Platoon Fitness vs Planet Fitness Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Platoon Fitness Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
Investment $29,300 - $40,100$968,100 - $4,113,000
Franchise Fee $20,000$20,000
Royalty Fee 6%7% of Gross Membership Fees
Advertising Fee -9%
Year Founded 19991992
Year Franchised 20062003
Term Of Agreement 5 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 5 years10 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Platoon Fitness Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options
 
Platoon Fitness Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/NoNo/No
Start-up Costs No/NoNo/No
Equipment No/NoNo/Yes
Inventory No/NoNo/No
Receivables No/NoNo/No
Payroll No/NoNo/No

Training & Support
 
Platoon Fitness Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
Training * Available at headquarters: 2 weeks

* At franchisee's location: 2 months

* Additional training 5 times a year at franchisee's location

* Available at headquarters: 2 weeks * At franchisee's location: as needed
Support -* Newsletter * Meetings * Toll-free phone line * Grand opening * Internet * Security/safety procedures * Field operations/evaluations * Purchasing cooperatives
Marketing -* Co-op advertising * Ad slicks * Regional advertising
Operations * Franchise can be run from home

* Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 2

* Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed.

* 40% of all franchisees own more than one unit * Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (70% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Expansion Plans
 
Platoon Fitness Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion Yes-

Company Overviews

About Platoon Fitness

Can you devote the same focus to our franchise as our workout teams do to their fitness? If so, that's the kind of franchisee we're looking for! Platoon Fitness

That's right just like one of our workout teams, we expect our franchise team to be on board with the program 100%. There's simply no point in becoming a part of the team if you are not prepared to put in the effort and keep a sharp focus on the key factors needed to reach our franchise goals. The reason for our company's phenomenal success is no accident. Years of planning, testing, adjusting and refining have taught us many of the pitfalls of business ownership and allowed us to continually improve and learn through experience. A Platoon Fitness franchisee needs a clear mind to focus on the most important task at hand: running a successful business.

About Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness got its start in 1992 when Michael Grondahl acquired a struggling gym. He reduced membership prices to compete against better-known brands and focused on serving occasional or first-time gym users. Every Planet Fitness location holds a pizza night for members once a month, as well as a bagel morning, and Tootsie Rolls are available at all times.
Planet Fitness strives to promote health in a respectful atmosphere. For over a decade, Planet Fitness has gone to great lengths to provide its members with a friendly space to work out. We call it the Judgment Free Zone. We discourage weight dropping and obnoxious grunting so you can focus on your own workout and not the person next to you.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a single Planet Fitness facility ranges from $968,100 to $3,072,000 if you finance your equipment.
This includes $48,000 to $297,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate.
If you choose to purchase your equipment, the total investment necessary to begin operation of a single Planet Fitness facility ranges from $1,500,000 to $4,113,000.
This includes $295,000 to $912,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate.
These estimated initial investment ranges also apply to each location that you develop under the Area Development Agreement (plus the Area Development Fee you pay at the time you sign the Area Development Agreement). If you sign an Area Development Agreement, you must develop one or more Planet Fitness facilities, and you will pay an Area Development Fee of $10,000 per planned location (paid in full when you sign the Area Development Agreement) in addition to the then-current initial franchise fee due for each location at the time the Franchise Agreement for that location is signed.

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