Case study · National Advisory

From one DC studio to 100+ across 25 states

SABRE works as [solidcore]’s outside real estate team, taking the brand into tier-one markets across the country, one site at a time.

National Advisory How we did it
[solidcore] studio storefront
100+Studios
25States
2013First studio, DC metro
20–30New studios planned a year

A boutique studio with big ambitions needed a real estate team that could move at its pace, in every market at once.

The brand

[solidcore] opened its first studio in the DC metro area in 2013, founded by CEO and Chairwoman Anne Mahlum. The workout is high-intensity, low-impact and Pilates-based, done under low lights with the music turned up.

By 2019 the brand had grown to 50 studios in 15 states. An investment from San Francisco private equity firm VMG set the next target: 20 to 30 new corporately owned studios a year, filling in existing markets and opening new ones.

The SABRE effect

We built the national rollout on demographic and psychographic data, choosing tier-one markets that fit the brand and its growth goals. Then we put our relationships with leading local real estate partners to work in each one.

[solidcore] gets a full external real estate department: a senior point of contact and an experienced staff who run the site acquisition program with local partners. Hard negotiating keeps occupancy costs down, and that money goes back into opening more studios.

What SABRE does for [solidcore]
  • Market planningWhich markets to enter and in what order, based on demographic and psychographic data.
  • Site acquisitionA national program run with trusted local brokers who know every corner of their market.
  • Weekly real estate meetingsA standing meeting with the [solidcore] team to review every deal in the pipeline.
  • Development coordinationWorking sessions with architects, engineers and construction managers so each opening stays on schedule.
  • Real estate committeeWe present sites for approval and run the pro forma on every location.
  • Lease negotiationLease reviews and negotiations on every deal, built to protect the budget and the timeline.
Inside a [solidcore] studio
A [solidcore] class
[solidcore] studio
Anne Mahlum
About the founder

Anne Mahlum

Founder, CEO and Chairwoman, [solidcore]

Anne builds quickly and with purpose. Before [solidcore], she founded Back on My Feet in Philadelphia in 2007 and grew it into a $6.5M privately funded nonprofit with a staff of 48, thousands of volunteers and hundreds of members.

She has been featured in The Washington Post and the Washington Business Journal, and speaks at companies, universities and conferences on bold leadership, finding your happiness, the business of starting a nonprofit and social change.

In the press

Taking your brand national?

SABRE National Advisory plans markets, finds sites and negotiates leases for brands growing from their first market to their fiftieth location.

Start a conversation
More case studies

Accessibility Toolbar