Bally Total Fitness is the largest and only nationwide, commercial operator of fitness centers, with approximately four million members and 420 facilities located in 29 states, Canada, Asia and the Caribbean under the Bally Total Fitness(R), Crunch Fitness(SM), Gorilla Sports(SM), Pinnacle Fitness(R), Bally Sports Clubs(R) and Sports Clubs of Canada(R) brands. With an estimated 150 million annual visits to its clubs, Bally offers a unique platform for distribution of a wide range of products and services targeted to active, fitness-conscious adult consumers

Bally Total Fitness est le plus grand et seul opérateur commercial dans tout le pays des centres de forme physique aux ETATS-UNIS, avec approximativement quatre millions de membres et presque 440 équipements situés dans 29 états, le Mexique, le Canada, la Corée, la Chine et les Caraïbes sous le Bally Fitness(R) total, craquement Fitness(SM), gorille Sports(SM), pinacle Fitness(R), sports Clubs(R) de Bally et fôlatre des clubs des marques du Canada (r). Avec 150 millions de visites annuelles environ à ses clubs, Bally offre une plateforme unique pour la distribution d'un éventail de produits et de services visés aux consommateurs actifs et forme-conscients d'adulte.

CHICAGO, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bally Total Fitness (NYSE: BFT), the nation's leader in health and fitness, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to sell its Crunch Fitness division for $45 million in cash to Marc Tascher, a leading entrepreneur and club industry veteran, in partnership with the private equity group of Angelo, Gordon & Co., an alternative asset investment management firm with approximately $9 billion in capital under management. The clubs being sold include all of Bally's 21 Crunch locations, which are located in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami and San Francisco, as well as Bally's 2 Gorilla Sports clubs in San Francisco and 2 of Bally's Pinnacle Fitness clubs in San Francisco. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of the fourth quarter of 2005.

The Crunch and Gorilla Sports sale is one of the key steps in management's turnaround plan for Bally Total Fitness. The plan includes reduction of debt as well as divestiture of non-core assets in order to focus the Company's resources on its primary business of providing total fitness products and services to middle market consumers on a national basis. Most of the net proceeds of the sale will be used to reduce the $175 million term loan component of Bally's senior secured credit facility.

"Although Crunch is a prestigious brand with great potential, its high-end positioning is not consistent with our core strategy, which emphasizes strategic growth of the Bally brand and heavily focuses on the middle-market demographic," said Paul Toback, Chairman and CEO of Bally Total Fitness. "When Bally acquired Crunch, our company was focused on acquisitions as the way to drive growth. While Bally added value, capital and new clubs to Crunch during our period of ownership, Crunch now needs a partner willing to commit growth capital to allow it to achieve its full potential. Our capital needs to be directed towards the Bally branded clubs and debt reduction."

"We are excited about working with the strong Crunch team of dedicated employees to take the brand to the next level," said Marc Tascher, who will become CEO of Crunch. "We intend to build upon the strong foundation that is already in place, including improved operational infrastructure, great people, dynamic programming, superior locations and a loyal membership base."

Bally acquired 19 Crunch clubs in 2001 for approximately $20 million in cash and nearly 3 million shares of common stock. Bally acquired Gorilla Sports as part of its acquisition of Pinnacle Fitness in 1998.