Make a fortune in fitness franchise

Snap Fitness was established in 2003 in the US. In 2008, Force Fitness India Pvt. Ltd acquired the Master Franchise rights for India. In a dialogue, Dr. Vikram B.M, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Snap Fitness India talks about his brand’s success story and the next step.

A few words on your entrepreneurial voyage.

Being a Doctor by profession but a lifelong fitness enthusiast by passion, I had always desired to associate with the fitness industry in India that is growing by leaps and bounds with 40 per cent CAGR. I realised this dream by securing the India Master Franchisee right from Snap Fitness USA. There has been no looking back since then. To understand franchising, I became a franchisee myself which enabled me to understand the support requirements that a franchisee needs to become successful. With this realisation, I developed a franchise model of Snap Fitness which is cash positive, service oriented and highly scalable, designed to make our business partners profitable right from day one. In a short span of five years, Snap Fitness is now close to 60 clubs in 11 cities serving close to 60,000 members. The chain is on track to grow to 300 clubs by 2018 with a mix of 100 company owned stores and 200 franchisees; the ultimate vision being to enable Indians to become stronger and fitter.

Snap Fitness’ regime to remain fit.

With 2500+ clubs in 1450 locations across USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, India, Mexico and Egypt, Snap Fitness draws on our experience and expertise in delivering value for money to our members by not compromising on equipment, service, hygiene, customer service or technology.  Snap Fitness has the distinction of being the world’s fastest growing fitness chain. Thanks to high value proposition that we give our franchisees by lowering their investment while, at the same time, assuring high returns by keeping royalties and cost of operations low.

What made you decide and go for franchise route?

India is a land of opportunities and the business of fitness is as old as the hills. In almost every village and town, we have Akhadas where the local populace has practiced fitness for centuries. At Snap Fitness, we believe that India is ready for a transformation by giving members equipment, service, hygiene, customer service or technology at value for money option. One way of doing this at a fast pace was through franchising and giving local entrepreneurs an opportunity to partner with us by imparting our quality and delivery standards and drawing on their strengths operating in their local communities. This decision of ours has enabled us to grow to 60 clubs in a very short time.

What have been your brand’s key achievements and milestones in the last five years?

Snap Fitness was established in 2003 in the US. In 2008, Force Fitness India Pvt. Ltd became the Master Franchisee for India. The very first club in India was a company owned centre in 2008 followed by the first franchisee in 2009. In FY 2013, Snap Fitness India had hit its 40 store mark as well as entered North India with a centre each in Gurgaon and Gujranwala Town, besides being committed to open 15 outlets in Delhi and NCR. In FY 2014, we are set to cross the first 100 club mark. We are eyeing expansion in many more states and tier II cities.

Where do see Snap Fitness in the next five years?

Snap Fitness offers customers a quality, affordable workout with strong emphasis on customer service and convenience. We are confident of achieving our goal of 300 clubs by 2018.

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