You want to buy a Bowflex machine, but the news about bankruptcy has you worried. You don’t want to spend money on a treadmill if the company might vanish tomorrow. To make a smart purchase decision, you need to understand the stability of the new owner.

The Bowflex brand is currently owned by Johnson Health Tech (JHT), a global fitness manufacturing giant based in Taiwan. Following the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of Bowflex Inc. (formerly Nautilus) in early 2024, Johnson Health Tech acquired the brand’s assets for approximately $37.5 million, saving the product line from liquidation and integrating it into their massive portfolio of fitness equipment.

Who Is the Current Owner of Bowflex?

The headlines were confusing, moving from “Nautilus” to “Bowflex Inc.” and then to bankruptcy court. But the dust has settled. Johnson Health Tech (JHT) is the official owner of the Bowflex brand and its associated intellectual property.

This is not a private equity firm looking to strip the assets. Johnson Health Tech is one of the largest fitness equipment manufacturers in the world. They already own reputable brands like Matrix, Vision, and Horizon Fitness. This acquisition is a strategic consolidation. At Nine Labs, we analyze market movements to understand business sustainability. In this case, Bowflex has moved from a volatile public company focused on marketing to a stable, vertically integrated manufacturing powerhouse. This shift brings a level of operational security that the brand lacked for years.

What Happened to Bowflex Inc. and Nautilus?

To understand the present, you must look at the recent crash. Bowflex Inc. (formerly Nautilus Inc.) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2024 after struggling with post-pandemic demand slumps.

The story is a classic example of a “boom and bust” cycle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nautilus (the previous name) saw sales explode. Everyone needed a home gym. The stock price soared. However, they misjudged the market. They assumed the growth would last forever. When gyms reopened, sales plummeted. The company was left with too much inventory and too much debt. They tried to pivot by rebranding the corporate name from Nautilus to Bowflex Inc. to focus on their strongest asset, but it wasn’t enough.

By early 2024, they ran out of cash. They filed for Chapter 11 protection to facilitate a sale. This wasn’t a liquidation (Chapter 7) where everything is sold for scrap. It was a strategic sale process. Johnson Health Tech stepped in as the “stalking horse” bidder—meaning they set the floor price. In April 2024, the bankruptcy court approved the sale.

This ended the era of Bowflex as an independent, publicly traded US company and began its new chapter as a subsidiary brand within the JHT empire. This transition turned a financial disaster into a strategic acquisition, preserving the legacy of the products while discarding the bad debt of the previous corporation.

Who Is Johnson Health Tech and Why Does It Matter?

You might not know the name “Johnson Health Tech,” but you have probably used their machines. Johnson Health Tech is a Taiwanese multinational corporation that ranks among the top three fitness equipment manufacturers globally.

This matters because ownership dictates quality. Previous owners were often marketing companies that outsourced manufacturing. JHT is different. They own their factories. They control the supply chain from raw metal to the final microchip.

How Does JHT’s Ownership Change the Customer Experience?

The biggest change for the consumer is stability and quality control. Johnson Health Tech utilizes a vertical integration strategy, meaning they manufacture their own components, which leads to better product reliability and faster support.

Under the old ownership, Bowflex struggled with supply chain issues and varying build quality because they relied on third-party vendors. If a vendor failed, Bowflex failed. JHT, however, makes its own motors, frames, and electronics. This is a massive upgrade for the User Experience (UX). At Nine Labs, we emphasize that good design is dependent on reliable execution. With JHT, the “Navigational” friction of trying to find spare parts or warranty support should decrease significantly.

Furthermore, JHT has a massive global distribution network. This means Bowflex products can now reach markets that the old US-centric company couldn’t touch. For the consumer, this ownership change signals safety. You are no longer buying from a company on the brink of collapse; you are buying from a stable giant with deep pockets. It transforms a risky “Transactional” purchase into a safe investment in your health. The anxiety about “will they exist next year?” is largely gone.

Will the JRNY Digital Platform Survive the Acquisition?

Hardware is only half the battle. Modern fitness is about software. Johnson Health Tech acquired the JRNY digital platform as part of the deal and intends to maintain it to compete with services like iFit and Peloton.

The JRNY app was Bowflex’s answer to Peloton—a subscription service offering coaching and custom workouts. JHT likely sees this as the crown jewel of the deal.

What Is the Future of Connected Fitness Under JHT?

JHT needed a stronger software play, and buying Bowflex gave them one. The acquisition allows JHT to integrate the JRNY software across its other brands (like Horizon and Matrix), creating a unified digital ecosystem for millions of users.

Before this deal, JHT’s consumer brands (Horizon) lacked a high-end, proprietary software platform comparable to Peloton. They mostly relied on compatibility with third-party apps like Zwift. By acquiring JRNY, they now own the user data and the recurring revenue stream. This is a crucial business strategy. Selling a treadmill is a one-time transaction. Selling a subscription is a lifetime relationship.

From a product design perspective, we can expect to see JRNY embedded into more machines. Imagine buying a Matrix treadmill and having access to Bowflex’s adaptive coaching AI. This consolidation of technology increases the value of the entire JHT portfolio. For current users, this is good news. It means the app won’t be shut down. Instead, it will likely receive more investment and development resources than the bankrupt Bowflex Inc. could ever afford. The goal is to keep you engaged, active, and paying that monthly fee, ensuring the brand remains profitable in the digital age.

Conclusion

The Bowflex brand is not dead; it has simply found a stronger home. By moving under the ownership of Johnson Health Tech, Bowflex has transitioned from a financially unstable marketing company to a vertically integrated manufacturing powerhouse. This ensures that the machines—and the digital platform—are here to stay.