Workout Anytime, Anywhere: Franchise Plans Move into Canada

WORKOUT ANYTIME might need to change its name to WORKOUT ANYWHERE soon enough, as the 24/7 health club franchise is focusing on expansion in Canada.

"We did our research on Canada and especially the Calgary market and found it was similar to the U.S. in that it was underserved in value-priced health clubs,” said Randy Trotter, vice president of franchise development for the brand.

First and foremost, however, Trotter and his team knew they needed to find the right people to help spearhead the brand’s growth in the country. Namely, Canadian franchisees who were passionate about health.

"We use area developers all over America, and it's the same idea in Canada,” Trotter said. “They will be in charge. They will open up a location in Calgary, help people find real estate and get things off the ground. These won't be Americans coming in taking over, these will be Canadians who know the local market and what people are looking for.”

Enter Jeff Gellately. Working in the oil and gas industry, Gellately was looking down the road at other career opportunities when he came across the WORKOUT ANYTIME concept.

“I’m an active person; I train for triathlons and have been doing that for the better part of five years now,” Gellately said. “I asked myself what I would want to do every day, and the answer was to work with active, fit people. I looked into a few different franchises but found they came at things with a big company perspective. WORKOUT ANYTIME was smaller, more flexible, and getting ready to explode with growth, in my opinion.”

Both Trotter and Gellately knew they were in a position to strike while the iron was hot.

“It's a wide open market right now,” Trotter said. “You get one chance to cherry-pick a market and get the best locations. That’s where we’re at right now; we can go anywhere.”

And just like in the states, the WORKOUT ANYTIME team has been instrumental in helping its brand ambassador succeed.

“They’ve been tremendous the whole time,” Gellately said. “They very quickly went through the legal process to take care of it for Canada and the different provinces here. Every province has a little bit of a different guideline as far as franchises go.”

The next step is seeking out potential franchisees, specifically entrepreneurs interested in absentee ownership, as well as Baby Boomers looking for a simple, profitable business for retirement. According to Trotter, 60 percent of the brand’s owners have more than one club and run them on a semi-absentee basis.

Gellately owns the rights to Western Canada, and he’s confident WORKOUT ANYTIME will be an ideal fit for customers in the region.

“This market suits the WORKOUT ANYTIME model because of the value you get,” he said. “This is a market where people aren’t afraid to pay for things if the value is there. There’s a higher level of disposable income. And with the quality of the franchise, the quality of the gym for members, it all fits together perfectly.”