Gym in good shape with franchise plan
December 2011
A Shropshire health club business is planning to offer affordable fitness to residents across the UK by launching new franchised versions of its proven successful formula nationwide in the New Year.
Bodytech Health Clubs, which own health and fitness clubs in Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Chester, believes its unique formula of personally run gyms and health clubs is a perfect business opportunity for entrepreneurs looking for a new venture.
Jeff Anderson founded Bodytech Health Clubs in 1998 when he opened his first club - the company’s head office - in Mardol, Shrewsbury. In 2006 he opened his second club in Market Drayton, followed by Whitchurch and Chester in 2007 and Oswestry, which has recently doubled in size, in 2009.
Bodytech love to offer a personal service to members, including regular one-to-one training by a personal trainer at no extra cost. The shape, size and culture of its unique clubs have proved to be the optimum gym business model in tough economic times. Whilst large rigid national chains with high costs struggle and small impersonal budget gyms with their easy join, easy leave philosophy seek to penetrate the market to pick up financially squeezed customers, the friendly ,personal ,but affordable approach of Bodytech is flourishing in communities where the personal touch is the way of life.
Jeff said: This is a great opportunity for anyone seeking to start their own business with a proven business model backed by very experienced business people.
"Having established our chain over 14 years we have a powerful, well known brand and a great deal of experience to draw on for the benefit of anyone who wants to grasp this opportunity. We have established a strong management team. Far from being purely from fitness instructions background, our new team for this franchising initiative has around 70 years’ fantastic business and organisational skills and experience behind us. For example I was a senior manager in the petrochemical industry prior to starting the gyms, Peter Metcalfe was in the royal navy and a fitness manager on cruise ships.
Fellow Director Nick Blackbourn was a senior manager in some of the largest food and drink businesses in the world and the international film industry and now runs his own law firm. All this must add up to success for anyone who wants to share in it."
"Franchising gives a new business owner the best of both worlds –the independence of running your own business, but with the support of an established one. That way we can all help accelerate our current growth to the benefit of all.," said Jeff.
Jeff believes the model can be easily further replicated in towns of a population of around 20,000 which either has one other or no other health club nearby, a belief which has been tried, tested and proven.
"What we offer is very different to the big gym chains and that’s why people like us," added Jeff. "Our success is down to offering a unique service to a specific market and we are excited about sharing that formula with others who have the same beliefs and motivation as us.
A formal programme of advertising and promotion of the opportunities will commence in the New Year but. Jeff said “We already have interest from a number of people and invite others to be in touch with me now if they are interested in joining us on this adventure."
Download PDF of the original article published in Shropshire Business Star