Ranked #1 in the fitness category and #2 among Top New Franchises in Entrepreneur Magazine's 2009 Franchise 500®, Snap Fitness (snapfitness.com) is world's fastest-growing franchisor of 24/7 express fitness centers featuring state-of-the-art equipment and fast get-in, get-out workouts in convenient neighborhood locations. Founded in 2003 by CEO Peter Taunton, and franchising since 2004, the Chanhassen, Minn.-based franchisor has sold nearly 1,700 locations in the United States, Canada and India and is now expanding into Australia and Mexico.
Based on this rapid and strategic growth, Entrepreneur's rankings also highlight Snap Fitness in the following categories: #2 on Top New Franchises for 2009, #5 on Fastest Growing Franchises, #24 on the Franchise 500® and #23 on America's Top Global Franchises, reflecting the company's aggressive expansion into Canada and initial openings in India.
Snap Fitness' success is attributed to a business model that makes its compact, state-of-the-art clubs easy to own, manage and market. The ability to manage operations via web-based tools with little need for on-site staffing makes it attractive for entrepreneurs and others seeking opportunities that accommodate semi-absentee ownership. And offering a convenient, low-price alternative to traditional big-box health clubs is a value proposition well-suited for today's health-conscious consumer marketplace.
Fitness is in. The percentage of people belonging to health clubs has doubled over the past 20 years. More growth is expected, fueled by an aging Baby Boomer generation in search of eternal youth and the reality that regular exercise can prevent or control diseases that are driving health care costs relentlessly upward. Economically, the industry has proven to be recession-proof, averaging an 8% annual growth rate since the early 1990s. A Snap Fitness franchise is easy to afford, easy to manage, and easy to market. Turn wellness into wealth and to live your dream with a degree of freedom and flexibility not possible in the traditional work world
