Genesis Health + Fitness’ national franchise chain is off to a very strong start for 2021. 

At the end of February, national memberships had returned to 96 per cent of pre-Covid levels. This included the hard-hit Victoria which was seriously impacted by extended lockdowns.

Genesis Health + Fitness CEO Ian Jensen-Muir said “Gyms were one of the hardest affected, being amongst the first facilities to close down and the last allowed to re-open, and even into this year we’re facing more isolated closures.

“Extending our program online through the Home Fitness Network was key to getting through the lockdown periods and continues to assist us as we manage hot spots and state-based lockdowns that are continuing throughout this year.”

Looking forward, Genesis Health + Fitness has its eyes firmly set on in-club innovations along with more flexible franchising options.

“From a member perspective there are two key pivots we’ve already made for 2021 – strengthening community and online extension of the gym environment. Community has always been a big part of our offering at Genesis health + Fitness, but it’s more important now than ever before.

“We’re also looking to implement major innovations across the network this year that will bring more services and support under one gym roof and to tap into a growing interest from the market in wellness and achieving balance in one’s approach to health.

“We’ll be rolling out technology like body scanners and massage guns – it’s all about convenience and making it easier for members to achieve their goals without having to visit various providers at different locations.

“There will also be new offerings in the wellness space.” 

On the franchise front, the business is developing a number of innovative offers with additional technology and flexibility for new franchisees working in a reduced footprint model.

“Some of the new site options may be up to one fifth of the size of some of our larger facilities and will focus on offering only the core, ‘hero’ elements of the Genesis model. This cost-effective option will appeal to many new franchisees and open up additional opportunities in regional Australia as well.”

Overall, Genesis Health + Fitness is very optimistic about 2021.

“I think this perspective is shared by most in the industry who have been prepared to innovate. While 2020 was particularly challenging because what we faced was new, this year is a different story as we now know much more about what we’re dealing with.”