When Joshua Thomas took over Plus Fitness Katoomba in 2025, aged 25, the Blue Mountains club had been trading since 2013 and was due for investment. Fifteen months later, memberships are up 40% and monthly visits have risen 75%, from around 4,000 to 7,000.
The turnaround came from a rapid refit, a policy of putting revenue back into the business, and a deliberate focus on community and staff. For operators weighing up buying an existing gym, Katoomba is a useful case study in what an owner-operator can unlock in an established club.
From personal trainer to Plus Fitness franchise owner
Thomas grew up in the Blue Mountains, joined a gym on his 16th birthday and studied exercise and sports science, aiming for a career in strength and conditioning. Gym ownership was a goal, but a franchise was not part of the plan.
That changed after he built his own personal training business and worked at Plus Fitness Katoomba. The previous owner approached him about taking over the club, and Thomas saw a site he already knew well, with members he knew and room to grow.
“I could see the growth potential. It was a better buying opportunity because I could come in, revitalise it and leave my own mark on the business,” he says.
He bought the club with his wife, Fiona, with the aim of building a business that could support their young family and give Fiona flexibility around the children. Thomas runs day-to-day operations; Fiona works behind the scenes.
Securing finance to buy a gym franchise
Securing finance was difficult, and Thomas had to weigh the investment, the debt and the likely return. The franchise model gave him an established brand, systems and scale, and access to other Plus Fitness franchisees who had already been through the process.
“The support from the franchisor has been great. They’re always looking at ways to improve the product and the experience for both members and franchisees. Having systems and processes in place also helps you understand what to look at and which numbers matter.”
Learning to read those numbers has been central to his move from trainer to owner. He stays in regular contact with other franchisees and attends industry events to see what is working elsewhere.
Gym refurbishment: a 14-day refit and ongoing reinvestment
Within weeks of settlement, the club closed for a complete 14-day refurbishment: new paint, equipment, lighting, flooring and bathrooms. Thomas saw it as a signal to members and the wider community that the gym had entered a new chapter.
“I wanted to respect the club’s history, while being sure to bring it into the modern era, because I wanted people to see the investment we were making and the direction we were taking the business. I wanted it to feel like an evolution of Plus Fitness Katoomba.”
The refit was the start, not the finish. Thomas treats the club as an active business rather than a passive investment, putting extra revenue back into the offer.
“Dad has always taught me good business principles. My philosophy is to ‘build it and they will come’. Make it so good that people find it hard not to want to come back and keep improving the offer to give members a reason to stay.”
Gym member retention through community engagement
The Thomas family has run local businesses for decades, and those ties shape how the club works with its town. Recent initiatives include:
- donating gym equipment to a local school
- helping fund a school basketball team’s trip to the state championships
- becoming a major sponsor of a junior rugby league club
- volunteering to teach students about resistance training
- giving members thousands of dollars’ worth of fresh fruit, groceries and fuel vouchers, with no strings attached.
“We want to give back to the community that has supported us. It’s about building those relationships and being involved in people’s lives beyond what happens inside the gym. Our staff make a point of knowing members by name and creating an environment that feels welcoming rather than intimidating.”
The retention numbers suggest it is working. Average member tenure at the club is around 534 days, against what Plus Fitness puts as an industry average of about seven months. Some members have trained there since it opened in 2013, and the membership ranges in age from 14 to 97.
“We hear stories from so many people about how much the gym has changed their lives. The decisions we make as owners affect so many people, and making the gym better for them is about much more than profitability.”
Hiring gym managers who take ownership
Thomas has appointed two experienced managers, Sharon and Donna, whose skills complement each other across members of different ages and fitness levels. He credits their approachability and rapport with members as central to the club’s culture.
“I wanted people who genuinely care about the members and who can take ownership of what they do. Running a gym requires a broad range of skills. You have to be versatile. One day you’re creating social media content, the next you’re tightening bolts, cleaning bathrooms, managing the business or helping someone with their training.”
Advice for buying a gym franchise in Australia
With Katoomba performing strongly, Thomas plans to acquire more Plus Fitness clubs and build a multi-site business, with managers running individual locations. He says the franchise model gives him a base to grow without building every system from scratch.
He is clear-eyed about the commitment. His advice for anyone weighing up a franchise:
- Do the due diligence. “Understand the opportunity and whether you can genuinely make a difference or if a gym is performing at its peak.”
- Look past the purchase price. Know the full investment, the debt and the return before you sign.
- Stay adaptable. “You won’t know everything when you start, so you have to be adaptable and willing to learn.”
- Know your numbers and your people. “Understand the numbers, get the right people around you and be prepared to put the work in.”
“Enjoy being part of something that builds people up and improves lives,” he says. “We’re helping people live healthier lives, and that means something.”
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