Ryan Cole says ‘It’s
actually easier to start a
new business as a 24hour facility, rather than
converting it later, due
to the local council’s
laws and protocols.’
for others with a lot of industry experience
such as Mark, a franchise may feel like
they come with too many restrictions. ‘I
think the franchises are best for people
who haven’t had any experience in
the industry and they don’t know how
to approach it i.e., don’t know what
equipment to use or what equipment to
put in,’ he explains.
Benefits of becoming a franchisee:
•
Being your own boss
•
Receiving ongoing marketing
support
•
Reduced stress and effort once
it’s up and running
•
Lower start up costs
•
The provision of a full turnkey solution (e.g., the lease,
equipment, fit-out, etc is all done
for you).
opened.
In Australia the market has many 24hour franchises available. One of the
bigger players is Anytime Fitness (www.
anytimefitness.com.au), which currently
has around 1,900 gyms globally, with
Australia ranking second as the largest
market, after the United States. Since
entering the Australian market in 2008,
more than 160 Anytime Fitness facilities
have opened around the country and,
over the next 12 months as the rollout
continues, an additional 350 clubs will be
Bodiez 24/7 Fitness is an Australian owned
and operated facility based in West
Ipswich (QLD). It offers its model up as a
franchise option, where they’ll find you
a location, take care of the fit out and
ensure the business is ready to go when
they hand you the keys. Bodiez 24/7
is unique in that its facilities have fully
incorporated the Technogym Wellness
System, which means when you insert
your access key into the equipment’s
reader, your workout is automatically set
up for you by the machines. Essentially,
the Technogym Wellness System provides
trainer support, without the actual
personal trainer being present. Ideal for a
24-hour facility.
Of course, if you are considering making
the move to 24-hour, it may be wise to
heed Tony Doherty’s advice. He says
‘Make sure going 24-hour is really what
you want to do with your fitness business,
because it’s hard to undo and can cost
you a lot of members and money if you
go back. 24-hour operations are not
for everyone; so don’t just jump into it,
because your competitors are.’
24-Hour facilities in Australia include:
Plus Fitness 24/7 100% Australianowned, and a division of Plus Fitness
Health Clubs. Offers two different
gym models to members: a fully
staffed health club, and a convenient,
affordable 24-hour, 7-day a week
gym. www.fitness24hours.com.au
Anytime Fitness With impressive
growth since it was founded in 2002
(internationally) it has become the
world’s largest and fastest growing
24-hour, co-ed fitness franchise. One
of the perks that Anytime Fitness offers
members is the use of any other club
at no additional charge.
www.anytimefitness.com.au
Jetts Franchises throughout Australia
and New Zealand with many new
clubs opening soon. They are
currently calling for more widespread
global interest. www.jetts.com.au
Snap Fitness The concept behind the
global Snap Fitness franchise is simple:
the gyms are compact, have state-ofthe-art equipment, minimal staffing
and are no fuss.
www.snapfitness.com.au
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