Thinking of starting a fitness equipment franchise? Just go Elite

Do you think a healthy lifestyle and image has become more important to Australians in the last five years and is this driving growth in your Elite franchise?

Absolutely. Franchises like Boost Juice and Healthy Habits have capitalised on our desire to lead a healthier lifestyle. Even McDonald’s has added a healthy food menu to tap into the changing consumer tastes. Affecting this desire to lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyle are the work commitments demanding more hours out of every day, leaving less time available to visit the gym without cutting into precious family or relaxation time.

These are only some of the reasons why the home fitness market is set to boom in 2006 and now is the right time to join the Elite Fitness franchise .

What type of people do you look for to become franchisees and what attributes do they require in order to succeed?

It’s not every day you have a business opportunity with the ability to change peoples lives. Our fitness equipment and nutritional products help people get fit, stay healthy, live longer and enjoy life. The Elite Fitness system is simple, with healthy margins. We are looking for franchisees with initiative, integrity and ambition. Our ideal franchisees are those who are dedicated to providing outstanding customer service, have excellent sales or management experience, understand the importance of being part of a team and are willing to learn and embrace Elite Fitness’s corporate philosophy.

What is the cost of your franchise and what does that include?

Our franchise expansion model includes the sale of established company owned stores as well as new targeted locations. Established stores with trading history figures range in price from $350,000. The investment range for a complete new store fit-out is between $250,000 to $300,000 depending upon the amount of opening stock and improvements required to the site. Included in this price is the franchise fee of $30,000, point of sale system, comprehensive four week training program and a grand opening marketing campaign for your store.

Describe the training and ongoing support you provide to franchisees?

The initial two weeks induction training has been designed by industry experts specifically for the Elite Fitness franchise system. Segments of this training have been designed on the Certificate 3 in fitness. The second two weeks training is conducted in the franchisee’s store and covers technical, business operations plus franchise system policy and procedures. Further refresher training sessions are conducted during the initial three months to ensure all staff are fully compliant with the Elite Fitness franchise systems. Daily or weekly assistance post training is via a dedicated franchisee training mentor. Franchise site visitations are conducted every six weeks plus there are quarterly franchisee meetings.

What is your strategy for the future growth of the system and how many franchises do you expect to have in five years time?

We have built the Elite Fitness brand with 21 locations, mostly in the Eastern states. Our nation-wide expansion plan is on track with our Perth franchise store scheduled to open in April and Adelaide soon after. Our success can partly be contributed to implementing effective marketing programs to increase brand awareness and franchise profitability. Site selection is critical to our expansion plans allowing for new franchise locations to flourish without encroaching on existing franchise territories. Our growth strategy is not focused purely on the number of franchisees, but rather to increase with carefully selected franchisees and strategically located sites nationwide.

Read on for information regarding buying a franchise and running a franchise.