Singaporean boxing training and fitness franchise, Spartans Boxing Club is making the move down under, after announcing a master franchise opportunity for the region.
The franchise currently has two locations in Singapore, and reported it would be focusing on South-East Asia and Australia as its next growth markets.
Russell Harrison, general manager of Spartans Boxing Club said while franchise expansion had not been a goal initially, the studio’s model was well suited to the sector.
“When we set up three years ago, our concept was about community, with a real focus on family. We wanted a place where you could walk in, it was friendly, inviting and clean; different from the fight gyms that I grew up in and around,” Harrison said.
“What made us want to expand was that we discovered early on that our brand was pretty powerful; our social media strategy was doing great things and we were growing quickly.”
Catering to both adults and children, the second Singaporean location marked the first franchise site for Spartans, with the brand tailoring its offering for the international market.
“We’re looking to expand further in Singapore and Australia, but we’re also having conversations in Spain, Montreal and the UAE,” Harrison said.
“In Singapore and the broader environment, the boxing scene is expanding, it’s really on the way up, and the global fitness industry is booming.”
A Melbourne native himself, Harrison said when the franchise model was established; Australia was targeted as a primary growth centre.
“After we saw the growth potential, we brought in some consultants, who helped us put together our franchise model for a number of different countries,” Harrison said.
“There was always a focus on Australia, because we have the industry contacts and we know the culture. We’re currently in negotiations with franchise partners in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.”
For potential master franchise owners in Australia, Harrison said the opportunity presented a low-cost investment with solid support systems and strong ROI-focused franchisor network.
“We talk a lot about community and it’s critical to our model, but the number one goal for us is that it not just a passion play, it has to be a profitable business.”
“Obviously were just in initial conversations right now, but ideally we’d love to sign some five-gym deals for each location. If we can hit 15 gyms in Australia in the next two years, we’ll be happy.”