Fitness Franchisee Takes Over Thousand Oaks Bay Club

The Thousand Oaks Bay Club, a luxury athletic club that is part of a chain of country clubs and sports resorts in California, has been taken over by a local sports and fitness franchisee. Curtis Harman, who co-owns 50-plus sports and fitness franchises, including five in the San Fernando and Simi Valley markets, signed a new lease Tuesday with the club’s landlord, Harman said, and will operate the club under a new name yet to be determined. To take over the business, Harman had to sign a new lease, before the existing one expired. His company Harman Fitness in Chatsworth is negotiating on the Bay Club Canoga Park fitness facility as well, but that lease won’t expire for about a year. Bay Club Co. of San Francisco operates a chain of 22 locations in California and took over the Thousand Oaks and Canoga Park locations when it bought 11 Spectrum Athletic Clubs in 2015. The two facilities do not match the country club and sports resort model that Bay Club is now pursuing, and as a result, it agreed to turn over ownership to a new operator. Harman’s current facilities – which include Crunch Fitness, Ultimate Fighting Championship and CR7 franchise locations in five states – serve customers looking for quick workouts in a gym rather than those who stay to swim, eat and play sports, which is the profile of Bay Club members. Mike Tingus, president of real estate brokerage firm Lee & Associates – LA North/Ventura Inc. in Sherman Oaks, and Grant Fulkerson, brokered the deal on behalf of the property owner. Scott Caswell, also of Lee & Associates, brought in Harman.