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Updated RecentlyContours Express vs Row House Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Contours Express vs Row House including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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| Investment | $35,000 - $50,000 | $257,700 - $475,800 |
| Franchise Fee | $12,500 | $49,500 |
| Royalty Fee | $395/mo. | 7% |
| Advertising Fee | - | 2% |
| Year Founded | 1998 | 2015 |
| Year Franchised | 1998 | 2017 |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
| Renewal Fee | - | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| Experience | - | - |
Financing Options |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/No | -/- |
| Start-up Costs | No/No | -/Yes |
| Equipment | No/Yes | -/Yes |
| Inventory | No/No | -/Yes |
| Receivables | No/No | -/Yes |
| Payroll | No/No | -/Yes |
Training & Support |
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| Training | - | On-The-Job Training: 1 hour Classroom Training: 22 hours Additional Training: Manager training |
| 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 | Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform |
| Marketing | Ad slicks | Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media 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) | Number of Employees Required to Run: 8 |
Expansion Plans |
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| US Expansion | - | - |
| 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 Row House
At a time when the market is saturated with high-intensity, high-impact fitness concepts, the need for a more sustainable workout that reduces the risk of injury but still delivers an effective workout is clear. Predicted to be the new ‘go-to’ workout in 2018 by The Associated Press, indoor rowing has the extensive market potential not yet explored. Established in New York City in 2014, Row House was born from the idea that rowing is simply the most efficient, low-impact, high-energy, full-body workout for any fitness level that unites, inspires and drives people to dig a little deeper.
Led by an expert team with more than 25 years of fitness franchising experience, Row House will dominate indoor rowing in the boutique fitness industry by offering franchise opportunities across all major markets.
Seeking new franchise units throughout the U.S. , Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, South America and Western Europe