ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE RANKS ANYTIME FITNESS #1 ON PRESTIGIOUS FRANCHISE 500® LIST
To Celebrate, the Anytime Fitness Club in Norristown is Offering Special Deals
[Norristown, PA] – Anytime Fitness, the world’s largest and fastest-growing co-ed fitness club chain, is ranked #1 on Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500® list. On a blistering hot streak, Anytime Fitness was also named “One of America’s Most Promising Companies” by Forbes earlier this year, and honored as the “Best Place to Work” by Minnesota Business magazine two years in a row.
Find out what's happening in Norristownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“The #1 ranking is a credit to our fabulous franchisees,” said Chuck Runyon, CEO and co-founder of Anytime Fitness. “In addition to running convenient and affordable gyms, our franchisees and their staffs provide their members with personal service that gets real results. That personal touch and high level of engagement is what differentiates Anytime Fitness from many other gyms and what has strengthened and grown our brand worldwide.”
“We’re incredibly proud to be part of the world’s #1 franchise system,” said Ben Bell, owner of the Anytime Fitness gym located at 1000 Sandy Hill Rd. “To celebrate, we’re offering a series of special membership deals. To start the New Year off right, new members can join Anytime Fitness for just $14 January 7-9, 2014. New members can also add a 21-day personal training program for just $49. Existing Anytime Fitness members will receive one month free for every friend they refer who joins the club.”
Find out what's happening in Norristownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“Obesity and the rising costs of unhealthy lifestyles have become very serious problems worldwide,” said Dave Mortensen, President and co-founder of Anytime Fitness. “Busy people seeking real results are turning to Anytime Fitness because our gyms are convenient and affordable, and because we give our members individual attention, in the gym and online via AnytimeHealth.com, 24 hours a day.”
According to Entrepreneur, the most important factors for inclusion on its Franchise 500® list are: financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system.
FULL ARTICLE: www.entrepreneur.com/article/230291
“Considering the reputation of the other franchises ranked in the top 10, this is a tremendous honor for Anytime Fitness,” said Ben. “We’re proud of the fact that our small business has a big impact on the health and well-being of people in our community.”
Anytime Fitness (www.anytimefitness.com), the first fitness franchise ever to be ranked #1, placed higher than several franchise giants in the 2014 Franchise 500®, including Subway, Jiffy Lube, Hampton Hotels and McDonald’s. The franchise was founded in 2002, and since its debut on the list in 2006 at #261, has climbed rapidly through the publication’s ranking, reaching #1 in just under 10 years.
2014 FRANCHISE 500® RANKINGS: www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500
While growth in the fitness industry overall has been slow the past several years, Anytime Fitness has opened at least 250 new clubs each of the last five years. Late last year, the franchise celebrated the opening of its 2,000th club and it now has 2,400 clubs located in all 50 states and 16 countries, serving nearly 2,000,000 members.
It took Anytime Fitness only 10 years to reach 2,000 franchises – less than half the time it took Subway (23 years) and McDonald’s (32 years) to reach the same milestone. Only 1% of all franchise systems worldwide have at least 1,000 units.
In addition to the Entrepreneur accolade, Anytime Fitness also was recently named one of “10 great franchise bets” by CNNMoney (June, 2011) and the “#1 Best Franchise Business Model” by FranchiseChatter.com. Forbes magazine (February 2012) ranks Anytime Fitness #18 on its list of “Top 20 Franchises for the Buck.”
In a move to leverage the company’s franchise expertise and infrastructure across new categories relevant to its mission to “improve the self-esteem of the world,” the Anytime Fitness brand is now held under a broader holding company, Self-Esteem Brands, which launched a second high-growth franchise opportunity: Waxing the City, a boutique waxing studio. More information about Waxing the City is available at www.WaxingTheCity.com/franchise-opportunities.
About Anytime Fitness
Founded in 2002, Anytime Fitness is the fastest-growing gym franchise in the world, with more than 2,400 gyms serving nearly 2,000,000 members on five continents. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Anytime Fitness prides itself on providing its members with convenient and affordable fitness options in friendly, well-maintained facilities which feature top-quality exercise equipment. Gyms are now open in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Grand Cayman, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Qatar, India, Chile, Japan and Singapore. All franchised gyms are individually owned and operated. Join one gym and use them all. Members also enjoy free access to AnytimeHealth.com, the most comprehensive wellness website available.
