India is a prime opportunity for us because many of our franchisees are Indians- Jim Durie

The increasing awareness in the fitness industry is taking the enthusiastic to the point where they can experiment as they like. These changes are imposing a good change in the market, leading it to grow and prosper well. Franchising has been a good booster to the fitness industry and it has a lot of scope for all the industries in the times to come. In a conversation with Jim Durie, Director, Energie Fitness, he tells us about his thoughts on the Indian fitness industry, the potential he sees in franchising and his experience at Franchise India 2017 show.

Kindly give us a brief about your brand.
Energie fitness began in the UK in 2003 and is now 15 years old. It’s a health and fitness club which drives the crux of being a member trying to be the most common denominator so that we can broaden the base of our membership.

What trends can you see emerging in the Indian fitness industry?
So, In India, particularly, the population is very young and it’s going to be the youngest population in the world for the next 20-30 years. The young people of today have ambitions to enjoy western lifestyle but more importantly, they have ambitions to be healthy and feel good. With the epidemic in the cases of diabetes, coronary heart illness etc already exist in India, our brand is going to contribute to the medical peers in the future.

How important is franchising today for a brand to expand?
I think it is important, however, I believe that getting people involved in your business is more important than selling franchises. I am looking for partners but I need to have the right partners. I won’t get married to the wrong person.

Kindly tell us about your franchise models on offer and share its specifications.
Our franchising is in the fitness club which takes up to 5-7000 sq. Ft. space. It’s modern, upbeat, fun and a little bit irreverent as well. It is based on the strapline where you belong.  We want our franchise operators to ensure that the people who are members belong to us. We are looking to expand in India for the next 20 years. 

What are your expansion plans for the brand?
We already have franchisees in England, Scotland, Wales, Poland, Latvia and many others. We are talking to people in other countries such as in Africa we have spread across four territories. We are taking our brand further east and India is a prime opportunity for us because many of our franchisees are already from India. They had immigrated to UK but now want to bring the brand and products here.

How has been your experience at the Delhi Show 2017 so far?
The population is very big and different. The number of people who have come through the doors to look at franchising is very surprising. I think franchising has more relevance in India than it has anywhere else in the Europe particularly. It’s a way to get in business safely and securely. We know that 45% of start-up businesses fail while only 5% of the franchising businesses fail.