F45 expands UK presence with 50 franchises sold

Australian-based fitness group F45 is expanding its presence in the United Kingdom with 50 franchises sold and 15 studios expected to be up and running in the country by the end of year.

With three F45 studios currently operating in London - on Tottenham Court Road and in Farringdon and Kingston-Upon-Thames – five more studios are scheduled to open in the coming months. One of these, in the London suburb of Richmond will be run by England rugby player James Haskell.

Of the 50 franchises sold in the UK, 35 are in London while the group will also have a presence in Brighton, Bournemouth, Birmingham and Manchester.

Rob Deutsch, who founded F45 in 2012 with personal trainer Luke Istomin, recently told Health Club Management that the growth in the UK is consistent with the company's aggressive expansion plans worldwide.

F45 has 800 franchises sold around the world, with 420 sold in the past year. Of these, approximately half are open.

Each F45 club offers a high-intensity, interval training (HIIT) regime based on 45-minute long training sessions. Each session is divided into intense 45-second working out periods with 15 second ‘rest’ periods in between. Exercises include both strength work and cardio-vascular activities. Studios host more than 40 classes each week, with new exercises and equipment regularly introduced.

Deutsch advised "sessions are fast-paced with a strong community element to ensure users work to their maximum with constant support and guidance from world-class F45 coaches.

“The popularity of F45 and why studios are popping up all over the world is due to the fact that every day at F45 is different."

Deutsch sees the target market for F45 franchise owners are personal trainers, fitness enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, such as bankers, lawyers, stockbrokers who "want more from life than sitting at a desk all day".

He added "the target market for end users is 25 to 40 year old professionals who care about the way they look, but don’t want to be professional athletes.

“Our client base is 65% females. Those that love their health and fitness, but have a balance. Those that will most likely enjoy a glass of wine on the weekend."

Image: F45 Tottenham Court Road.

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