NEW YORK (Reuters) - Buyout firm TPG is weighing a potential sale of Crunch Fitness that could value the gym chain at more than $1.5 billion, including debt, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

TPG, which acquired Crunch Fitness through its buyout arm that focuses on small and mid-sized acquisitions, is working with investment bank Jefferies on a sale process that could be launched during the first half of next year, one of the sources said, requesting anonymity as the matter is confidential.

TPG and Jefferies declined to comment. Crunch Fitness did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Potential acquirers of Crunch Fitness include other private equity firms, the sources said.

Based on comparable transactions in the industry, Crunch could command a valuation equivalent to more than 15 times its 12-month earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of about $100 million, the sources said.

Private equity firms have traditionally been prolific investors in the fitness and wellness industry, as they are attracted to the predictable cash flows from subscription memberships and the opportunity to franchise locations.

In September, consumer-focused buyout firm L Catterton struck a deal to acquire pilates chain Solidcore for between $600 million and $700 million, Reuters reported. In October, Josh Harris-backed investment firm 26North Partners agreed to buy Onelife Fitness.

Founded in 1989, Crunch Fitness started out with a basement fitness studio in New York's Greenwich Village. The gym chain, which currently has around 2.5 million members worldwide, operates and franchises over 460 gyms in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Spain.

In 2009, fitness industry veterans Mark Mastrov and Jim Rowley, who led rival gym chain 24 Hour Fitness, teamed up with the private equity arm of Angelo Gordon to buy Crunch Fitness out of bankruptcy.

Crunch Fitness competes with other gym chains like Planet Fitness, which listed its shares through an initial public offering in 2015, and privately-held 24 Hour Fitness.

TPG Growth, which acquired Crunch for an undisclosed amount in 2019, has invested in numerous companies across several industries, including life sciences firm Precision Medicine, cybersecurity firm Tanium, and ride-hailing app operator Uber.