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The nuances of opening a fitness club franchise. How to open your own gym and make it successful

Interest in fitness services in Russia shows steady growth. According to the Association of Fitness Professionals, the growth rate of the Russian market is about 20% per year! Due to the ever-increasing interest in this segment, the fitness club franchise is becoming more and more interesting for entrepreneurs.
As international experience shows, franchising can become an effective tool for the development of the fitness services sector. In Russia, the choice of fitness franchises is still modest, since the market is relatively young, but the potential for development in Russian fitness is huge.

A bit of history

The first fitness club in Russia - World Class - opened in 1993. At first, fitness was perceived as another opportunity to confirm one's status, success and good financial situation. It is not surprising that the first clubs opened under the franchising scheme (Gold's Gym, World Class, X-Fit) belonged to the premium category. Gradually, the attitude to fitness began to change. Interest in a healthy lifestyle has increased, and fitness has become perceived as effective tool to keep in good shape. The first democratic networks appeared (Planet Fitness, City fitness, Fizkult), some players began to work in parallel in both the premium and middle price segments (X-Fit, Strata Partner, Russian Fitness Group). These clubs have already offered a wide range of fitness services at affordable prices, and then less expensive franchises (although starting a franchised fitness club still requires a significant investment).

World Class was the first Russian player to offer its franchise (in 1999), and by 2006 there was a steady demand for middle-class club franchises. It was then that the democratic franchise of a fitness club from the Fizkult network went on sale.

Many Russian fitness operators started franchising in the early 2000s – it was then that Planet Fitness, X-Fit, etc. franchises appeared. Today, the demand for economy format fitness clubs is actively growing, but there are practically no such offers on the Russian market. The only exception is the franchise of a fitness club from the Sportland network, Planet Fitness (the company operates in two price segments - medium and democratic), as well as new franchise FitStudio from X-FIT Group.

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Fitness club franchise: Franchise today

At the same time, there are only two types of fitness club franchise in Russia: classic fitness club and women's fitness. In the women's fitness club franchise market, the leaders are Tonus Club, Slimclub, Curves and Brosko Fitness, while new players are constantly entering the market. Women's clubs, as a rule, operate in the economy segment and are represented for the most part in the regions where most of them began their development.

Large networks of classic fitness clubs opened and expanded their presence first in Moscow and only then entered the regional market. The classic fitness club franchise in Russia is offered by such networks as X-Fit and FitStudio (X-FIT Group), World Class and Fizkult (Russian Fitness Group), Planet Fitness, Orange Fitness and City Fitness (Strata Partnere ”), Sportland, as well as international franchisors Gold's Gym and World Gym.

Perhaps you will need

Requirements from franchisors

The first requirement that franchisors make to those who are interested in a fitness club franchise is a sufficient area of ​​​​the premises. Only then is the willingness of the partner to invest the necessary amount of funds into the opening of a full-fledged and full-fledged fitness club discussed. Such a sequence of requirements put forward by the franchisor is quite understandable: the larger the area of ​​the club and the higher its status, the more investments will be required. On the other hand, the higher the class of the club, the more space it should occupy.

The pursuit of "status" has led to the fact that in the Russian market of classical fitness there are practically no franchises for clubs with an area of ​​less than 1000 square meters. m., although the franchise of a small full-fledged fitness club would certainly be in demand by Russian franchisees: it is easier to start with a small room, it requires less investment and pays off faster.

The only Russian company that has assessed the prospects and attractiveness of selling small-format franchises is ICS-FIT Group. Having successfully launched 33 full-size X-Fit clubs (own and franchised), the company has developed a new franchise concept - FitStudio economy fitness clubs with an area of ​​200 sq. FitStudio is notable for its "small format" - you do not need to pay fees to enter this network, there are no royalties, which is not typical for the Russian fitness franchising market. Why would one of the key market players offer a popular franchise on such preferential terms - after all, a small format would be in demand even if a lump-sum fee and royalties were charged? As Georgy Letunov, President of X-FIT Group, explains, the FitStudio franchise will allow the company to achieve one of its main goals in the shortest possible time - to build the largest network of democratic fitness centers using X-Fit resources on the basis of existing third-party clubs. At the same time, the main sources of income from the FitStudio franchise for X-FIT Group will be additional training programs for franchisees.

Promotion program

In the global fitness services market, such rebranding for the sake of expanding the network is a common practice.
“In Russia, all our franchised clubs were opened from scratch, although in international practice, rebranding of existing clubs is quite common,” confirms Nadezhda Yefimova, Gold’s Gym Development Manager.

The network of fitness clubs World Gym also places great emphasis on joining existing clubs to its brand, considering this direction as one of the most promising. The amount of investment required for rebranding is calculated individually and depends on the state of the club before the start of the transformation. The lump-sum fee and royalties for rebranding are usually less than when buying a classic franchise.

An important characteristic of a franchise is also the package of services (training, support, etc.) offered to the partner. For most Russian fitness franchisors, it is approximately the same and is limited to the development of the concept of the club and fitness programs, the brand book, the provision of educational materials, staff training and marketing support.

Meanwhile, according to Dmitry Korobeikin, Vice President for Development of the Russian Fitness Group, franchising in the field of fitness services is one of the most difficult types of franchising, as it is franchising business processes:

“The fitness club provides a range of diverse services for customers, so it is very important to implement a quality franchise support program that could provide franchisee club customers with a high level of service and a full range of fitness services inherent in the franchisor's own clubs.”

In the Russian Fitness Group itself, when developing the support program, franchisees relied on international experience, adapting it to Russian realities.

But Gold’s Gym believes that it is possible to work according to international standards in any country, but the specifics of the country should also be taken into account.

“We use the same franchise promotion programs in Russia as in the USA. We also receive all support programs for our franchisees from America. In Russia, we translate them and apply them in accordance with Russian reality. In all countries where Gold’s Gym develops by franchising, we follow our international standards,” says Nadezhda Yefimova.

Franchising as a basis

However, Russian networks fitness clubs, unlike the same American fitness operators, do not yet consider franchising as the main way to develop the network. All domestic chains have fewer franchise outlets than their own: Russian Fitness Group has 43% of franchised clubs, X-Fit has 30%, and Planet Fitness has 28%. For comparison: the largest chains of American fitness clubs have the share of their own enterprises in total fitness clubs is extremely small: 3% for Snap Fitness, 0.5% for Anytime Fitness and 4% for Planet Fitness, 13% for Gold’s Gym, and World Gym generally develops only through franchising.

Obviously, this is why Russian fitness clubs do not really try to draw attention to their franchises: the conditions and parameters of a particular package can be found out only by contacting the franchising manager, who is often not so easy to find, and any useful information about it is almost impossible to get a franchise on the site in the public domain. A pleasant exception is perhaps the X-FIT Group and the Russian Fitness Group, as well as the Gold’s Gym and World Gym chains.

The franchise of a fitness club and its prospects in Russia are assessed differently by the franchisors themselves. Dmitry Korobeikin sees a huge potential for development in the business segment, and ICS-FIT Group is currently focusing on the development of both business-class and democratic clubs. -services will increase and the demand for franchise fitness clubs category "economy". This trend will set the course for the development of all domestic fitness and franchising, so the prospect of democratic fitness franchises appearing in this market seems quite real.


Leader experience

If popular American fitness club chains go on Russian market, then this will not happen soon, in 10-15 years. Today's Russian fitness market is very dense, there are well-known brands, so there are doubts that international fitness giants will be as successful here as they are in the USA. In addition, the conditions for development here are not as favorable as in Europe or Asia, where American networks are primarily aimed. It's much easier to open up there.
Nevertheless, it is American networks that are the world leaders in the fitness industry, and if they massively enter the Russian market, then they will conquer it precisely through the franchising scheme.

The concept of "fitness franchise" in the United States is very broad: these are franchises of classic fitness clubs with a gym, group classes and a swimming pool (Gold's Gym, World Gym), women's fitness clubs (Curves, Contours Express), and children's fitness clubs. centers (The little gym, My Gym). There are also very unusual proposals that correspond to the latest trends American fitness: for example, a franchise of a fitness club offering a comprehensive development of a training and nutrition program (Elements Diet and Fitness, Slim & Fit), a franchise of the world's first automated personal training studio - Coco Fit Club, or, for example, a franchise of a dance fitness studio Jazzercise. Also in the US, franchises of low-cost fitness clubs are very popular, offering their consumers a limited range of services at an attractive price any day and at any time - they operate 24 hours 7 days a week (Anytime Fitness, Snap Fitness, Planet Fitness).

In America, the franchise offers mainly projects for democratic clubs with an area of ​​​​up to 1000 square meters. There are, of course, franchises of much larger formats (for example, to open a popular Retro Fitness club, you need a room with an area of ​​​​3000 sq. m), but first of all, it is small fitness clubs that develop through the franchise.

Fitness accessible to all


For this money, you can, for example, join the most popular American fitness networks Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness. And in order to open a club of the world's most famous women's fitness chain Curves or a children's fitness club, $30,000-100,000 is enough to franchise it. At the same time, American franchisors provide partners with much more significant support than Russian companies do for their franchisees. For example, none of Russian companies, with the exception of Russian Fitness Group and X-FIT Group, does not hold special fitness conventions for its franchisees. American fitness market experts believe that such conventions are one of the most effective ways to exchange experience and bring franchisors closer to franchisees, which is extremely important for a business that develops through franchising.

Much more efficiently than in Russia, the franchise payment system has also been built. In US fitness franchises, royalties are either presented as small fixed payments ($395-500) or as a percentage of sales (typically 3% to 6% of turnover). Interest payments guarantee the franchisor higher amounts of payments, and low fixed royalties help attract new franchisees - and hence more active development of the network.

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Many begin to engage in both business and sports, but not everyone succeeds in their endeavors. Entrepreneurs who have no practice, having decided to master the sports business, sometimes make serious mistakes even at the planning stage. As a result, optimistic forecasts do not come true, and people abandon projects, losing money and precious time. Today we will talk about how to properly open a gym from scratch, avoiding common mistakes.

How to open a gym

The services of sports and recreational institutions are in demand today both in large and small cities. In modern society, there has been a steady trend towards proper nutrition and an active lifestyle. And this fact speaks in favor of choosing a gym as an idea for a business. However, this type of activity also has a drawback - high competition. Therefore, at the planning stage, it is important to adequately assess the current situation in the local market for sports and health services and choose the right niche for your company (see,).

You can get started in this business in several ways:

  • buy a functioning gym or fitness club;
  • acquire a franchise of a famous brand (see);
  • independently organize and develop a business.

Each of the options is not ideal and does not promise big profits in a short time, bypassing the problems.

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Buying a business

When an entrepreneur buys a ready-made gym, he visually evaluates what he is purchasing. That is, he sees the condition of the premises and equipment. He can pick up all the documents for doing business and see the tax and financial statements, determine the profitability of the project, etc. This is how a general idea of ​​​​the existing gym is formed.

However, image errors, which may not be immediately noticeable, are transferred from the previous owner to the new one along with the business. Therefore, it is often necessary to make efforts to win back old and attract new customers. Sometimes a revision of the pricing policy is required. It is worth finding out which pricing method was used earlier in the enterprise: profitable or costly.

Buying ready business, you need to carefully study not only the documents, but also the gym itself, every little thing. It is desirable to establish feedback with customers and collect feedback. For example, when connecting engineering communications, the technology could be broken, which led to an unpleasant smell in the showers and alienated customers. You will have to invest additional funds to fix the problems.

Gym franchises

How much does it cost to open a gym? It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. The opening budget depends on the condition of the premises, the amount of rent, the number of simulators, etc. On average, it takes three million rubles or more to launch.

Mistakes at the startup stage

There are a lot of mistakes when opening and planning clubs. Choosing the wrong position is one of them. For example, a club is intended for high-income clients, and there are only student hostels around. Or the club is intended for a small number of people, but there are many who want to, and it is impossible to accept everyone. What to do? If the structure of the building is light, you can make redevelopment, expand the club area to let more people through.

When compiling a technological project for a gym, it is desirable to plan the premises in such a way that they can be easily transformed: partitions are simply removed, for example, to expand the space or add changing rooms.

Errors can also be related to the set of services that are provided. Usually this is too large a list of services, and the consumer needs only a basic set.

Buying cheap sports equipment and equipment that breaks down quickly is also the wrong way. Saving is irrelevant here. Equipment, furniture, inventory, finishing elements of the visit - everything must be of high quality, reliable and modern.

Premises selection

If you plan to rent a gym room, it is mandatory to draw up an agreement with the landlord, in which to assign the rights and obligations of the parties, and register it with the Regpalat. Before the conclusion of the contract, no activity should be started.

Note: renting a room for a gym from a private person will cost more than from the municipality. To save money, you can contact the city administration, apply to the Property Management Committee and participate in the auction for the lease of municipal premises.

Planning and decoration

It is more convenient if the club is two-story. On one floor, you can take a place for locker rooms, showers, administrative and amenity premises. On the other there will be a space that can be zoned depending on the needs. Without corridors and partitions, with the ability to move equipment. During the day it can be a fitness club, and in the evening - a lecture hall, for example, about the benefits healthy eating or dance studio.

Using this layout, you can offer the services that the consumer needs. Such a gym will be mobile and able to “survive” in a competitive environment.

The design of the gym is also a very important point. When decorating a room, it is better not to use dark and aggressive colors, but to choose bright positive shades. Vapor permeability to the walls will be given by plaster or cork panels. The club must have full-length mirrors, powerful lighting fixtures and high-quality musical equipment. The design of the gym can be in the style of "minimalism", "modern" or "hi-tech".

Preparing for the opening

The next step after the repair and decoration of the premises is to equip it with exercise equipment and sports equipment. When choosing equipment, you need to be guided by the purpose of the hall, area and financial capabilities. Today on the market you can find many offers from a variety of manufacturers. Popular are: Total gym, Star Trac, Nautilus, StairMaster, Schwinn, Ziva. Some of the Russian equipment suppliers offer a full range of services: from designing and equipping a gym to staff training.

As for the employees, it is worth mentioning separately. For a small gym with an area of ​​150-200 sq. m will need three to four professional trainers, two instructors, two administrators and support staff.

An important step in preparing for the opening of the hall is the holding of marketing events. As many people as possible should learn about the new sports club. Effectively advertise on local radio, television, and the Internet. It is worth ordering and placing a bright talking sign on the facade, you can invite clients for a free body diagnosis, for trial training. Immediately before the opening, a preliminary drawing of club cards or season tickets can be held.

It is desirable to provide in the gym the possibility of providing related services (massage, sauna, solarium, etc.). As practice shows, income from the provision of additional services can reach 15% of the total revenue of the enterprise. At the same time, about 60% is accounted for by the sale of club cards and subscriptions, 25% is income from one-time visits.

Good to read

Two ways to open a gym

You do not know how to open a gym? We will help you understand the issue and step by step analyze the most important aspects of this business, what to pay close attention to and without which the fitness club will not be able to function normally and even more so make a profit.

Suppose that you have thought for a long time and finally decided to make a fitness club. What's next, how to open a gym? There are two ways: open yourself or by (consider Gold's Gym). Each method has advantages and disadvantages. We will tell you in detail about them so that you can choose the best option, avoid unnecessary waste of time, effort and money.


Consider the main stages preceding the opening of the gym. Of course, we will not be able to cover everything, but we will pay attention to critical points.

Planning

Before you open a gym, you need to develop a business plan - what distinguishes a successful gym from an unsuccessful one. Many advise to give his training to a third-party organization or specialist. You can do this, but you need to be critical of their results and double-check everything yourself. You can be helped with advice or recommendations, but you must do the work yourself.

Why by ourselves? This will allow you to better understand how the business processes in the company proceed, to increase your level of competence in many areas (marketing, management, sales, etc.). As a result, you will be able to provide better services, get the opportunity to increase your income, and you will know more in advance how to open a decent gym.

Choose a room

The external environment strongly influences the choice of fitness sizes. How to determine which club to open - 1,500 or 5,000 sq m? To find out which gym to open, you need to understand whether the market is ready for this and whether there will be such a number of visitors with the subscription price you expect.

When choosing real estate, it is worth considering the main factor - how much income you will receive per square meter. There are many circumstances that can change the amount of earnings from 1 sq. m, but we will highlight the special ones - the number of customers and their solvency. To determine these values, it is enough to calculate how many people can get to the gym in 20-30 minutes. According to practice in Russia, 2-5% of them can become permanent members of the club. Solvency is determined in different ways. The ideal ratio of the number of fitness guests per 1 square meter is 1 visitor per year (the condition is met with proper planning and depends on the chosen development model. For rough calculations, in Russia in the premium segment it is 1 person per 1 square meter). For example, you want to open a gym with an area of ​​1,000 square meters, which means that for a comfortable location in the club, you can assume that there will be at least 1,000 club cards per year.

Specifications the premises depend on the configuration of the gym offers, but the optimal ceiling height starts from 4.5 m. With such a ceiling height in the fitness club, you can achieve a feeling of lightness and spaciousness, which will create a motivating mood for exercise among clients.

Proper zoning of the room

A moment that cannot be overestimated is the competent distribution of the space of the gym. Profitability, the number of staff, the amount of utility bills, and the list of services provided depend on this. Many entrepreneurs overlook this issue, considering it a trifle, although this is not the case. If you correctly zone the room, then each zone works and complements each other. Try to open an open-plan gym. Potentially, it has a higher profitability than the corridor layout. Also, it is perceived by visitors more comfortably.

It is important to know how to open a gym where all the rooms interact with each other. For example, next to the pool it is undesirable to put a sauna, a kids club near the stairs, and the cardio zone should not rest against the wall. From the point of view of psychology, a running person must see free space. You can’t just “cut” a room without a meaningful understanding of the overall picture of the club.

This work can only be entrusted to a professional capable of developing a high-quality product. Thanks to this, you will gain competitive advantages: significant savings in time resources, increased revenue levels and no rework in the future. It is better to spend money at the initial stage in order to lay a good foundation than to incur costs in the future.

List of services for the hall

The most popular are exercise machines, group classes and a swimming pool. The cost of membership in the gym depends on the set of club options, so it is important to know your client, his habits and preferences. Thanks to the advance marketing research you will find out what concept and area of ​​the hall are optimal, who your competitors are, the optimal cost of the services you offer, which will allow you to plan a development strategy. For example, in a city or district there are problems with kindergartens, which means that when opening a gym, the layout should include a corner for children and a program for them. You need to find out the popular sports in this particular place. For example, the opening of a playground will positively affect the outreach of the club's corporate members.

To achieve greater profitability, you need to try to cover the maximum segments of the population. How to open a gym for as many people with different interests as possible: housewives, athletes, students, managers, etc.? Open a multipurpose gym.

With the ideal price of the club card and the competent architecture of the space, the occupancy of the hall is 1 visitor per square meter for 12 months. You need to find the perfect balance between the price of a subscription and the number of people who want to purchase a subscription. You can always regulate the number of club members by the price - the lower the price, the more people who want it and vice versa. Knowing this equilibrium price is the skill and experience of the franchisor.

Personnel and equipment

Types of simulators, the presence of a pool, sauna, playgrounds, etc. depends on the four previous steps. Some of the best equipment sold in the US is not worth saving. At first glance, it may seem that opening a gym with cheaper equipment at the start will save money, but in the long run, the costs of replacement and repairs will outweigh the "benefit".

In addition, guests of the gym will not appreciate cheap exercise equipment. On high-quality simulators, biomechanics are thought out in detail, which allows avoiding injuries and overloading of the joints, which will make visitors satisfied and they will achieve results.

Some "specialists" argue that the quality of the equipment is not important, however, in our experience, we can say that this affects membership sales and they can have a significant marketing effect, especially for clients who are not exactly new to fitness.

Pre-sale

You can start selling subscriptions when the gym is almost completely ready to receive guests. Tentatively, this happens 2 months before the grand opening. This will require a sales team of 3-5 people. Be sure to accurately calculate the opening date. If you don't open on the scheduled date, your customers will be dissatisfied and you will lose their trust, which can cost you dearly in the long run.

Pre-sales is necessary for two things:

  1. receiving money, which is very necessary for paying off the builders, as a rule, immediately after the commissioning of the premises;
  2. filling the hall with customers.

When the hall opens and a new client comes, he will see that the club is working and people are engaged, thanks to which there will be an excellent working atmosphere in the hall, which will influence a positive decision to purchase a subscription.


Gym opening times

According to experience, it is possible to open a gym with a size of about 2,000 sq m in 3-4 months, it all depends on the coordination of actions, experience and knowledge. During this time, you will have time to prepare everything you need: project documentation, business plan, service configuration, hire staff, purchase equipment, etc. We do not consider the construction of premises from scratch, but only the rental and preparation of premises.

Advantages and disadvantages

You manage your club and make your own decisions. Any successes and failures will be only yours.

The downside is the presence of a huge number of "pitfalls": the architecture of the hall, laying communications, not knowing what equipment is better and where to buy, low efficiency, lack of support and training, etc. In the case of a franchise, these difficulties will not bother you.

You alone have to open a gym, which means re-inventing the wheel compared to a franchise, where everything is verified, calculated and it is enough to follow the proven algorithm.

The club needs to be planned in such a way that there are minimal operating costs and there is an optimal number of staff so that the hall works for you, and not you for it. For example, by increasing the cost of repairs, you are forced to shift the cost of expensive finishes to the cost of a subscription. What you really can’t save on is things that the client comes into contact with (exercise equipment, sports coverage, ventilation, room temperature, cleanliness in the club, and more). It is necessary that every square decimeter work for the client.

The most important thing for the guests of the hall is to see the result of their efforts. If today I have become better than yesterday, then it makes sense to continue exercising in this gym and only for this. The cost of repair costs that do not affect the operation of the gym should not be overestimated.

First of all, people come here for a measurable result, and only then for everything else. Focus on efficiency. People should understand that it is with you that they can become better. They come to the gym to change their lives! If the client gets the result he wanted, then he will undoubtedly become your regular client.

The second way to open a gym is through a franchise. The procedure is the same, but you have qualified assistance in the person of the representatives of the franchisor. Of course we offer our franchise. What does it give and what is the difference?

Planning

Architectural solutions

Our architects have experience in designing over 700 clubs around the world, ensuring that every square meter is used efficiently. The internal fitness device is brought to an ideal state, the smallest details are taken into account. With our architectural solutions, you can save up to 10% on all operating costs. We know how to open a gym and make it successful.

For example, the location of the reception should be chosen in such a way that it is the point of intersection of all guests wherever they go: the visitor enters the hall, leaves the locker room, goes to the gym or for equipment. Proper planning predetermines the psychology of people's behavior in the club. For example, in the first 30 seconds a person can form an idea of ​​the gym, so it is important to create a point of sale from which he can see most of the entire gym. Thanks to this approach, a positive impression of the club is formed, which has a positive effect on sales.

Suppliers

Thanks to the unique conditions, you have the opportunity to open a gym and save a lot on the purchase of equipment. In addition, you get the best time-tested simulators and you do not have to choose from a large assortment of suppliers. We know what equipment is optimal, so when planning a club, the selection and placement of equipment is part of the club project as a whole.

Note that suppliers try to sell inventory that is beneficial to them, but when working under a franchise, the franchisor controls this process, helping to choose exactly the necessary and sufficient equipment, inventory and materials.

An excellent help would be the opening of a store in the club, which will sell goods with the club's symbols (photo). T-shirts with the Gold's Gym logo are one of the most popular in the fitness world.

Club management system

You will have a clear financial management system and statistics throughout the room. Specialized software, online training and testing of employees, the possibility of training staff at Gold’s Gym University, programs for obtaining feedback from club clients in automatic mode, etc.

"Personal coach"

When you open a Gold’s Gym franchise gym, you have a kind of “personal trainer” you can always turn to for help. We will prompt absolutely in any situation, answer all questions and go all the way with you.

An expensive franchise is like an expensive personal trainer - it doesn't give up, carefully monitors your actions, shows you how to do better, and this is the only way you achieve an excellent result.

How to open a gym

When opening a hall under our franchise, you will save not only on the services of architects, the purchase of equipment, but also on the launch time. Thanks to our expertise, you will learn how to open a gym in a short time.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are many advantages of opening a gym under the Gold’s Gym franchise, but we will note the main ones:

  • the possibility of visiting the halls by clients all over the world - 35 countries and 700 clubs;/li>
  • ready-made solutions, proven over the years, allow you not to experiment, but to get a predictable result;
  • a strong brand trusted by millions;
  • ongoing support in all areas of work;
  • the ability to quickly open a gym at no extra cost.

However, this will work only if there is constant control of the club's work by the franchisor, who will definitely prompt the Franchisee and direct his work in accordance with the successfully operating system worked out over the years.

Determining criteria for choosing a franchise: brand, well-established mechanisms, support:

  • customer confidence, formed over the years;
  • a low level of recognition means that many objections will have to be overcome in a new way (an unfamiliar place, are there competent coaches, etc.);
  • the absence of an approved action plan indicates significant errors in the automation of all processes in the organization;
  • limited support or its complete absence suggests that the franchise has little fullness. You need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to pay extra for additional consultations.

We hope we have answered some questions about how to open a gym on your own or through a franchise. Whichever option you choose, we recommend opening a place where people will get professional coaches, tangible results and excellent service.

A healthy lifestyle is becoming more and more popular every year. A person who follows these principles will soon feel different. He becomes stronger, slimmer, more resilient, less sick. A necessary condition for this is regular training, but few people can do it at home on their own.

There are niches that remain highly sought after, especially in smaller cities. The services offered are in demand regardless of the crisis.

RBC analysts say that the fitness-related business guarantees stability and profit. This is due to the lack of high-quality fitness services in provincial cities, little diversification, and a lack of understanding of the meanings of “inexpensive” and “elite” fitness clubs.

The fitness industry continues to grow and is projected to reach $25.9 billion in 2017, so now is the perfect time to join this line of business. Franchise cooperation offers numerous formats of work:

  • fitness centers designed for women;
  • fitness clubs "at home";
  • with solarium, swimming pool, massage center;
  • GYM's;
  • fitness for the lazy
  • premium clubs;
  • "technological" fitness.

How to open your own fitness club from scratch and draw up a competent business plan - read

In the created economic conditions the cost of launching a new club has increased, so starting a fitness club from scratch is risky: strategic miscalculations can lead to failure. By purchasing a network brand franchise, a person receives the necessary experience, which reduces risks to a minimum.

Since January 2016, fitness centers in Russia have voluntarily begun to introduce requirements for equipping with special inventory and equipment, staff qualifications, environmental friendliness and safety of the services they offer. Therefore, when comparing, it is necessary to take into account the formats, and not the size of the lump-sum contribution, the estimated investment and the payback period.

First, it is recommended to determine the audience with which to work. For clients with great financial capabilities, it is suitable for a swimming pool, a spa center, and spacious rooms. The middle budget segment implies a limited range of services and a smaller area.

In Russia in last years the direction "fitness for women" is developing. More often, the expansion of networks occurs through franchising, which is a success with customers.

Women are attracted by the opportunity to train in a sorority and not be embarrassed by the presence of men.


Golds Gym fitness club franchise: cost and terms of cooperation

It is a network of sports clubs, in Russia Gold'sGym opened in 1996 in Moscow, now there are 6 such clubs in various cities. It has become a recognizable global brand, one of America's 50 brands. Mission: through fitness to help people realize their inner potential.

Franchise cost

  • the volume of investments is determined individually;
  • royalty - individually;
  • investments from 50 million rubles;
  • return on investment within 5 years.

Requirements for the franchisee

  • a room from 800 m2 with a ceiling height of 4 m or higher;
  • available parking;
  • good location.

Benefits of working on a GoldsGym franchise

Gold'sGym provides:

  • professional support;
  • techniques and methods of the special program.

Franchise Alex Fitness

It provides sports and health services to lovers of a healthy lifestyle, there are 20 such clubs in Russia.

  • no lump sum and no royalties;
  • investments from 20 million;
  • profitability 30%;
  • payback in 1.5 years.

Advantages of cooperation with AlexFitness

  • the right to use the trademark;
  • work technologies;
  • financial plan;
  • design project;
  • special conditions for the purchase of equipment;
  • support for any questions;
  • website;
  • marketing support;
  • conducting trainings and certification of employees;
  • audit.

You can read about the conditions and cost of cooperation with the popular Calcedonia franchise brand.


Franchises of fitness clubs "Brosko"

Russian network of fitness clubs designed exclusively for women. They have been operating since 2010, in the same year franchising was launched. They offer a specially designed training system, using which in a half-hour session it is possible to work out all muscle groups.

Cost, terms of cooperation

  • initial investment within 300 thousand rubles;
  • royalties 15 thousand for Moscow, 10 thousand for the regions.

There are 2 forms of creating a fitness club:

  • main: area from 200 m2, investments up to 2.5 mn. rub., payback 1.8 years;
  • extended: area from 300 m2, investments from 4 million rubles, payback time is not set, lump-sum payment of 500 thousand rubles, royalty is 5% of gross income monthly (not less than 20 thousand rubles).

Benefits of a Franchise

  • the package includes the brand and special trainers;
  • training of the owner, 2 administrators, 4 instructors;
  • recommendations for organizing the work of a fitness club;
  • layout with efficient use of space;
  • brand;
  • marketing plan;
  • Web site;
  • ERP system;
  • it is allowed to put in the schedule, except for trainings according to the Brosko system and others.

Fitkervs Fitness Club Franchise: Cost and Benefits

The international company was founded in 1992 and includes 240 enterprises. Mission: To help women become healthy and happy. This network offers 30-minute interval training using a patented auto-training system.

Cost, terms of cooperation

  • the franchisee must first become a member of one of the FitCurves clubs (optional);
  • the cost of the package is 600 thousand rubles;
  • investments 3500 thousand rubles;
  • royalty $395.

How much does the franchise of the popular Starbucks brand cost, you can find out

Requirements for the franchisee

  • the owner of the club is obliged to manage it;
  • area from 200 m2;
  • a square or rectangular room (the possibility is being considered to demolish the partitions, if any, to give the room the desired shape);
  • the number of people living within a radius of 3 km from the club is at least 30 thousand people.

Benefits of franchising

  • world brand;
  • receive a complete guide to opening;
  • marketing tools;
  • training materials on the use of the business system;
  • materials on customer acquisition technology;
  • free call center;
  • form style.

The need of the domestic economy class in fitness services remains satisfied by only 40%. Partnering with an established and established brand is the right choice for an entrepreneur.

You can find out how to open your own X-Fit franchise fitness club in this video: