Anytime Fitness franchise exceeds projections in Australia and New Zealand

Justin McDonell and Jacinta McDonell Jimenez tried to set realistic goals for themselves when they agreed to become the first non-U.S. “master franchisees” for Anytime Fitness a year ago.

“We had faith in the business model,” Jacinta says, “but we knew that introducing a new brand is never easy. We thought that opening five clubs in 12 months would be a good challenge for us.”

The brother and sister met that challenge and are well on their way to an impressive second year.

“We’ve exceeded all of our projections thus far,” says Justin. “In our first 12 months of operation, we’ve sold more than 30 franchise territories in Australia. Of those territories, eight clubs are already open and another ten clubs will be open before the end of August.”

And their achievements are not just limited to Australia as they have experienced similar success in New Zealand.

“We currently have five territories sold in New Zealand and our first club is set to open in Christchurch in mid-August,” Jacinta says. “Shortly thereafter, clubs will open in Auckland and Hamilton.”

The rapid expansion in Australia and New Zealand is similar to what the fitness training franchise network is experiencing in Canada and the USA. Last year in fact, the gym franchise group opened 369 clubs, more than one a day.

The fitness franchise company’s strong emphasis on training and corporate support contributes to much of that success.

“We offer training for new franchisees in either the United States or Australia, at the discretion of the franchisee,” says Libby Crooker, Brand Strategist for Anytime Fitness franchise network. “We also provide new franchisees with access to a comprehensive online training manual. We call it our ‘Phase Program.’ The program helps new franchisees through every phase of development – from build-out to selling memberships to operating their clubs. We understand fully that the success of the franchise depends upon the success of individual clubs.”

Not only are Jacinta and Justin selling franchise territories at a fast rate, they also mention that the number of memberships sold within each club has succeeded expectations.

“We’ve been really well-received,” says Justin. “All of our clubs that have been open at least three months each have at least 400 members.”

Long-term, Justin and Jacinta hope to open at least another 300 clubs within the next 4 years. John Kersh, VP of International Development for Anytime Fitness, says Justin and Jacinta have set a high standard for other master franchisees.

“Within the next few years, we expect to open clubs in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, India and Mexico,” says Kersh. “It would be wonderful if master franchisees in those countries experienced the same sort of success that Justin and Jacinta are experiencing.”