British Swim School Coming To College Plaza Shopping Center

ROCKVILLE, MD — Bonnie Alcid, owner and manager of seven British Swim School franchises, recently signed a lease with Combined Properties to open a new franchise in a 6,500-square-foot space at College Plaza Shopping Center in Rockville, according to a release. Alcid was represented by Edge, a commercial real estate firm with offices in Washington, D.C.

Founded in 1981, British Swim School specializes in teaching water safety to children as young as 3 months. The chain has 215 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Alcid had always enjoyed spending time in a swimming pool. Not only was it a good source of exercise, it helped provide a mental outlet from her highly stressful job, according to the release.

After meeting British Swim School owner and founder Rita Goldberg, Alcid joined the company as a swim instructor and eventually became its first franchise owner.

“I was passionate about filling a need in the community to teach young children valuable swimming and survival skills and, because I was extremely familiar with the franchise and its inner-workings, did not perceive any risk in this decision,” she said, in a release. “We teach babies and little children a life skill before progressing into stroke development and more advanced swim techniques. Each student and each day are extremely rewarding as we are convinced that we are making an important difference in the lives of young people and their families.”

College Plaza Shopping Center in Rockville sits one of the most highly trafficked retail corridors in the region and should provide ease of access to customers from around the D.C. metro region, according to Kristin Rebeck of Edge.

“Bonnie brings proven success with the franchise to this new location and, as a hard-working and highly-knowledgeable entrepreneur, she brings an important lifesaving service to Rockville and the surrounding community," she said.