STROUD, England, Nov. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Anytime Fitness, the world's largest co-ed health club chain will celebrate the opening of its 3000th gym at a ceremony in Stroud, England later this month, while also announcing new agreements to open gyms in Sweden and Italy, along with the opening of the company's 100th gym in Japan. For the first time in the company's history, Anytime Fitness' global expansion is now outpacing the rate of its domestic growth. By the end of 2016, Anytime Fitness gyms will be open in nearly 30 countries.
Outpacing other franchise giants: Anytime Fitness reached 3,000 franchised locations faster than McDonald's, Subway and Dunkin' Donuts.
Anytime Fitness co-founders Dave Mortensen and Chuck Runyon.
More than 3,000 Anytime Fitness employees and gym members have Runningman tattoos.
The 100th Anytime Fitness gym in Japan recently opened.
Recently honored as the #1 "Top Global Franchise" by Entrepreneur magazine, Anytime Fitness (www.anytimefitness.com) opened its 3,000th unit in fewer years (13) than it took other well-known franchises, like McDonald's (20), Subway (15) and Dunkin' Donuts (37), to do the same.
The 3,000th club celebration will be attended by Anytime Fitness CEO Chuck Runyon and take place November 24th at a newly-opened gym located 100 miles west of London in the town of Stroud. More than 50 Anytime Fitness gyms are now open in the United Kingdom, 100 in Japan, more than 400 in Australia and a total of nearly 1,000 Anytime Fitness gyms are located outside the United States – in 21 countries as diverse as Qatar, India, China and Spain.
"A very small percentage of U.S.-based franchises can say that nearly one-third of their units are located outside the United States," said Chuck Runyon, CEO of Anytime Fitness. "It's proof that our business model is attractive to potential franchisees and consumers worldwide. In fact, 2015 will likely be the first year that we open more gyms internationally than in the U.S."
In just the past few weeks, Anytime Fitness, LLC signed agreements with master franchisees to begin opening gyms in Sweden and Italy. The company now has franchise agreements in 29 different countries.
"Although our gyms are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, our franchisees love that they can determine their own work schedules, never having to miss important family events," said Dave Mortensen, President of Anytime Fitness. "Meanwhile, our members like the fact that our gyms feature all of the equipment, programs, classes and support they need to achieve their fitness goals and enjoy healthier, happier lives."
The very first Anytime Fitness gym opened in Cambridge, MN (45 miles north of Minneapolis) in May of 2002. At the time, it was the only fitness center to offer members 24-hour access – even during unstaffed hours. The company's founders attribute the rapid growth of the franchise to a focus on convenience, affordability and a friendly, non-intimidating club atmosphere. But, in the years to come, they plan to invest additional resources in array of digital tools to help members achieve their fitness goals.
"We'll be offering new programs and classes, that's for sure," said Runyon. "But we also want our members to be able to rely on our trainers and staff for nutritional and fitness information during the 165 hours each week that they're not in the gym – not merely the two or three hours each week that they typically exercise in our facilities."
Ranked #1 on Entrepreneur's prestigious Franchise 500® list, Anytime Fitness is the fastest-growing gym franchise in the world, with 3,000 gyms serving nearly 3,000,000 members on five continents. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Anytime Fitness prides itself on providing its members with convenient fitness options and friendly, personal service in well-maintained facilities which feature top-quality exercise equipment. Gyms are now open in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Grand Cayman, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Qatar, India, Chile, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Belgium and the Philippines. All franchised gyms are individually owned and operated. Join one gym and use them all.
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