Healthy profits

Evolve centres are designed exclusively to offer a window of opportunity to refresh, relax and rejuvenate its audience. In an exclusive chat with The franchising World (TFW), Manoj Shah discusses company’s plans of moving forward while partnering with women franchisees.

The Franchising World (TFW): What are the various services offered by Evolve?

Manoj Shah (MS): Evolve is a niche authentic health hub focusing on fitness solutions for different fitness needs and not mere a gym equipment facility provider. Your fitness needs could be anything from reducing or increasing weight, getting in shape, increasing strength, stamina or flexibility, getting into active lifestyle for controlling lifestyle diseases like diabetes and blood pressure or just about being fit, Evolve has a solution for all. It delivers fitness solutions through balanced approach of activity, nutrition and relaxation.

Evolve’s balanced approach is executed through integrating various fitness elements, like, Gym for active workout, Nutrition for weight loss, soul soothing Spa therapies for relaxation, lounge, library and a health café for de-stress and socializing. Evolve provides all this under one roof making it a complete experience that inspires you to live fit, active and healthy.

TFW: How is health awareness increasing amongst women? How many of your service takers comprise women?

MS: There is a huge increase in awareness about fitness, both in men and women. Gone are the days when gym meant mainly for youth and about bulging biceps or bodybuilding. Today, 70 per cent of our members are from the age bracket of 35 years plus and only 30 per cent below 35. Again, 48 per cent of our membership consists of women, and it is continuously increasing. This clearly shows that people are becoming highly fitness conscious, they have realized that health is one of the crucial elements to keep going in their professional and personal pursuits. Unlike before, today, there is a growing consciousness even in housewives about maintaining their looks, shape and importance of physical fitness, since they are the ones on whom entire family depends.

TFW: How many fitness centres have you opened so far and what are your expansion plans?

MS: We started this company in the last quarter of 2005 and opened three centers in Mumbai at one time. The idea was to make the entire business model perfect which can become highly scalable, easy to expand and smooth to run. With a high success rate of these three clubs, we are now ready to scale up, expand and evolve.

We are now looking at 40 centers in next 2-3 years. Our target markets would be Tier- I and Tier-II cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahemdabad, Surat, Baroda, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Chandigarh, Coimbatore and other upcoming markets.

TFW: What are the reasons of your opting for women franchisees? What are the prerequisites for a woman to start a franchise?

MS: Women naturally are good hosts and that’s the key of success of any service business. Customer service is very important for this business and women have a knack of handling customers well. This gives them an added advantage to run the gym business successfully.

First and foremost, they would require an entrepreneurial skill, secondly, they should be a people’s person, and thirdly, they should like to interact and socialize with people. They don’t need to have any technical knowledge since that would be the franchisor’s domain.