Five things you didn’t know about gym franchising

Gym franchising presents a golden opportunity to be part of a growing and thriving industry but often comes with a lot of commonly held thoughts and pre-conceptions about what it takes to be a gym owner.

Is owning a gym just for gym go-ers and fitness industry professionals? Do people even want bricks and mortar gyms anymore? At Snap Fitness, we’ve put together the top five things you might not know about owning your own gym.

 1.      You don’t need fitness industry experience or qualifications

One of the most common misconceptions about gym franchising is that you need to have worked in the fitness industry to own a gym. That simply isn’t the case.

At Snap Fitness, we’re proud to have an diverse range of franchisees within our network, many who have no background or experience in the fitness industry. We provide the turnkey solutions, training and continuous guidance for franchisees and their teams.

2.     Membership numbers are rising

Given the rise of digital fitness and the amount of at-home fitness content available, you might think that less people value being a member of a physical gym.

However, people now value a hybrid fitness experience where they can not only be in the gym but have access to on-demand content for home workouts too. The combination of our welcoming gym environments and the availability of this content via our member app, the Snap App, has seen our UK membership numbers rise by over 17% YOY, versus an industry average rise of 4% (2024 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report).

3.    Gyms can quickly become profitable

As well as being a rewarding industry with the ability to improve people’s lives, fitness franchising is a healthy investment. New Snap Fitness locations are opening with more members than ever before, operationally breaking even in as little as eight weeks. Our franchisees typically see a full return on their investment within three years.

Having established funding partnerships with high street banks and lenders means we provide full funding support to help reduce your initial investment as you get your Snap Fitness gym off the ground.

4.    Locations can be staffed leanly

We can’t underestimate the importance of having a great team of staff in your gym but did you know you can operate with as little as two full-time members of staff? Having a core team of a Club Manager and an Assistant Manager, supplemented by three or more self-employed personal trainers, is our recommended structure to run a successful gym.

Having a small, high performing team means significantly less staff overheads than other industries as well as greater efficiency when running your business.

5.    The support is unmatched

When you invest into a fitness franchise, you truly enter a partnership. We have a team of industry experts and partners to support you across financing your gym, finding the perfect property, generating a buzz through marketing and ongoing operational support. As well as significant training for you and your team, you’ll receive round-the-clock support whenever you need it after your gym is up and running.

If you want to discover more about owning a Snap Fitness gym and if fitness franchising is right for you, visit https://www.snapfitness.com/uk/why-franchise-with-snap-fitness.