Snap Fitness is a great choice of a franchise if you’re looking for a gym that emphasizes empathy and inclusivity at every turn. 79% of people in the UK now believe their health is a greater priority than ever, and it’s essential for fitness facilities to accommodate this via greater accessibility. Gym investors can enjoy an impressive range of personal and professional benefits after becoming the owner of a Snap Fitness franchise.
Knowing the usual considerations of this ownership can compound these benefits even further. In this article, we closely examine everything you need to know about owning a Snap Fitness franchise.
Benefits and Opportunities of Becoming a
Snap Fitness franchise owner
Here are the main Snap Fitness franchise opportunities and benefits:
• Global Brand:
There are 89 Snap Fitness franchises throughout the UK and Ireland, making this a name that people associate with quality and consistent innovation upon the traditional gym formula.
• Membership Growth:
This brand is growing fast – with +12% overall members since 2020. Snap Fitness gyms also often exceed projections and gain over 1,200 members within five months of opening.
• Return on Investment:
Snap Fitness franchises can provide investors with a full return on their investment in 2–3 years, though this could be significantly quicker depending upon the gym’s location and fit to demographics.
• Consistent Support:
The Snap Fitness team assists you at every stage of the franchise’s operation – such as by helping you secure gym finance and regularly providing updated franchise owner training. For example, some of the areas where Snap Fitness helps franchisees includes:
1. Planning & Finance
Snap Fitness has long-term relationships with leading finance providers to provide franchisees with access to funding
2. Real estate
Snap Fitness has in-house specialists to support franchises in identifying the best sites
3. Recruitment & Training
In addition to training, Snap Fitness provides franchisees with access to their various recruitment partners
4. Pre-sale & Launch, and Data-driven support
You will leverage Snap Fitness’s marketing experience in growing your franchise membership before launch. 1 to 1 franchisee support is ongoing from the Snap Fitness franchise team, including detailed analytics on your member behaviour.
• Broad Community:
A Snap Fitness franchisee can benefit from the brand’s broad community throughout the UK, with an inclusive target audience that responds well to these gyms and their services.
• Portfolio Development:
Snap Fitness owners rarely stop at one franchise, allowing them to invest in multiple popular gyms and compound the above benefits even further by creating a strong portfolio.
How does the Snap Fitness franchise model work?
You should know how the Snap Fitness model works before investing in it. The key considerations include:
1. Snap Fitness gym franchise requirements
The usual Snap Fitness franchise requirements are as follows:
• Initial investment:
Snap Fitness warrants a £30,000 licensing fee and a general minimum capital of £200,000, and only 60% of the final payment can be from bank funding.
• Adaptability:
The Snap Fitness brand offers more help to owners than most franchisors, but it’s still important that you adapt to business problems, however, they may arise. For example, while the brand will offer you access to detailed analytics on member behavior, it is your responsibility as a Snap Fitness 24/7 franchise to adapt your staffing levels at peak times or schedule various classes to maximize member engagement.
• General compatibility:
Similarly, Snap Fitness appeals to low-income exercisers regardless of their experience level – and you must be able to run the gym with this in mind. For example, this franchise model encourages large growth in the membership base to be successful, and as a such Snap Fitness 24/7 franchisees would need to have very close visibility and management of budget, costs, and similar while also meeting Snap Fitness’s strict brand guidelines – many gym franchisees often find it challenging to balance off these competing demands.
• Long-term plans:
This brand takes 2–3 years to generate a full return on investment and comes with an initial five-year commitment for every Snap Fitness franchise owner.
• Viable location:
Snap Fitness recommends that you thoroughly investigate the local market to find a suitable site that could attract a thriving and broad base of customers. Moreover, as an innovator in the field, Snap Fitness 24/7 has been developing a club design that can be adapted to a variety of locations and units, from communities as small as 20 000 residents to large cities.
2. Minimum cost/investment to buy and own a Snap Fitness franchise
For one location, Snap Fitness requires roughly £200,000 of capital and a £30,000 franchise fee. The franchisor estimates that this investment will grow to £550,000-3750,000 by the time the gym opens. For three locations, the franchise fee is instead £75,000 to encourage an extensive portfolio.
3. Initial Snap Fitness franchise startup fees
The usual Snap Fitness franchise fees total £230,000 for a single location; a significant amount of which will go towards state-of-the-art fitness machines. It’s possible to get financial aid from the brand’s own bank partners but around 40% of the total investment (i.e. £220,000-300,000) must come directly from you.
4. Expected Snap Fitness franchise revenue
The overarching brand has a revenue of roughly £16 million, whilst the individual revenue of your Snap Fitness investment depends on various factors. Monthly memberships are typically around £30 but different locations have different prices. If the franchise reaches 1,200 members in accordance with projections, it might produce £432,000 in yearly revenue.
5. Costs associated with running a Snap Fitness franchise
The cost to buy and own a Snap Fitness franchise is far from the only expense to worry about – especially with staff and utilities. For example, their personal trainers have an average salary of £28,107. Since these gyms are open 24/7, they also require significantly more electricity.
6. Predicted average income/profit of a Snap Fitness franchise owner
A Snap Fitness franchise owner’s average profit is £40,500 yearly before taxes and interest, representing a 24% profit margin. Particularly successful owners can exceed this – with membership as the franchise’s main source of income, customer growth dramatically increases the average income of a Snap Fitness franchise owner.
A look at the Snap Fitness gym franchise
agreement & policies – main points
The main policies of the Snap Fitness franchise agreement to keep in mind are:
1. Location scouting
Snap Fitness offers help with finding a suitable location based on market factors and local demographics – this is essential for figuring out the gym’s site. Moreover, as discussed already a new modular club design will further enhance the availability of locations, by allowing Snap Fitness franchisees to personalize their franchising strategy to the location and its demographics – a big leap forward from the 1 size-fits-all approach of other fitness franchises.
2. Financial support
The Snap Fitness organisation partners with banks to help franchisees finance up to 60% of their fees to set up a new gym. This is codified within their agreement, letting the brand personally make sure prospective owners can afford the cost to open a Snap Fitness franchise before they sign off on its creation.
3. Staff sourcing
The brand works alongside Love Recruitment to find qualified and talented staff, such as personal trainers with a Level 3 diploma. Snap Fitness still involves the franchise owner in these matters, but they can generally focus on the rest of their business. The agreement also lays out the franchisor’s guarantee of regular staff training.
4. Franchisee expectations
This agreement also sets out what Snap Fitness expects from franchisees, including their engagement with the organisation. Franchisees must stay informed about changes to the franchising business model, and should be ready to devote significant time to their franchise. They also need to ensure strong standards across their gym and be present for inspections.
What are the franchise terms of agreement
and renewal for Snap Fitness?
Owning a Snap Fitness gym franchise requires a significant time commitment – with most agreements covering a five-year period before renewal.
This is to make sure the owner gives enough attention to their franchise and maintains responsibility for it in the first few years of operation. They can decide to continue as a Snap Fitness franchise owner upon the conclusion of this period or instead allow the business to appoint a replacement.
Is Snap Fitness a good fit for you?
When deciding if Snap Fitness is the right choice for a franchise, here are the main points to consider:
1. The target market of the average Snap Fitness franchise
Snap Fitness specializes in providing a broad range of services at an affordable price (usually £30 monthly) – so usually targets a diverse market. The affordability makes this brand especially useful for low-income areas, and the sheer variety of available services helps Snap Fitness cater to different ages and proficiencies.
2. Is a Snap Fitness franchise right for your chosen location?
The franchisor is heavily involved in this process and may offer comprehensive feedback on if your location is a viable one. With accessibility at the heart of Snap Fitness, low-income and mixed-income areas could enjoy the most benefits, including a premium experience at a relatively low membership price.
3. Other factors to consider when deciding whether owning a Snap Fitness franchise is right for you
Snap Fitness has 89 sites across the British Isles, offering a recognisable brand that helps any owner; especially with low licence fees. If you are considering a Snap Fitness gym, you should also check online reviews by other franchisees across the UK.
Are you a good fit for the Snap Fitness franchise?
Diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility are core tenets of Snap Fitness – and these should be values to which all the brand’s owners adhere to. The brand also offers benefits and discounts for franchisees who decide to open additional gyms.
These franchises also promise a return on your investment in 2–3 years, which means a patient owner who takes their time with the franchise would be most appropriate. If you aim to develop your portfolio and are willing to commit to Snap Fitness long-term, you could be an excellent choice of franchisee
.
Process of taking a Snap Fitness franchise
Here are the steps for purchasing and opening a Snap Fitness gym:
1. Choose a brand
The first step for any franchisee is finding a gym that best accommodates your needs, alongside your specific approach to fitness. You must conduct thorough research to make sure owning a Snap Fitness gym franchise is right for you. For example, check the Snap Fitness franchise startup cost (up to £750,000) suits your budget.
2. Compile a plan
Your business plan is instrumental in communicating your vision for the gym – as well as your business acumen and commitment to the Snap Fitness brand. This could include financial projections, for example, alongside the recommended membership fees for the location. Show that you understand the local audience, including their budget and general fitness needs.
3. Get gym financing
Snap Fitness lets franchisees finance up to 60% of their gym investments through their own bank partners; this offers more options to first-time owners. The Snap Fitness gym franchise cost is much lower than most brands, but this can still be very helpful. The company also helps you secure fitness equipment at reasonable rates.
4. Open the gym
Once the transactions and renovations are complete, you now have a Snap Fitness franchise – and should work with the brand to secure qualified staff. Afterward, you can set an opening date, and start to advertise around the area. You could also benefit from ‘founder offers’ which give discounts for the franchise’s first few weeks.
Conclusion
Snap Fitness franchise opportunities could be an incredible investment opportunity; especially due to the high average income of a Snap Fitness franchise owner. The brand places a strong focus on inclusivity, which is also why they provide a range of financial aid options to help with the Snap Fitness franchise price.
This gives more people the chance to own a prestigious 24/7 gym – possibly several more if they are successful. If Snap Fitness appeals to you, and you wish to invest in the brand’s ever-growing reputation, this could be a very good choice of gym franchise for your portfolio.
FAQs
1. How to start a Snap Fitness franchise
• Investigate the franchise and see how well it would match your unique approach.
• Apply on the Snap Fitness website and write a long-term franchise business plan.
• Read the franchise agreement and sign it if you agree with the company’s terms.
• Pay the Snap Fitness startup fee – this could even involve taking out financial aid.
• Work with the brand to hire staff which can administer plenty of fitness services.
• Finalise the gym by procuring any relevant permits and advertising the franchise.
• With the franchise now completed, open the gym and begin accepting members.
2. How much does owning a Snap Fitness franchise cost?
The Snap Fitness gym franchise cost is typically £550,000-£750,000 – but only 40% of this (£220,000-£300,000) needs to be from your own money. A Snap Fitness franchise for sale is a good investment that can easily return your investment in 2–3 years.
3. Is a Snap Fitness franchise profitable?
Though the brand’s membership fees are low, a diverse range of services combined with a broad audience can ensure a Snap Fitness franchise owner’s average profit is high. This brand can be profitable even while starting out with 300–400 members.
4. What questions to ask when buying a Snap Fitness franchise?
You should ask the franchisor for more information about the benefits of owning several properties; this could significantly improve your profits. It might also be helpful to gain clarification about how involved Snap Fitness owners need to be with their franchise once it launches.
