--- title: "Big Blue Swim School Says Milwaukee is “Perfect Fit” For Franchise Expansion" url: https://burnaze.com/article/1dc314cb-284f-47a2-9406-0a78f245b530 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/big-blue-swim-school-says-milwaukee-is-perfect-fit-for-franchise-expansion-2719215 category: "Fitness" industry: "Fitness" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2022-07-26T14:09:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:10:54.440Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/d1861b2fbcda61ca7f488f49cab23bd78073.jpg --- # Big Blue Swim School Says Milwaukee is “Perfect Fit” For Franchise Expansion **TL;DR:** Big Blue Swim School has identified Milwaukee as a top market for new growth, with plans to add three units over the next several years. The brand has already awarded 227 units in 25 states and aims to reach 240 committed units by the end of 2022. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2022-07-26. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/big-blue-swim-school-says-milwaukee-is-perfect-fit-for-franchise-expansion-2719215).* ## Story Big Blue Swim School, one of the nation’s fastest-growing swim school franchises, has identified Milwaukee as a top market for new growth in 2022. With an aggressive development plan in place, Big Blue Swim School has already awarded 227 units in 25 states across the country and is uniquely positioned to be the leader in the $3 billion learn-to-swim industry. In Milwaukee, Big Blue plans to add three units over the next several years. “We’ve identified Milwaukee as an ideal market for growth because it has very similar demographics to Chicago, which already has a strong footprint,” said CEO Scott Sanders. “We have six pools open, and 9 in development, in the Chicago metropolitan area and Milwaukee is a very similar market. It has that dense population of kids that we are looking for, with a lot of families. And there is also the potential to tap into established brand recognition amongst family members of Chicagoans who live in Milwaukee.” Since its founding in 2009, Big Blue has focused on meeting parents where it is easiest. Scheduling and rescheduling lessons is made simple through the brand’s app as an extension of its proprietary technology LessonBuddy™, and its real estate strategy puts locations in areas that are already well-traveled by parents. And thanks to Big Blue’s data-driven strategy, the real estate team has determined Milwaukee is the perfect next stop, especially as the population continues to grow. In September 2021, LinkedIn released a study that showed Milwaukee was among the top five cities in the U.S. for new arrivals moving from other parts of the country. Its population includes over 230,000 households, with over 7% representing children under the age of five, which means Milwaukee offers a target-rich environment for a learn-to-swim brand like Big Blue Swim School. When it comes to neighborhoods in the Milwaukee area, Sanders identified several places of interest for Big Blue Swim School, including Bay Shore, Brookfield, and Greenfield. “Overall, brand awareness is going to be exceptionally strong in the greater Milwaukee metro area,” Sanders said. “If a store is coming to that market, we’re confident brand recognition will be strong and that our new pool opening strategy will drive customers even before the pool opens. We’ve learned that opening pools in markets that are nearby other established markets promotes a faster, more streamlined ramp-up process.” Additionally, being in close proximity to existing Big Blue stores in Chicago will also provide incoming franchise owners with a robust support infrastructure and network. “We have several operational trainers in Chicago, for example, so it will be easy to get over to Milwaukee and train new swim associates and assistant managers,” Sanders said. Looking ahead, Sanders says Milwaukee is just the latest phase of an aggressive growth strategy for the franchise, which has a goal of reaching 240 committed units by the end of 2022. “It is important to remember that Big Blue Swim School has plenty of territory availability, while other concepts are sold out in cities like Milwaukee,” Sanders said. “We already have 227 locations awarded, and our goal now is to fill in the rest of the country. There are 48 million kids under 12 in the U.S., and we want to serve a third of that addressable market. We are looking forward to making a difference in the lives of Milwaukee-area children by living up to our company mission of showing them they can do anything by unlocking their full potential in the water.” *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* * ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - unit expansion (topic) - franchise growth (topic) - Fitness (sector) - Chicago (location) - Milwaukee (location) - Big Blue Swim School (company) - market development (topic) - swim school industry (topic) - Brookfield (location) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/big-blue-swim-school-says-milwaukee-is-perfect-fit-for-franchise-expansion-2719215). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/1dc314cb-284f-47a2-9406-0a78f245b530).