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The gym franchise’s established bank partnerships have been helping franchisees access and build six-figure businesses Opening a gym in a high demand area can create significant potential gains for franchisees. In fact, UK gymmemberships have reached a market value of £5.9 billion this year, according to the 2024 State of the UK Fitness Report. Among the brands capitalising in this arena is Snap Fitness which has experienced this current growth first hand. “While UK gymmemberships rose by 4.1% from 2023 to 2024, our clubs’ membership numbers grew by over 17%,” explains KevinYates CEO at Snap Fitness EMEA. However, the upfront costs of opening a gym can be particularly expensive, especially when you consider space requirements and the need for specialist equipment. For some, these initial fees are too big a barrier to entry. In recognition of this challenge, Snap Fitness has aimed to reduce the financial strain to enable its network to grow while opening the door to more ambitious individuals. “Financial accessibility is hugely important to the sustainable growth of our franchise network,” confirms Kevin. “Franchisees shouldn’t have to overstretch themselves financially and our established banking partnerships with HSBC and NatWest provide access to favourable loan terms they wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere.” The franchise’s loan programme aims to help franchisees spread the cost of the initial investment fee which covers a confirmed territory, business planning with finance brokers, and end-to-end support from an in-house team. It means franchisees can begin generating income before repaying loans. “Franchisees typically see a return on their capital investment outlay within three years, with gyms reaching operational breakeven within months,” says Kevin. “Many of our franchisees re-invest the capital to open further gyms and grow their portfolios.” One success story to come from Snap Fitness’ financial support is Zabir Ali, franchisee of the Fareham, Hampshire location.With existing franchise experience, he was able to secure a six-figure loan fromHSBC. “The result is a stunning gym which is Snap Fitness’ largest location across the UK & Ireland,” says Kevin. “It is a rapidly growing business which already has over 200 five-star reviews from its members.” Snap Fitness now hopes to support more franchisees into the brand. F U N D I N G : SnapFitness 24/7 Snap Fitness 24/7 The gym franchise helps aspiring entrepreneurs in securing up to 60% bank funding for their total start-up costs via a business loan, as well as lease financing for exercise equipment. The latter is typically payable over a three-to-five year period and is fixed in line with your monthly profit and loss. Its high street bank partners are HSBC and NatWest, with its loan programmes so far producing some of the most successful franchisees within its network. Investment: £450,000+ Established: 2012 Number of outlets: 101 Contact: franchising@snapfitness.co.uk 21 WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 50 Funding Pl ans | PARTNER CONTENT