Big Blue Swim School Signs Its Second Lease in California

Big Blue Swim School, one of the nation’s fastest-growing swim school franchises, has signed a lease for a new swim school, securing its second location in California.

The prime location at 2901 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA, in The Marketplace shopping center is set to open in 2023. The new location will be opened and operated by L5 Swim, the Big Blue franchising entity of private equity group Level 5 Capital Partners. The group is excited to help children and families achieve the life-changing skill of learning to swim.

“Level 5 is focused in the ‘Consumer Services, Locally Delivered’ sector,” explained Level 5 Managing Partner Chris Kenny. “We specifically love brands in health, wellness, and family services that are ‘passion brands’—brands that people tell their friends about and that people defend because of their passion for them. Big Blue clearly fit into Level 5’s investment portfolio, and we’re excited to provide swim lessons to Tustin-area kids.”

Big Blue’s data-driven real estate selection process incorporates a number of critical criteria during site selection. The franchise puts the customer at the center of its real estate strategy. By making locations easy to find and access, Big Blue makes itself accessible and appealing to parents while also increasing brand awareness. 

“The team has worked hard to seek out locations and create an experience that makes it easy for parents and families to add swim lessons into their schedule,” said Chris DeJong, Big Blue’s founder and president. “We build our schools with comfort and accessibility in mind, and we are looking forward to making a difference in the lives of Tustin children by living up to our company mission of showing them they can do anything by unlocking their full potential in the water.”

The buildout will be supervised by Big Blue’s in-house construction management team, which has a consistent record of building pools on time and within budget. The approach allows former retail space to be reborn as modern, comfortable facilities, setting Big Blue apart from its competition and adding value to the property.

Big Blue often fills vacancies created as a result of “the Amazon effect,” which finds brick-and-mortar stores closing as customers shift to online shopping. Big Blue’s presence allows landlords to fill large, unused spaces while also bringing customers with purchasing power to their properties.

“The landlord community likes what we’re bringing to their properties because we're not dependent upon making goods and selling them,” said Big Blue CEO Scott Sanders. “We are a unique service model that can’t be replicated at home or be replaced by technology. What we do simply can’t be delivered on someone’s doorstep.” 

The new Tustin lease is just the latest phase of an aggressive growth strategy for the franchise, which has already signed agreements for 227 units in 25 states across the country. In addition to the development of the Tustin store, L5 Swim also has agreements to develop 42 other locations across California, Georgia, Maryland, New York, and Virginia.

Big Blue is currently scouting new locations across the country, including multiple locations in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, California, New Jersey, New York, and South Carolina, among other major metropolitan areas.

Multi-unit franchise opportunities are available for qualified candidates looking for their next big opportunity, and veterans can receive a 10 percent discount on the $80,000 franchise fee. The total investment necessary to begin operation of a new Big Blue is $2,475,200 to $3,966,700 (refer to item 7 in FDD) To learn more or inquire about Big Blue, visit https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/.