CBE Winter Report.qk - IHRSA

Starting early:
A young member
cycles at
SHOKK Energie
While franchisers have had their problems in the past,
franchising has much to offer the fitness entrepreneur and
the public at large. The time may be right for franchising to
become an important key to increasing market penetration. It
may provide the impetus the industry needs to expand throughout Europe.
EMULATING CURVES
Notable franchises in the UK include energie Fitness Group and Rosemary
Conley Diet and Fitness Clubs, which recently won the British Franchise
Association Franchiser of the Year Award and has 170 franchisees in the UK.
Elsewhere, Kieser Training, a Swiss therapeutic gym, which has 147 clubs in five
countries, has been very successful in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Newer European franchisers have Curves to thank for establishing a viable
model to emulate. Other companies are now developing franchise concepts
tailored to meet the needs of additional niche markets
“No one embraced franchising like Curves,” says Jan Spaticchia, founder
and chief executive of the energie Group in the UK. “Four years ago we
didn’t understand franchising.”
First launched in Texas by founder Gary Heavin in 1992, Curves
began franchising in 1995, and now boasts more than 10,000 locations in
44 countries. At the moment there are some 731 Curves facilities throughout
Europe, including 258 in the UK
“Many franchisers in England and Germany have tried to copy the Curves
concept,” says Babette Marzheuser-Wood, a partner with the Franchise
Group of Field Fisher Waterhouse, which has represented Curves in Europe.
“The Curves concept is easy to roll out with a low entry cost and a simple and
appealing exercise model. However, because some franchisers do not have
the training facilities and support that Curves have, their success has been
limited to their domestic markets.”
In the past, franchising failed to thrive for other reasons as well. Some
still remember the 1990s when it earned quite a bad name. In the UK,
franchises were led by American companies whose hard core gym image failed
to take off, reinforcing many of the negative stereotypes associated with clubs. �
“
Catching up: Energie Fitness
is one of the fastest moving
companies in franchising
Jan Spaticchia
Now that our
operational systems,
support network and
training provision is
well established and
demonstrating success,
we are ready to expand
our product offering.
”
—Jan Spaticchia,
founder and chief executive,
the energie Group
www.ihrsa.org � JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 � Club Business Europe 19