you can't talk about franchises in the same way as the original. There is only one Gold's Venice, and there was only one World's Gym run by Joe Gold (first in Venice, then a few miles away in Marina Del Rey).
Joe died and his World's is closed. All the other World's are now part of Planet Fitness.
Gold's Venice has been bought and sold a few times, and now it is not much more than any other franchise. Rumors still persist that when the current lease is up, they'll move to a smaller location in a cheaper part of town. being 3 blocks from the beach is a bit expensive.
Actually the original Word Gym was on Main Street in Santa Monica, then Venice, then MDR.
As for Gold's moving, and to a smaller location, that would be about the dumbest thing they could do.
Is the lease expensive at 360 Hampton Drive??? Don't know. Don't know who owns the land, don't know how their lease is structured. But I do know that gym is more than likely the most profiable gym in the world-bar none.
In the 80's I asked Ed Connors why they did not just buy the building, for the exact reason you have stated, too much $$$$$ to spend down the road.....he said it made more sense to lease at that time. Typically on any gym lease you lock in
decades of options, usually in 5 or 10 year increments. That is what Gold's has done, how long I don't know.
So even though they may save money on a lease in another area of town on the short term, it would lose money in the long term, being that Gold's Venice is a gold mine/flagship gym.
Now, having seen the changes that the Gold's ownership the last 7 years have made, and the catostraphic mistakes that have been made (Conners and Grymko ran Gold's Enetrprises 100's of times BETTER than either of the 2 subsequent owners), I can see some stupid idiot bean counter making such a boneheaded move.
