Fit Zone For Women vs Planet Fitness Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Fit Zone For Women Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
Investment $100,100 - $150,450$968,100 - $4,113,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$20,000
Royalty Fee Varies7% of Gross Membership Fees
Advertising Fee -9%
Year Founded 20031992
Year Franchised 20062003
Term Of Agreement 5 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 5 years10 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Fit Zone For Women Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options
 
Fit Zone For Women 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
 
Fit Zone For Women Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
Training -* 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 -* 40% of all franchisees own more than one unit * Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (70% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Expansion Plans
 
Fit Zone For Women Franchise
Planet Fitness Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Fit Zone For Women

Just ask any of our tens of thousands of club members. As soon as they laid eyes on a Fit Zone for Women health club, they knew it was exactly what they had been looking for. That is why most of our franchisees were originally members of a Fit Zone For Women club! Fit Zone For Women is the ONLY health club that was designed exclusively for women, by women. Gretchen Shannon, our President and CEO, along with a panel of female health experts, designed Fit Zone For Women to be the only full facility health club for women. From the exclusive Nautilus For Women strength training equipment to our cardio machines and group exercise classes, Fit Zone is a REAL HEALTH CLUB, just without men. This is why Fit Zone For Women is one of the fastest growing health club franchises in the United States today.

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.

"Entrepreneur

#7 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
#8 in Franchise 500 for 2021.