Big Blue Swim School Seeks Prime Real Estate in San Diego for Franchise Expansion

As one of the fastest growing players in the $3 billion learn-to-swim industry, the swim school franchise announced it is scouting spaces for 11 new locations within the San Diego metropolitan area.

The company has already awarded three of the 11 territories to two franchise partners through multi-unit agreements. Because of its size requirements — usually about 10,000 square feet — the franchise is targeting shopping centers and other spaces vacated by big-box retailers, helping landlords fill larger spaces left by stores that are increasingly reaching customers online.

The Chicago-based brand is one of the fastest-growing swim school franchises in the country, providing swim lessons for families with children ages six months to 12 years old. Since opening its first location in 2009, Big Blue has made its mission to show kids they can do anything by unlocking their full potential in the water and out.

• "Swimming is a vital life skill that every child should know, but especially in areas like San Diego that are near large bodies of water or have a lot of swimming pools," said Chris DeJong, Big Blue’s founder and president.
• "Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children ages 1 through 4. Our swim lessons are designed to teach water safety in a way that also builds a child’s confidence in and out of the water, so that future drowning deaths can be prevented."

Big Blue’s data-driven site selection process, which qualifies potential addresses by a number of important criteria to identify the ideal location, honed in on San Diego as a city with a target-rich environment to new swim students.

• “We like to choose locations that are in paths that families are already traveling,” said Scott Sanders, Big Blue’s CEO.
• “We look to put schools in areas where parents are already running their errands, offering a convenience in their everyday lives rather than a burden.”

Big Blue Swim School is establishing a growing footprint with 201 signed franchise agreements in 22 states, including: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Nevada, Texas, and Utah, among others.

• “I think San Diego is relatively underserved by the swim school industry,” said Michael Chin, Big Blue’s president of real estate services.
• “So we're really excited to become part of this market and can’t wait to find the perfect homes. The opportunity to make a positive impact on children’s lives is really exciting for us.”