RSG Group has announced that Hagen Wingertszahn and Dr Jobst Müller-Trimbusch will take over the leadership of RSG Group. They will have co-CEO positions following the tragic loss of former owner and CEO Rainer Schaller whose death was confirmed on 4 November 2022.

Müller-Trimbusch has been CFO at RSG Group for the last three years and Wingertszahn in the role of MD since 2017, following a COO position at Fitness First. The company’s focus going forward will initially be on building its core fitness business, along with employee security and strengthening profitability.

“By taking over the management of RSG Group, we are both following in the footsteps of the extraordinary entrepreneur Rainer Schaller, for whom we have the greatest respect. Our priority is to ensure that we consistently continue our trendsetting and market-leading position that the Group has built over 25 years,” said Müller-Trimbusch. “At the beginning, we will primarily focus on strengthening and further expanding the existing fitness brands in Germany and abroad, as we still see the greatest development opportunities here.”

RSG Group will also enhance its customer-centric approach and build up US operations. “Our goal as the new management is to find the right balance between preserving the roots and further developing the company,” said Wingertszahn. “We are fully aware of who we are succeeding, and we would like to thank the new owners for their confidence in us.

“We see it as our greatest task to continue to make RSG Group sustainable, future-proof and centered 360 degrees around the customer. In addition to our core business in Europe, our focus remains on significantly strengthening our presence in the US.”

Rainer Schaller founded the McFit brand in 1997 and grew the RSG Group to a 21-brand company – including Gold's Gym, Holmes Place Spain, John Reed and new concept fitness club Heimat – serving 6.4m customers. On 21 October 2022, a small plane carrying Schaller crashed in Costa Rica. His partner, their two children, a colleague and the pilot were also on board. The bodies of Schaller and his son were identified on 4 November 2022.

The company will remain family-owned, since Gerd Schaller, brother of Rainer, inherited the business on his brother's death.

Industry insiders had speculated that the company might be sold or broken up for sale on the death of Rainer Schaller, but instead, the Schaller family has decided to continue to own and operate the vast global business.