A dispute over gym marketing broke into public view Monday, July 27, after Physiq Fitness accused representatives of Salem’s incoming Crunch Fitness franchise of setting up a promotional table on Physiq property and refusing to leave when asked.
Physiq posted a video to Instagram showing a Crunch-branded membership table in the parking lot of one of its Salem gyms. In an accompanying statement, the company said the representatives were attempting to sell memberships directly to Physiq customers and remained after staff told them to leave.
The video captures the promotional setup, while Physiq’s statement provides the company’s account of what happened before and after the recording.
The incident adds tension to the arrival of Crunch Salem, a gym planned at 2025 Lancaster Drive NE. City permit records show Crunch is leasing 46,245 square feet in an existing building. Company announcements describe the project as a $5 million, approximately 50,000-square-foot facility expected to open this summer.
Crunch Salem will be operated by Fitness Ventures LLC. The company identifies itself as the largest Crunch franchise operator in the country, with 118 locations across 30 states and nearly 1 million members. Fitness Ventures is backed by Meaningful Partners, a private equity firm focused on consumer businesses.
Physiq used the incident to contrast that national operation with its own history. Physiq’s website says the company began in 2007, expanded into a Salem personal-training and sports-performance business in 2008 and purchased its first downtown Salem location in 2010. It now lists six Oregon gyms and one Arizona location.
Physiq described itself in the Instagram statement as locally owned by three Oregon families without outside investors.
“Competition is part of business, and we’re all for fair competition,” Physiq said, while questioning whether soliciting customers on a competitor’s property was an appropriate tactic.
The company also said it had seen social media posts showing similar Crunch marketing near other competitors, including Planet Fitness on Lancaster Drive. Physiq said other gym operators had shared comparable experiences, though the circumstances surrounding those encounters remain unclear.
Physiq later updated its post to say Fitness Ventures leadership had contacted the company, apologized and confirmed that the promotional team violated instructions to stay off Physiq property. According to Physiq, Fitness Ventures said the individuals involved would be held accountable and those expectations would be reinforced.
Physiq said it appreciated Fitness Ventures’ leadership taking responsibility and addressing the incident. The response appears to close the immediate dispute, but the episode still highlights the increasingly aggressive competition for members as a major national franchise prepares to enter Salem’s fitness market.
