Florida-based Lifestyle Family Fitness has secured $8m (£4.3m) to fund further expansion.

The company has received an equity investment of $8m in a financing deal led by Ballast Point Ventures, which included existing investor Quantum Capital Partners and new investor The Burton Partnerships.

“All three of these groups have a successful track record of investing in high growth private companies and helping them achieve their maximum potential,” said Geoff Dyer, president and CEO of Lifestyle.

“This capital infusion, coupled with additional debt financing, will enable us to add 30-35 new fitness facilities over the next five years.”

Rated as one of the fastest growing fitness companies in the world by the International Health Racquets and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), the chain owns and operates 19 fitness facilities with more than 80,000 members throughout West and Central Florida.

Australian born Dyer founded Lifestyle Family Fitness in 1982 in Lakeland, Florida, which grew to seven sites located throughout west Central Florida by 1999.

In 2001, the growth of the company was accelerated throughout the Tampa Bay area and beyond in alliance with Quantum Capital Partners, which provided Lifestyle with $6.2m in expansion capital during 2000 and 2001.

The company offers month-by-month memberships under the slogan Commit to a Lifestyle, Not A Contract! It also allows new members to experience facilities for one month without the fear of losing their initial enrollment fee.

Currently operating in seven counties including Polk, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Orange, Seminole, Sarasota and Manatee, future locations include Orlando, Palm Beach, Jacksonville and Fort Myers. Several new facilities are due to open throughout Florida in the next 12 months. Details: www.lff.com