Equinox, New York, hired one of the first female presidents in the industry, Sarah Robb O'Hagan, from PepsiCo.'s Gatorade division. Robb O'Hagan not only will oversee more than 50 Equinox clubs but also the company's Blink Fitness, SoulCycle and Pure Yoga brands. Equinox opened its first club in London later in the year and announced plans to open its first Canadian clubs in Toronto.

Around the time that Robb O'Hagan was hired, the company's executive creative director, Bianca Kosoy, left Equinox. Kosoy made the infamous "fitness is a fraud" quote in a New York Times profile not long before her exit.

Planet Fitness reached a settlement with its franchisee partners in PFNY LLC. Mike and Marc Grondahl and Chris Rondeau, the owners of Planet Fitness, filed a lawsuit in December 2011 against PFNY owners Jeff Innocenti, James Innocenti and Gino LaVerghetta, claiming the franchisees conducted business with real-estate companies and a contractor without their knowledge. The Innocentis and LaVerghetta denied the allegations and filed a countersuit in January.

Curves finalized its agreement with North Castle Partners. Curves CEO Gary Heavin had acknowledged in July that the two sides were close to a deal. Heavin and his wife, Diane, moved out of the day-to-day operations of Curves. North Castle, which had invested in Equinox from 1999 to 2005, said it would appoint a new CEO for Curves.

Johnson Health Tech, the Cottage Grove, WI-based parent company of fitness brands Matrix, Vision, AFG and Horizon, acquired Magnum Fitness, South Milwaukee, WI, a developer of commercial strength training products for more than 30 years.