Australian-born fitness franchise F45 Training has bolstered its European expansion plans with the opening of a new headquarters in central London.
The new headquarters is located in Oxford Circus, and will serve as base for European operations, franchisee support teams and further the brand’s extensive growth plans.
In July, Inside Franchise Business reported that F45 had become the fastest growing fitness franchise worldwide, with over 550 locations in Australia and more than 900 studios worldwide.
The last 12 months have seen F45 launch stage one of its European growth strategy, opening studios in Switzerland, Finland and the Czech Republic, with a maiden location in Germany slated for later this year.
Rob Deutsch, F45 founder said the European expansion demonstrated how the brand’s tailored offering has worldwide appeal.
“We have worked tirelessly to create a truly revolutionary and innovative brand that can flourish and grow in any country,” Deutsch said.
“This is evident in the accelerated growth we have seen in just four years. As a result, we are well on the way to becoming a household name around the world.”
In addition to the European expansion, the fitness franchise has also announced its ‘Collegiate Program’, a first-of-its-kind partnership with U.S. colleges, where F45 is offered on campus.
Luke Armstrong, F45’s global sales director, said the opening of the European headquarters will result in a further 120 franchise opportunities across Europe by the end of 2018, with a further 185 in 2019 and another 350 in 2020.
“The UK is a strategic target for F45 as the fitness market here continues to grow in both size and value,” Armstrong said in an interview with Leisure Opportunities.
“Market penetration here is growing – nearly 15 per cent of Brits now belong to a gym – but the majority of these operations are inferior when it comes to customer satisfaction.”
“The F45 franchise system combines our workout with a business model that is inexpensive to set up, simple to operate, and highly profitable – which has made us the fastest-growing fitness franchise in the world.”
The brand expects to have close to 1500 franchise deals signed by the end of 2018.