The gym franchisor for under 12’s has announced Nancy Bigley, CFE as its new brand president and CEO. Little Gym is a part of the Unleashed Brands family.
Bigley recently led Twist Brands, which has Painting with a Twist, Color Me Mine and Chesapeake Ceramics in its portfolio. She ended up joining Twist Brands after Bottle & Bottega, the company she co-founded and grew to 27 studios, was acquired by Twist Brands. She consequently joined Twist Brands in 2018.
A veteran of the franchise industry for 25 plus years, Bigley has a strong background in franchise operations and executive leadership having worked with Dunkin’ Brands, American Leak Detection and The Dwyer Group prior to her time in the paint and sip industry of franchising.
“Nancy is a seasoned franchise leader who has an uncanny ability to balance strong franchise relationships while improving unit-level economics. We are thrilled to have her on board during this exciting time for The Little Gym,” said Michael Browning, CEO of Unleashed Brands.
Little Gym plans to focus on modernizing the guest experience both digitally and in-person, as well as working with the membership system to deliver more value to its customers. Within the next five years, brand executives say they aim to reach 500 locations.
“The Little Gym is an iconic industry-leading brand that has been in the hearts and minds of consumers for 45 years. The brand is already showing impressive sales over 2019 and coming out of the pandemic, parents are more aware than ever of the importance of the physical, cognitive and social growth of their children,” said Bigley.
“I am so excited to dive in with my team with an eye towards my passion of increasing franchisee sales and profitability, while building strong franchisee relationships.”
Little Gym was founded by Robin Wes in 1976, and has since grown to over 400 locations in over 31 countries.
