Blink Fitness vs Planet Fitness Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Blink Fitness Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
Investment $637,000 - $2,150,000$968,100 - $4,113,000
Franchise Fee $10,000 - $40,000$20,000
Royalty Fee 5%7% of Gross Membership Fees
Advertising Fee 5%9%
Year Founded 20101992
Year Franchised 20152003
Term Of Agreement -10 years
Term Of Agreement -10 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Blink Fitness Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
Experience 5+ years of relevant business experience or operator with that level of experience -

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

Training & Support
 
Blink Fitness Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
Training We offer an industry-leading 150 hours of training to prepare you to run your Blink business successfully. This training includes: Orientation that includes a thorough overview of the business Deep-dive classroom and virtual training on each area of the Blink business Hands-on operational training at one of our gyms A support person who will spend up to a week at your location during your club opening. * Available at headquarters: 2 weeks * At franchisee's location: as needed
Support When you join the Blink Fitness family as a franchise owner, you gain instant access to one of the most well-rounded executive teams in the business. In addition to having deep roots in the fitness industry, our leadership team brings a mix of experience from world-class companies that includes Equinox, Dunkin Donuts, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Whole Foods Market, Starbucks, and Ann Taylor.* 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 Number of employees required > about 20 Owner/operator required Absentee ownership 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
 
Blink Fitness Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Blink Fitness

Blink Fitness is perfectly positioned at the premium end of the value segment. Blink brings a unique positioning to the segment by addressing common consumer barriers to joining a gym. Most people believe that gyms aren't for people like them; they're for people with hard bodies like the ones shown in most gym advertising. Blink has removed the barriers of working out at a gym by celebrating the positive emotions people get from exercise.
 *We're MOOD LIFTERS TM who greet you with enthusiasm and treat you with respect
 *Our gym design is colorful, bright, and open
 *We have an everyone cleans philosophy so our gyms are always spotless
 *We specifically select energizing music that will keep you motivated
 *We offer training programs that boost confidence, not your wallet.

 *We Put Mood Above Muscle
 *We’re the first gym to showcase body diversity and engage people who have been disenfranchised by stereotypical fitness ads.

We have proven ourselves as the leader in the premium value fitness sector and have perfected the model so you can run with it.
Our recurring revenue model for the important first three years and beyond is backed by solid statistics.
Median gross sales in years 1 through 3 at existing company-operated locations are impressive.
 *How we know our model works - We've created a highly affordable, premium-quality member experience across all our company-owned clubs that has achieved:
 + Success across a wide range of demographics, psychographics and markets (urban and suburban) in the NY Metro area
+ More than 200,000 members who love us. (Just read the Yelp reviews!)

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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