How Big Blue Swim School Is Helping Make a Splash for This Detroit-Area Landlord

Big Blue Swim School, one of the fastest-growing swim school franchises in the country, signed a lease to open a new location in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and their new landlord, Lormax Stern, is excited to have added the fresh concept to its property.

Chicago-based Big Blue Swim School was founded in 2009 by national champion swimmer Chris DeJong. The franchise provides swim lessons for families with children ages three months to 12 years old with the mission to show kids they can do anything by unlocking their full potential in the water.

Based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Lormax Stern is a commercial real estate developer and property manager with retail properties throughout Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, and Mississippi. The new Sterling Heights Big Blue location will take over 10,000 square feet of a former 48,000-square-foot Toys “R” Us store.

Andrew Luckoff, a leasing agent for Lormax Stern, said Big Blue is an attractive retail option because it has the potential to increase traffic to their property by offering a unique experience, while at the same time complementing the offerings of other tenants. All this to say that visitors coming to the area will be able to patronize multiple stores.

“We like these sort of nontraditional retail uses,” Luckoff said.

Big Blue’s strong reputation as an operator was another plus, as was the involvement of Level 5 Capital Partners, which acquired a stake in the brand in 2017. “Level 5 has a really, really strong track record, and they have a good operating history, which helped make the deal even more appealing.

With 214 franchise locations sold in 24 states, including seven more locations in southeast Michigan, Big Blue is positioned to be the market leader in an underserved and fragmented industry valued at $3 billion annually.

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 Swim School is $2,475,200 to $3,966,700 (refer to item 7 in FDD). To learn more or inquire about Big Blue Swim School, visit https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/.