{"id":1006,"date":"2023-06-14T09:01:12","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T08:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hitsona.com\/?p=1006"},"modified":"2023-07-28T17:31:13","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T16:31:13","slug":"cost-to-open-a-gym-fitness-franchise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hitsona.com\/blog\/cost-to-open-a-gym-fitness-franchise\/","title":{"rendered":"Cost to Open A Gym or Fitness Franchise – Initial Franchise Fees, Minimum Investments, Operational Costs, Franchise Agreement Renewals & More!"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you\u2019re interested in opening a gym or fitness franchise in the UK<\/a>, it\u2019s important to understand the costs involved, including gym franchise fees, start-up investments, and running costs<\/a>. Starting a fitness franchise can be an effective way to make an annual return, but investors must be aware of the various costs and fees of taking on a gym franchise<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The total cost to open a fitness franchise in the UK depends on the franchise you work with and the level of investment you choose to make. At the cheapest end are fitness franchises like Train Learn Go<\/a>, which offers investors the chance to run their own mobile personal training business for as little as \u00a35000 plus ongoing fees.<\/p>\n Opening your own fitness centre or gym is considerably more expensive than this because you\u2019ll have to pay for the cost of building, fitting out, and equipping your gym. In total, including gym franchise fees and investment into your gym, you could be paying around \u00a3300,000 to \u00a3500,000 on average to fund a gym franchise.<\/p>\n At the upper end of the market, specialist gyms can cost even more than this. The minimum investment for a Gold\u2019s Gym<\/a> is \u00a3852,000 while the minimum investment to open a Gravity Trampoline Park is around \u00a31.2 million. This is because you\u2019ll have to pay for more specialist equipment to fit out gyms in this category, as well as paying higher ongoing costs.<\/p>\n By contrast, opening a Hitsona fitness studio franchise<\/a> costs from \u00a320 000 up to \u00a360 000, with a significantly faster break-even point than most other gym and finesses franchises in the UK.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you want to open a fitness franchise in the UK, you\u2019ll have to be prepared to pay gym franchise fees as well as equipment costs and other expenses. Let\u2019s take a look at the cost to open a gym franchise in the UK and what you\u2019ll have to pay at different points in the process.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first cost to open a fitness franchise in the UK is the gym franchise startup fee that you\u2019ll pay to the franchisor when you sign your franchise agreement. This fitness franchise price usually buys your right to use the franchise brand in your signage and marketing materials, as well as covering the cost of administration, training, and other support you\u2019ll receive from the franchisor.<\/p>\n Fitness franchise fees can range between franchisors. Anytime Fitness<\/a> charge investors a franchise fee of \u00a339,000 while Hybrid Fitness<\/a> charge franchise fees of \u00a320,000 and Jetts Gym<\/a> charge investors \u00a329,500. At the lower end of the spectrum, Train Learn Go only charge a minimum franchise fee of \u00a35000.<\/p>\n The fitness franchise fees that you\u2019ll pay are determined by a number of factors, including the strength and value of the brand that you\u2019re partnering up with, and the cost to the franchisor of onboarding you.<\/p>\n Higher gym franchise fees may indicate that you\u2019re buying into a high-value brand or that the franchisor is offering you more support and tools in exchange for your fees. However, it\u2019s always important to ask what your franchise fees get you before you sign your gym franchise agreement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another significant gym franchise cost in the UK is rent. After you\u2019ve paid the fitness franchise price to your franchisor, you\u2019ll work together with your franchisor to select a suitable location for your new fitness franchise. Once you\u2019ve chosen a location, you\u2019ll need to find premises to rent. A good rule of thumb is usually that you\u2019ll need 10-15 square feet per person, which means you\u2019ll need 1,000 square feet of gym space for every 100 monthly members.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re looking for premises for your gym, take into consideration what you\u2019ll need to make space for. Do you need room for a caf\u00e9 or seating area, and is your gym in a location where a car park is important? Do you need to incorporate an office space for administration work, and how much space do you need to allocate for lockers, showers, and changing?<\/p>\n The cost to rent gym space in the UK depends on where you\u2019re looking at opening a gym or fitness franchise.<\/p>\n Commercial rental rates will be higher in the south, and premises in city centres and affluent towns will be more expensive than in suburban locations. The cost range can be anything from \u00a31,000 to \u00a33,000<\/a> per month on average, exceeding this in premium locations like Central London.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n After you\u2019ve chosen your gym premises, the next significant franchise cost you\u2019ll incur in the start-up process is purchasing or leasing equipment for your gym.<\/p>\n Depending on the type of gym or fitness studio franchise you\u2019re starting, you may need to purchase treadmills, exercise bikes, weights, rowing machines, kettlebells, and benches. Specific costs vary between franchises, with some franchises requiring that franchisees spend much more on gym equipment than others.<\/p>\n If you choose to open a Gold’s Gym<\/a>, for example, you may have to pay between \u00a380,000 and \u00a3320,000 for specialist gym equipment and free weights. You won\u2019t be able to bring your costs much lower than this because the Gold\u2019s Gym franchise agreement will outline what equipment you must provide in your gym and which brands you may stock.<\/p>\n At the lower end of the spectrum, Train Learn Go supplies all the fitness and training equipment that their franchisees use for the initial franchise fee. On average, though, you will likely have to spend between \u00a320,000 and \u00a360,000 on equipment for your gym or fitness centre.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve launched your gym or fitness centre, you\u2019ll have to pay ongoing franchisee costs to run and manage your gym on a monthly or annual basis. These costs significantly contribute to the average gym franchise price.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most fitness franchises will charge their franchisees ongoing fees monthly or annually. Often, these fees are set as a proportion of gross revenue. In some cases, the gym franchisor may require that franchisees pay a fixed amount, or whichever is higher between a fixed amount and a percentage of revenue.<\/p>\n Franchise fees vary significantly between franchises, although most gym and fitness franchises will charge a management fee of 6-10% as well as a marketing fee of 1-3%. Some gym franchises may also charge one-off additional fees such as a fixed fee to train new members of staff or a fee to register for franchise conventions.<\/p>\n Some examples of gym franchise fees are:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some of these franchises, including Gold\u2019s Gym and Curves, also include a minimum royalty and marketing fee that franchisees will have to pay regardless of revenue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the owner of a gym franchise, you\u2019ll have to hire staff to work in your fitness facility and pay their monthly wages. You may need to hire fitness instructors, personal trainers, cleaning staff, baristas, receptionists, and administrators.<\/p>\n As well as paying your staff wages, you may also have to contribute towards pensions, sick pay, holiday pay, and other perks.<\/p>\n The staff needs of your gym will depend on the size of your gym and your operating hours, but it\u2019s important to calculate staff expenses before trying to estimate your future profit margins.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some examples of average salaries<\/a> for gym staff in the UK include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n High-end gyms like Hybrid Fitness and Gold\u2019s Gym usually have higher staff labour costs because you\u2019ll be expected to pay more specialist instructors and personal trainers, whereas budget gyms like PureGym<\/a> and truGym<\/a> offer fewer services to members that might incur additional costs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Every month, you\u2019ll have to pay ground rent and utility bills to power and heat your gym. You might also face a relatively high water bill. These fees will likely be affected more by the size and capacity of your gym than by the specific franchise brand you choose to work with, but nevertheless, it\u2019s important to factor them into the cost to open a fitness franchise in the UK.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve already mentioned that the average gym premises rental cost is around \u00a31000 to \u00a33000 per month, with some premises reaching \u00a35000. Add average utility bills of around \u00a32000<\/a> per month to this to cover water, heating, and power.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n An extra gym franchise cost in the UK is the cost of products and amenities that your gym sells. Many fitness franchisors will require their franchisees to stock and sell branded products and amenities including snacks, protein supplements, towels, drinks bottles, apparel, and other products.<\/p>\n As a gym franchisee, you will have to budget the cost of purchasing this stock into your annual running costs, although hopefully, you\u2019ll make a profit from the sales of these items.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s important to consider the cost of renewing your franchise agreement when calculating the total cost to start up a gym franchise in the UK. Most gym and fitness franchises will charge franchisees a fixed fee to renew their agreement at the end of the initial term, so always check how long your franchise term is and how much it will cost to renew the agreement at the end of this term.<\/p>\n Most fitness franchise agreements last for between five and ten years, with the cost to renew usually being less than the initial franchise fee, sometimes around 50%.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019ll also have to pay to have your fitness centre or gym insured. This will include public liability insurance and employers\u2019 liability insurance, and you may also need buildings and contents insurance. These are important costs but shouldn\u2019t add up too much: the average public liability insurance premium is only \u00a3119<\/a> per year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The biggest determining factor of the cost to open a fitness franchise in the UK is the franchise that you decide to work with. The cost can range massively between gym franchises, with some franchisors asking their franchisees to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds more than other franchisors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Below is a breakdown of the minimum investment<\/a> required for some of the biggest fitness franchises in the UK:<\/p>\n <\/p>\nWhat does it cost to open <\/strong><\/h2>\n
a gym franchise in the UK?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A step-by-step list of each start-up cost to open a <\/strong><\/h2>\n
gym franchise in the UK<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Gym franchise start-up fees<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Premises<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Gym equipment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What are the operating costs involved in running <\/strong><\/h2>\n
a gym or fitness franchise in the UK?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Ongoing franchise fees<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
2. Gym staff wages and labour<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
3. Ground rent and utilities<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Product costs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5. Renewal costs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
6. Insurance<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The cost of opening a fitness franchise by brand<\/strong><\/h2>\n