Top 3 Things to Consider When Opening a New Gym Location

Gym owners, like all business owners, typically have one overarching goal: growth. For gyms, this usually means increasing memberships and cultivating a strong brand image in the local community. But, if your membership base becomes too large to handle, or if your operations are scaling too fast for your current space to adapt, then it’s probably time to expand.

If you’re thinking about expanding your operations and opening a new location, congrats! This means your business is doing well and the unique services your team offers are much needed in your local community. There are, however, a few critical things to think about before rushing into your new location plans. If you’re moving into a new neighborhood, community, or even city, you’ll quickly realize that what worked before might not work in your new location.

Here are the top three things to consider when thinking about opening a new gym location:

1. The local clientele

First and foremost, you need to consider your location in regards to the clientele. After all, these people in your community will be the beginning of your membership pool. Look at the demographics of your current member base. Where do your members live in relationship to your gym? Tracking data points like median income, the number of male vs. female members, and the types of classes or workouts your members frequent can help you narrow down your new location. Instead of setting up in a neighborhood that will directly compete with your current location, try to find a spot far enough away yet with similar demographics.

2. Transferring staff (or hiring new)

One of the biggest issues gym managers run into when opening new locations is staffing. Obviously, your first location was such a big hit for multiple reasons, but the biggest one is probably your staff. Gym members love making personal connections with trainers and staff members to reach their goals. With such amazing staff in place already, it can be hard to start from scratch. One best practice you could go with is to bring over one or two of your existing staff members to your new location to act as supervisor. The, you can carefully screen and hire new employees to fill the gaps. Just be sure to ensure some level of consistency in service between your locations. After all, you want people to be able to refer new members to your gym, regardless of location.

3. New classes or offerings

Opening a new location is the perfect time to take some risks and try out new ideas. Maybe you’ve heard from other gym owners that yoga is a trending exercise in your area, but your current location just can’t support that kind of class. Try out a few yoga classes at your new location as part of a new client special. Running grand opening promotions in tandem with these new offers serves as a sort of beta test or soft launch to test out new offerings. Plus, this will give you a good chance to determine where your new location is different from your other locations. You can embrace these changes while still retaining the messaging and atmosphere of your brand.

Whether you’re opening your second location or your 50th, these principles stay the same. People will always want to go to the gym, as long as the gym understands its audience and can deliver the services they’re looking for. With the right insight and understanding about your membership and your internal operations, your new locations will run just as smoothly – and successfully – as your current locations.