Jacksonville Business Journal: Workout Anytime Has Big Plans to Expand in Jacksonville

Fitness franchise Workout Anytime is gearing up to expand in Florida by adding 30 new locations, the Jacksonville Business Journal reported. The franchise plans to open three locations in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2024, followed by five more in Florida over the following three years and 10 more in the next five years. Currently, there are 19 locations open in the state.

According to Terri Harof, head of franchise development, Workout Anytime locations in the Jacksonville area — including Duval Station, Oakleaf Plantation, Orange Park and Green Cove — are already experiencing success under the ownership of franchisee Carl Boothby.

“I always say out of bad things, good things happen,” Harof told the Jacksonville Business Journal. “Out of COVID we learned, more than ever, the importance of good wellness and taking personal responsibility for yourself. The other thing that happened is people have reevaluated their life, and they want to do something that they're really passionate about. Being in our business, the more people you help get into great shape, the more money you're going to make and difference in the community you can make. That's what our franchisees do.” 

Harof added that nearly 70% of Workout Anytime franchisees are multi-unit owners, with a mix of new franchisees coming in and current owners who are continuing to grow their businesses. Harof also attributed the brand’s success to how it continues to stay current and focus on what people really want out of a gym. 

“They want great cardio equipment, great strength equipment and they want recovery,” she said. “We now have amazing ‘premium suites’ where we have infrared saunas and red light therapy, and we've got Styku, which measures body fat. We've got cryo beds and we've got hydro massages, and these are the things that people are looking for after a great workout.” 

When selecting new locations for expansion, four key factors are considered: visibility, accessibility, lighting and parking. Buxton, a consumer intelligence tool, is utilized to determine the number of franchises to expand to in the next ten years. Jacksonville is a desirable market for expansion due to its rapidly growing population, with over 179,526 people within a 15-minute drive time of the city center. The daytime population of Jacksonville exceeds 330,000 and is growing annually by 4.9%. Florida is a target for expansion because gyms perform exceptionally well in the state.

“It’s really incredible when I'm looking at opportunities in Florida,” said Harof. “It's such a target for us because our gyms do very, very well in Florida.”

Read the full article here. 

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/workoutanytime.