Contours Express vs Fit36 Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Contours Express vs Fit36 including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Contours Express Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
Investment $35,000 - $50,000$161,900 - $278,950
Franchise Fee $12,500$34,900
Royalty Fee $395/mo.6%
Advertising Fee -2%
Year Founded 19982013
Year Franchised 19982014
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Contours Express Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options

 
Contours Express Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/No-/Yes
Start-up Costs No/No-/Yes
Equipment No/Yes-/Yes
Inventory No/No-/Yes
Receivables No/No-/Yes
Payroll No/No-/Yes

Training & Support

 
Contours Express Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
Training - On-The-Job Training: 19 hours Classroom Training: 48 hours
Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet

# Protected Territory # 5 days of Training at Contours Express University # 3-Day Training at your gym # Adjustable Weight Stack Equipment # 16 Stations - 4 extra stations optional # Butt-n-Gut cd # Preferred Vendor Discounts # Unlimited Ongoing Training # Advertising and Marketing Advice # 24/7 Online Marketing Materials Library # Personal Gym Website # Prepared PowerPoint Marketing Presentations # Nutritional Counseling Program - C.O.R.E. # Site Selection Assistance

Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Ad slicksAd Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations 50% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 2

Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (50% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

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Expansion Plans

 
Contours Express Franchise
Fit36 Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion Yes-

Company Overviews

About Contours Express

After operating coed clubs, working as consultants and working in other areas of the fitness industry, Daren Carter, Mike Widener and Charlie Woodward joined forces to create a fitness center just for women. In 1998, the partners founded Contours Express, a women-only center catering to towns with populations too small to support a full-scale, coed gym.

Contours Express members follow a 29-minute cue tape that keeps them moving through aerobic stations and strength training machines. A fitness trainer (the franchisee or an employee) works with the members during their workouts, providing motivation and other services.

Clubs, which are usually located in strip centers, are about 1,200 square feet in size and can accommodate up to 20 members at a time.

About Fit36

Become part of a vibrant and fast-growing segment of the fitness industry flanked by training and systems which will support your growth and help you stand out in the market.
Fit36® is a membership-based gym in the business of changing lives and is a perfect opportunity for people like you to become a multi-unit franchise owner. The simple Fit36 business model allows franchise owners to hand over the daily operations to an experienced manager.
Between 2005 and 2012, gym memberships grew 22%, to 9 million memberships. In a single year between 2012 and 2013, gym memberships exploded by +16.5% and total memberships increased by 8.5 million. This trend continues upward today, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Veteran Incentives  $5,000 off first-unit franchise fee