Anytime Fitness, the world’s fastest growing fitness franchise, today announces the opening of its 100th UK health club.
The occasion will be marked with a ceremony at the new club in Ladbroke Grove. The opening is a continuation of the brand’s rapid expansion since opening its 3000th global club in Stroud 12 months ago, making it the fastest growing franchise model in the world - out-growing MacDonald’s and Subway.
The opening also makes the UK the fifth country to have 100 Anytime Fitness clubs open, alongside the USA, Canada, Australia and Japan and means there are now more than 3,300 clubs open globally.
The 24/7 health club provider opened its first UK club in Bristol in 2010.
Anytime Fitness CEO and founder, Chuck Runyon says, “We are so proud to be opening the 100th Anytime Fitness club in the UK. The first club was opened six years ago so this is an amazing achievement, which we are very thankful for.
“The 3000th global club was opened in the UK in less time than it took McDonald’s, Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts to open the same amount of branches, which shows the commercial strength of the brand and is testament to the commitment of its franchisees,”
Andy Thompson, Chairman of Anytime Fitness UK, says, “We couldn’t be happier to reach this milestone. The work and effort put in by the whole Anytime Fitness family is remarkable and we are now seeing the rewards. The franchise sector contributes more than £15.1bn to the UK economy and we are delighted that our business is a big contributor to that figure.
“Our members can use any of the 100 gyms in the UK and other countries for one monthly, affordable fee. The clubs are all open 24/7.”
The Ladbroke Grove club has had overwhelming support from the local community, with pre-memberships selling out quickly. Owner David O’Donnell, a former finance professional, has already opened another Anytime Fitness club. He left the finance industry to focus on his keen interest in fitness.
David’s first Anytime Fitness franchise is located in Tooting, South West London and has sold more than 2000 memberships and – 800 of which were sold prior to opening the club. Talking about the opening of the Ladbroke Grove club, David says, “The support from local businesses has been overwhelming. We’re honoured to be hosting the celebrations for the 100th club and can’t wait to start helping our members achieve their health and fitness goals.
“The opening of my Tooting club was a great success and we sold out of pre-memberships. Following the Anytime Fitness franchise model made it easy keep everything on track and I am delighted to be opening my second club only 13 months later.”
The Anytime Fitness brand is celebrating its fifteenth year of operating and has earned the accolade of Top Global Franchise for the past two years, so it is no shock that the company has been so widely adopted and enjoyed such rapid international expansion.
John Kersh, Vice President of International Development, Anytime Fitness says, “We are extremely proud that the Anytime Fitness concept has been so well received around the world and that we can make a positive impact on the lives of millions of people globally.
“Our goal is to be the number one fitness chain in every market we enter, in terms of number of locations, and we are well on our way to reaching that milestone in every country.
“It’s incredible to imagine that only eight years ago we opened our first location outside North America, and now we are among a small number of franchised brands with more than 1,000 locations internationally.
“The key to our growth has been our dedicated and passionate partners in the countries we serve. They carry the Anytime Fitness flag proudly and are committed to making a difference in people’s lives.
“What’s exciting is to look ahead and see the massive growth potential still remaining for our brand, both on our existing markets and future markets. 1,000 locations is a great start, but the future opportunity is enormous.”
Published: 19 January 2017
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