Anytime Fitness gym franchises appoint general manager

David Ciantar has been appointed general manager of the Australian 24 hour fitness franchise network Anytime Fitness . Ciantar brings extensive experience to the role, and will manage a support team of two staff for the gym franchises.

He will take responsibility for franchisee support, increasing the speed of club openings, and overseeing the property arena, leaving brother and sister team Justin McDonell and Jacinta McDonell Jimenez, who head up the Australian operation, to spend more time on strategy, marketing and PR.

The team's long-term goals include opening 300 gym franchises in Australia and 50 in New Zealand within the next three years, and McDonell believes that Ciantar's experience will help them to achieve these goals. ."We were looking for a real franchise person who understands the needs of franchisees. As we grow, there will be new challenges to face," he said. 

The Hunter Valley and Newcastle region has been particularly successful so far, with franchise opportunities sold out in the area, and while Sydney and Melbourne are an ongoing focus for expansion, Western Australia is a target right now for growth.

Overseas the US based global fitness franchise plans to open clubs in the UK, Northern Ireland, Japan, Belgium and the Netherlands.