Mar 05, 2025

Credit downside case for boutique gym business

I have been given a credit study where I need to write a investment memo on a gym business (Xponential Fitness).


what would people suggest I use as the downside case and what evidence would I use to back up the assumptions. Such as a peer experiencing X% drop in revenue etc 


also where would I get helpful industry information regarding boutique gyms such as market landscape and competitors


Thanks in advance all!!!

11 Comments
 

Don’t know where you would find the info on industry research but I would look toward research on how gyms perform during GFC/Covid.

As far as risk/assumptions behind X% drop in revenue - I would think about another tragic occurrence of COVID like pandemic, competition from larger players in gym space who have better price point + services, and lastly consumer cut back on gym spend + pivot to in home services that’s more convenient.

Quick thoughts but hope this is helpful.

 

Is it sufficient to say 50% drop was peers during Covid so I’m assuming 30% because Covid was abnormally bad. What other justification and datapoints could I use to get the right drop in revene. 

Thank you so much!

 
Most Helpful

Seconding what Associate 2 in PC said... your thesis needs to focus on why your assumptions make sense. 

  • What was it that made COVID "abnormally" bad?
  • What defines normally bad and what is an example of that so that you can compare COVID against it to support the description of "abnormally" bad?
    • And what were the factors related to COVID that made revenues drop like they did? Be very specific: Was it all the gyms customers dying and their survivors canceling memberships? Was it the high level of transmission risk specific to COVID that made people stay home out of fear of dying and then canceling their memberships? Was it people losing their income because of shutdowns and needing to reduce consumption (which is a secondary effect)? Was it a secular change in people preferring to work out at home because Peloton had a sale? Was it a secular change in exercise by the population as a whole? 

Which one(s) are the answer and what circumstances would cause them to re-occur? 

  • Given the past experience with COVID; would you predict that people would be as responsive to shutdown orders?
  • Would local authorities be so quick to issue shutdown orders given how effective (or not) that shutdowns were at limiting transmission? 

There's no quick and easy answer here and you shouldn't think of the test as if there is a right answer. I would suspect the purpose of the test is to see how you think through the problem and why you come up with your thesis. Think of it like the question Bezos always asked people about "how many windows are in the city of Seattle?"

"And where we had thought to be alone we shall be with all the world"
 

Some high level things to consider would be (1) how many people go to this gym? (2) What could cause people to stop going to the gym? Here I am thinking about GLP-1 drugs and general belt tightening if the economy goes south (3) I am unfamiliar with the offering of this gym, but if it is premium like Equinox or Lifetime, how much can they increase prices in the event that they lose recurring attendees? (4) If they were smaller or larger during '08, find publicly traded comps that have financials dating back to that period and ask how EBITDA & FCF changed? (5) Why did they issue the most recent debt that they issued? Strategic initiative? General "keep the operations going" type raise? Buying back stock? 
 

Generally, the exact estimates you provide are less relevant than your deeper understanding of the underlying drivers of the business and where they will go from here. 

 

Temporibus et accusantium ab iure autem id. Aut sapiente atque debitis et. Quo impedit explicabo cumque itaque porro veniam in facilis. Sint reiciendis quis ipsum nihil quia.

Omnis a doloribus itaque vero reprehenderit in est exercitationem. Dolores nulla enim vitae suscipit architecto ipsum et. Et nam culpa molestiae. Dolor velit sequi quos aut. Maiores iure perspiciatis neque ut libero repudiandae quia.

Velit molestias delectus asperiores itaque accusamus dolor molestias. Et eius maxime porro ut quo. Dolorem ea doloribus architecto inventore accusantium magnam. Ipsa molestias quaerat delectus ut sed voluptates ipsa. Molestiae esse nam vel nihil molestiae sed voluptatem. Sed ex laboriosam harum dolor praesentium ut. Sint sapiente eum minima aperiam exercitationem recusandae accusamus.

Dolor aliquam ut aut praesentium ex corporis nobis temporibus. Hic voluptas quod dolorem qui praesentium illum eius. Ut culpa dolore maiores rerum qui dolores quas. Aliquam ipsam magnam velit sunt sapiente recusandae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”