Anytime Fitness has earned the title of “fastest growing fitness club in the world”, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), with the franchise’s most rapid expansion occurring in Australia and New Zealand.
“The majority of the credit belongs to our Australian master franchisees, Justin McDonell and Jacinta McDonell Jimenez,” said Anytime Fitness spokesman Mark Daly. “They have taken our US business model and enhanced it to meet the needs of Australian entrepreneurs and fitness club members. We’re very pleased, but not surprised, by their tremendous success.”
In less than 18 months, the brother-sister team has opened 23 new gyms and sold more than 60 franchise territories. By contrast, it’s taken Anytime Fitness nearly seven years to open that many gyms and sell that many territories in Canada.
“We believe there are several reasons for our success,” said McDonell. “But one primary reason is that we’ve been able to attract qualified franchisees who hire good people to work in our clubs. Another big key to our success is the fact that we’re providing our members with genuine value for their membership dollars. Our clubs are open 24 hours a day. They’re reasonably priced. They have great equipment and they’re well maintained – and the atmosphere inside each club is friendly and non-intimidating.”
McDonell and McDonell Jimenez’s master franchisee agreement with Anytime Fitness called for them to open five clubs during their first year. The surpassed that benchmark and currently have a goal of opening more than 300 new clubs in Australia and New Zealand over the next three years.
“We pride ourselves in providing our individual franchisees with tremendous corporate support,” said McDonell Jimenez. “With help from the corporate staff in the US, we’re able to give club owners the tools they need and the guidance they require every step of the way – from finding ideal locations to equipping and marketing their gyms.”
There are approximately 1,300 Anytime Fitness clubs operating worldwide.