Plus Fitness, an Australia-based 24/7 gym franchise, is going abroad once again. The brand has agreed to a master franchise agreement that will bring its gyms to the United Kingdom, including at least one in 2025.
This move comes just weeks after Plus Fitness and its parent company Viva Leisure announced a similar deal to establish locations in Singapore and the Philippines. The initiatives stretch the brand’s reach to six geographical areas, having already established a presence in Australia, New Zealand and India.
“We’re excited to enter the U.K. market, which presents significant growth opportunities,” said Harry Konstantinou, CEO of Viva Leisure. “Our low-cost, high-reward franchise model will allow Plus Fitness to scale quickly and meet the growing demand for affordable fitness solutions.”
Viva Leisure oversees and operates several brands along with Plus Fitness including Club Lime, Club Pink, GroundUp, HIIT Republic and Psycle Life. It also recently helped fund Boutique Fitness Studios’ expansion in Australia and New Zealand.
The franchise agreement for Plus Fitness in the U.K. spans 10 years and includes an option to tack on two additional 10-year terms. The fitness brand views the U.K. as a hotbed for success, stating that only 15% of the area’s population owns a gym membership. Its low-cost, high-reward franchise model also makes it an attractive opportunity for entrepreneurs.
Plus Fitness was founded roughly 25 years ago, opening four branch locations before taking the franchising leap. It pivoted from featuring big-box gyms to smaller, lower-priced and 24/7 locations around 2009 and has been off and running ever since, now with over 200 sites.
But Plus Fitness isn’t the only gym brand eyeing the U.K. The Gym Group, a high-value, low-price (HVLP) gym operator, plans to open 50 new sites over the next three years. The U.K.-based Gym Group already accelerated its growth from 32 locations in 2012 to 233 gyms as of March.
Fitness software provider Xplor Mariana Tek and equipment supplier REP Fitness also both made advances into Europe this past year as well.
