O2 Fitness announced it will acquire three Gold’s Gym locations in Wilmington, according to a news release from the Raleigh-based fitness company on Monday.

The acquisition adds to two existing O2 Fitness locations in the Wilmington area and begins on Nov 1. At that time, members will be able to access the Gold's Gym locations, officials said in the release.

O2 Fitness has held a facility at Mayfaire since 2005, and opened a second Wilmington location at 1315 Independence Blvd., in the Hanover Center shopping complex in January 2014.

The company, which began in 2002, has 23 locations in North and South Carolina.

"O2 Fitness will have more than 15,000 members in the Wilmington area on Nov. 1," Doug Warf, chief marketing officer for O2 Fitness said in an email. "We love this area and we are honored to be a fitness provider for so many Wilmington area residents."

As of today, nothing changes for the former Gold's Gym members, Warf said.

"They remain members of their current location with the option to upgrade to full access to all of our O2 Fitness locations," he said.

Mike Valentino, franchisee the three Gold's Gym locations in Wilmington, said the sale to O2 comes after his franchise agreements ended after 24 years.

Valentino is a franchisee of 10 Gold’s Gym locations, including the three in Wilmington.
 
"As a Wilmington resident, I have loved owning and operating the Gold's Gyms here. I am proud to hand off the baton to Michael Olander, Jr. as I have known Michael for over many years and I know that he loves this community,” Valentino said in the release. “O2 Fitness will provide a first-class health and fitness environment for our members."

Valentino and Olander, owner and CEO of O2 Fitness and MDO Holdings, have been allies in the fitness club industry for the past 25 years, officials said in the release.

"I have great respect and admiration for how Mike Valentino has operated his fitness clubs throughout his career. He cares about his members and the communities he serves. We aim for that same level of care and commitment at O2 Fitness and we are honored to grow our presence in the greater Wilmington area by building on the foundation laid by Mike and his team," Olander said in the statement.

Gold's Gym locations in Wilmington are at 200 Racine Drive, 4310 Shipyard Blvd. and 7979 Market St.

"This particular deal was centered around better serving the greater Wilmington area, however, O2 Fitness is continuing to grow throughout the Carolinas. We just opened a beautiful new facility in our Charleston market and we are opening two new Clubs in the Raleigh region before the end of 2017 with several new openings in the works for 2018," Warf said.

When the Wilmington deal is officially finalized Wednesday, O2 Fitness will begin the rebranding process of the Gold's Gym locations, Warf said.

O2 Fitness has also begun the process of meeting with Gold's Gym staff members "to make sure it's a great fit for both parties," he said. "But either way, we are always looking for team members who appreciate both customer service and a healthy lifestyle," he added.

The company is assessing the necessary upgrades needed to serve the membership base and will begin unveiling those to its members in the coming months, Warf said. 

"We are very excited at this opportunity to provide our unique approach to fitness to more area residents, while also providing our current O2 Fitness member a greater variety of Club locations throughout the Wilmington market. We love this community and we are honored to help so many people in Wilmington with their fitness journey," Justin Mascho, O2 Fitness Wilmington area director, said in an email.