Brother and sister team celebrates two years of Anytime Fitness franchises in Australia

It has been two years this month since Anytime Fitness was introduced in Australia by Justin McDonell and Jacinta McDonell Jiminez, and the pair have good reason to celebrate as the company adds a 50th club to its network of fitness franchises.

Bringing the 24 hour fitness club concept into Australia and New Zealand at a time when other franchises were having difficulty with the economic downturn, the brother and sister team managed to buck the prevailing trend, and have experienced rapid growth with the fitness franchises.

“The first Australian Anytime Fitness club opened in Gunnedah in NSW on 25 November 2008 and we’ve come a long way since then. The response has been phenomenal – from both franchisees and consumers,” Justin comments.

Justin and Jacinta were drawn to the Anytime Fitness brand in 2007 when they read about the success the concept was having in America.

Soon after, they travelled to Minnesota to meet with Anytime Fitness corporate staff, spending a week touring over 50 of the company’s fitness franchises around the USA.

“When we went to America to experience Anytime Fitness first hand, we knew immediately that it was going to work in the Australian market,” Justin says.

He attributes much of the success of the fitness franchises in Australia to the concept of freedom that underpins their business model.

Justin notes that “Anytime Fitness franchisees can run multiple clubs remotely and require low labour, providing them with more free time and a balanced lifestyle.”

With modern security systems allowing the gym franchises to run smoothly and securely even during non-staffed hours, it is a model that benefits members as well.

“We’re giving them the freedom to exercise at any time of the day or night. It’s a win-win situation,” Justin adds.