For profits, Anytime!

Owning the franchise rights of a top name in the fitness industry is surely the vision of thousands of potential entrepreneurs who wish to have a well shaped career in the fitness sector. Vikas Jain, Managing Director, Anytime Fitness talks to Ekta Sharma Verma about how his brand is giving form to the dreams of numerous entrepreneurs and what lies ahead for them.

How was your brand started in India and what was the inspiration?

We used to be multiple club owners for a long time and over a period of time we realised that the small box and no frills gyms are the ones, which are most profitable. Low investments and low operating margins, coupled with value for money membership is what the consumer wants. Then we came across Anytime Fitness and immediately knew that this is what would work best in India. The global success of Anytime Fitness made us more confident.

What is the USP of your brand?

The USP of Anytime Fitness is the scalability of the business.  40 per cent of the Anytime Fitness franchisees globally are multiple club owners. We offer convenience, a great culture; value for money memberships, longer operational hours along with global reciprocity makes us the first choice for anyone who is looking to join a gym.

Do you provide any training to your franchisees?

We provide a comprehensive initial training along with monthly training and support to our franchisees. We train them on operations, marketing and sales. We also give our franchisees an online access to operations manual.

What are the basic requirements to become a franchise partner?

An investment capacity of Rs one crore is what it takes to own Anytime Fitness franchise. Though this is not the only criterion, we also make sure that the person is capable of owning the franchise.

Future plans for 2014-15. Which cities do you plan to tap?

In 2014-15, we plan to open 15 new centres. We are looking to spread all across India.  We already have clubs operational in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bhuj and we are about to open in Chennai, Gurgaon, Noida and Dimapur. Franchise territories have been sold in a few more cities as well. There will be 200 Anytime Fitness Clubs in India by the end of 2020.

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