direct-to-consumer retail alongside third-party brand distribution, and Fitshop carries FINNLO products, putting the two in head-to-head competition for premium strength equipment buyers.
• NordicTrack (Icon Health & Fitness): Icon Health & Fitness's flagship premium home fitness brand focused on connected treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals. Directly comparable because NordicTrack is a key third-party brand carried by Fitshop while simultaneously building its own direct-to-consumer sales channel, creating channel conflict.
• Kettler (Trenova Group): German heritage fitness and leisure equipment brand, now operating under Trenova Group with both direct retail and dealer networks. Directly comparable as both a brand carried by Fitshop and an independent retail/manufacturing competitor in the German-speaking market for home cardio and strength equipment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fitshop.nl
• Instagraminstagram.com/fitshop_nl
• Xx.com/fitshopnl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fitshop