Anytime Fitness to Open Milestone 4,000th Unit in March

When the first Anytime Fitness gym opened its doors in Cambridge, Minnesota back in 2002, co-founders Chuck Runyon and Dave Mortensen set out on a mission to create a club that people genuinely wanted to join. But while they were sure that their concept had growth potential, they never could have imagined that one gym would turn into thousands across the globe in less than two decades.

Within three years of opening, Anytime Fitness passed the 100-unit milestone. And the rapid growth didn’t end there—by the end of 2006, the franchise more than doubled in size to surpass the 300-unit mark. That type of consistent growth has continued to fuel Anytime Fitness’ momentum—both domestically and internationally—ever since, which is why the brand is now joining an elite group of franchisors. In March, Anytime Fitness is celebrating the grand opening of its 4,000th club.

“The one thing that has been the differentiator behind our growth is the fact that we support our franchisees so that they, in turn, can help their members get to a healthier place. We recognize that we have two primary stakeholders: our franchisees and our members. That’s why our co-founders have always said that being a franchisor is like hosting a big party.

Rapid growth strategy

You need to make sure that everyone else is happy and served before you sit down at the table. If you take care of yourself first, you’re not going to have a successful franchise,” said Mark Daly, Anytime Fitness’ national media director. “By reaching this 4,000th unit milestone, it’s clear that our approach is working.

To put this growth into perspective—there are only 21 franchises in the world with 4,000 or more franchise units. In March, Anytime Fitness will become the 22nd.”

Because there are 3,475 active franchise brands currently operating in the U.S., that means that only 0.0006 percent of franchises reach the 4,000-unit mark. Anytime Fitness will have also reached this milestone faster than any other franchise in history with the exception of Subway.

Business model success

What makes that rapid growth possible is Anytime Fitness’ one-of-a-kind business model. In an industry that’s crowded with both large and boutique concepts, Anytime Fitness has found a sweet spot right in the middle that ensures that every one of its members is a valued member of the community. And it’s that unique approach to the fitness business that has differentiated the brand since the beginning.

“It’s fair to say that when Chuck and Dave came up with the idea for the Anytime Fitness business model back in 2002, never in their wildest dreams did they imagine ascending this quickly to the point where they have 4,000 gyms located in 30 different countries. It all started when they were doing consulting work for traditional, larger gyms that needed a spike in membership. As a part of that process, they did extensive interviews with various gym members to determine what they wanted.

It became clear that they wanted access to their gyms 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Chuck and Dave even came across a small independent gym that literally gave keys to all of its members,” Daly said. “It was that idea that then led to Chuck and Dave creating a digital system that now gives our members computerized access to our gyms.

They’ll be the first ones to tell you that they first designed a security system that would keep their members safe, and then built the gym around that system.”

Future expansion plans

Even though Anytime Fitness is about to join the premier group of large, established franchise brands that boast more than 4,000 locations, the brand has no plans of slowing down. For the next 10 years, Anytime Fitness is expecting to continue adding approximately 200 clubs to its system in the U.S. while simultaneously adding more than 200 gyms annually on an international level. And according to Daly, Anytime Fitness will continue to sustain that growth by keeping its franchisees and members top of mind.

He said, “It’s our commitment to treating members as individuals and constantly improving the benefits that come with being a member that has allowed Anytime Fitness to be the fastest growing fitness club chain in the world for 10 consecutive years. As we cross the 4,000-unit milestone, we’re eager to continue building on this momentum as we work towards establishing a presence on all seven continents and saturating both domestic and international markets.”