Australian owned and originated Plus Fitness is set to open its 90th 24 Hour Gym Franchise this month and has simultaneously sold its 150th Franchise Territory in three years confirming Plus Fitness as a true 'Australian Success Story'. The first Plus Fitness was in fact opened some 16 years ago by Founding CEO John Fuller. John went on to open four more Plus Fitness gyms over the following years and in 2008 formed a partnership with Nigel Miller with both having Franchising the Plus Fitness brand set firmly in their minds. After initially Franchising the 'Plus Fitness Health Club' model in 2009, John and Nigel soon recognised that a change in the fitness industry was looming and set about remodelling their Franchise from traditional 'big box gyms' to smaller, lower priced, more convenient 24 Hours Gyms.

After researching the 24 hour gym market, the pair developed a Franchise model with some unique and appealing selling points to assist in gaining market share in what was becoming one of the fastest growing segments within the franchising sector. These included developing a true turn key Franchise offering that presented exceptional value, inclusive of everything from gym equipment to fit out, franchise training to marketing. Added to this was a low staff model and an exclusive territory for each Franchisee protecting them from the risk of any future market saturation. With the continual support of a committed team of industry experts headed up by two of the most experienced operators in the Fitness Industry, it is then no surprise that along with a lot of hard work, Plus Fitness has become the 'home grown' success it is today.

After the official launch of the 'Plus Fitness 24/7' Franchise model at the Sydney Franchise Expo in 2011, where John and Nigel sold five Franchises 'off the stand' in three days, the pair have gone from strength to strength always seeking to further develop their infrastructure, Franchise support and consumer offering. With a Head Office team made up of what they refer to as 'Support Specialists', John and Nigel repeatedly reference the passion and hard work of this team as a large part of their success.

When asked what has contributed to such impressive and sustained growth a number of key points were raised with John specifically referencing that; 'Multi Unit Franchisees now represent a high percentage of our network which is something we are very proud of. Our Franchisees ability to expand their portfolio of Franchises is testament to their hard work and the success of the model and we are seeing more and more Franchisees drive exceptional results from multi site ownership'.

A consumer offering that 'fits' the need: With gyms open in NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and SA, the reciprocal rights access to all Plus Fitness gym proves very popular with the Plus Fitness members. When you consider that memberships are largely a low $13 per week, with no lock in contracts, no access card fees and no hidden administration fees, then its is easy to understand why Plus Fitness continues to experience such impressive and continued membership growth each month.

When asked what was one of the most important things to consider as a Franchisor of a fast growing brand, the response was unanimously focused around ongoing Franchise Support and Nigel Miller had this to say; 'Franchise support has always been very important to us and as we have continued to grow we have constantly revisited how we deliver this to ensure that we are providing all Franchisees access to the support and tools they need to succeed. Lately we have turned more to technology to assist us here with the recent launch of both an online Training Platform and an online Print Management System.

Plus Fitness has had its recent achievements widely recognised over the past 12 months winning a number of prestigious awards. This included being named as the Emerging Franchisor of the Year for 2013 by the Franchise Council of Australia. This was awarded in front of the Australian Franchise community at the annual Gala Dinner held at Jupiters Casino and was describe by the guys as a 'humbling achievement'. In addition to this, Plus Fitness were ranked 27th in the BRW Fast Starters for 2013, took out the Smart Company Top Franchise award and were also recognised as the Smart Company 8th Fastest Growing Australian Company for 2013.

All about the equipment: Plus Fitness Franchisees have always benefited greatly from a number of strong and longstanding relationships with a number of recognised commercial gym equipment suppliers. These ongoing relationships have enabled Plus Fitness to deliver a quality range of commercial gym equipment at incredibly competitive prices to their Franchisees. Backed up by a technical support network that stretches across Australia, Plus Fitness hold a strong reputation in this field. Another advantage that Plus Fitness Franchisees benefit from is Franchisor John Fullers expertise in gym layout and equipment design. More recently John has designed a Functional Training Cage that has enabled Franchisees to provide Cross Fit and Functional Training workouts for up to 12 participants at any one time. This equipment has increased Personal Trainer participation and added to the range of Group Circuit programs that Plus Fitness Franchisees are able to offer generating additional revenue for their Franchisees.

In addition to this innovation, Plus Fitness launched their own Virtual Class program back in 2012 allowing their members to take exercise classes, day or night and fitting in with their own schedule as oppose to being restricted by timetables as is the case in more traditional gyms. A range of 16 classes are periodically re-released specifically for Plus Fitness creating a unique and tailored experience for members and allowing Plus Fitness Franchisees to gain another competitive edge for new member engagement.

There is no stopping the Plus Fitness team when it comes to innovation. The next six months alone will see the launch of a range of Plus Fitness Supplements to be sold in-house. Then there is the pending launch of the Plus Fitness Member Nutrition and Body Challenge programs that are being developed in collaboration with Channel 7's Matt O'Neill. In addition to this, Plus Fitness have just launched its own in-house media channel to be streamed into each Franchise and have also just seen the Fit'N'Flexed TV show, that is filmed largely inside Plus Fitness gyms picked up by the Ten Network with a second series about to enter into production and set to air by the end of the year on Channel 10 and ONE.

Branding themselves as 'Your Local Gym's Australia Wide', and with a Plus Fitness opening every 10 days, then if there isn't a Plus Fitness near you now, there will no doubt be one soon!

For more information on Plus Fitness 24/7 contact Plus Fitness Head Office at; Phone: 02 4648 2099; Email: [email protected];

Web: www.plusfitness.com.au