Franchise Case Study: SF Plainland, QLD
Located just 45 minutes west of Brisbane along the Warrego Highway, Plainland is emerging as a vibrant community with a strong appetite for fitness and wellness. Snap Fitness Plainland, which celebrated its soft opening on June 19th, has already achieved remarkable success with 850+ members on their soft opening day, and 1300+ by the grand opening. Feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, establishing the gym as a key health and fitness destination.
Meet the Team
Steve and Jason - co-owners of Snap Fitness Plainland - are new to the fitness industry but not business. Their club manager, Jamie, actually sought them out before the club opened, and helped put together an amazing team of instructors, personal trainers, creche attendants and support crew all from the local area. Snap Fitness Plainland has a large team by the usual Snap Fitness standards, but it has helped build some amazing community engagement.
Background and Motivation
Following their successful establishment of multiple food and beverage ventures in Bali, COVID-19 brought Steve and Jason home, where they settled in Plainland for family reasons. It was during this time that they noticed a distinct lack of a gym in the area. Despite lacking prior experience in the fitness industry, their determination to address this need and contribute positively to their community led them to open a Snap Fitness Gym in Plainland.
Choosing Snap Fitness
Steve and Jason considered several fitness franchise options before deciding on Snap Fitness. It was the transparency shown, along with the robust systems, resources, and processes that Snap Fitness offered, that ultimately swayed them. "We appreciated that we were being vetted too," Steve highlights. "In the end, we thought Snap Fitness was the type of offering that was most needed for our area and a brand we could get behind long-term."
Research and Development
Steve and Jason's preparation for opening Snap Fitness Plainland was hands-on. They utilised their network of friends with gyms for advice and insights and embarked on a comprehensive research trip from Cairns to Melbourne, stopping in at every Snap Fitness along the way. This allowed them to see different Snap Fitness locations in action and gather practical knowledge from current franchisees. The advice and experiences shared by these franchisees was invaluable in shaping their approach.
Location Selection
After evaluating multiple potential sites, Steve and Jason eventually focused on a greenfield development. Their decision was influenced by the need for high visibility, accessibility and development readiness. “Finding a developer ready to build was the lengthiest part of the process”, explained Steve. “But now having a big red box by the side of a busy highway is reaping the rewards.” Their chosen location supports long-term growth and ensures the gym meets the community's requirements.
Support and Training
Since this was Steve and Jason's first gym, they had many questions throughout the process and leveraged the Snap Fitness support team and suppliers for support at every step. They found the training and events provided incredibly valuable, and took the opportunity to interact with current franchisees. This was particularly helpful in gaining insights and practical advice for setting up and running their gym successfully.
Opening Day
Snap Fitness Plainland opened it’s doors on June 19, 2024, and features cardio, strength & functional equipment as well as amenities such as a creche, specialised group fitness areas and outdoor spaces. Both the creche and group fitness classes were oversubscribed on open day, demonstrating just how engaged the community are.
Some Numbers
Snap Fitness Plainland opened in June 19 2024, with their grand opening on the 27th July.
850+
Active Members by Soft Opening1300+
Active Members by Grand Opening750m2
Gym floor size
Advice for New Franchisees
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Steve Lopez - Snap Fitness Plainland
Chat to other franchisees and ask a million questions - this has been the most valuable to us in our process.
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Questions and Answers
Steve Lopez, co-owner of Snap Fitness Plainland, answers questions about his journey from start to open.
We’d lived in Bali and created F&B businesses, starting from scratch each time, tailoring to the market and area. When COVID brought us home, we based ourselves near Plainland for family reasons. We felt the need for a gym in the area - it just took us a moment to realise we could do it. While we have friends in the fitness industry, we didn’t have the prior experience.
We had friends with gyms, and we also drove from Cairns to Melbourne, stopping at every Snap along the way. The Snap franchisees we spoke to were particularly helpful.
We met with a few brands but Gabe’s transparency, and the systems, resources and processes that were available swayed us to sign with Snap. We also appreciated that we were being vetted too. In the end we thought Snap Fitness was the type of offering that was most needed for our area and a brand we could get behind long term.
We considered a lot of sites, and eventually decided to focus on a greenfield development. Finding a developer ready to build was the lengthiest part of the process, it took a year. We were unsure about the site but now having a ‘big red box’ by the side of a busy highway is reaping the rewards.
As this is our first gym we asked a million questions along the way. Gabe and Ben from the get go were incredibly supportive. Once we were in the design/development phase we dealt directly with the builders, PPQ. Ro was super supportive with the equipment side of things and all the suppliers have been great to work with.
The training and events Snap Fitness supplied were very useful and valuable, including all the interactions with franchisees and all the numerous side chats at events.
Chat to other franchisees and ask a million questions - this has been the most valuable to us in our process.
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