It’s been a massive few years for fitness giant BFT. Most recently their efforts have been recognised by being awarded the 2024 APAC Franchise of the Year award at the Beyond Activ Summit, held in Singapore. BFT has taken out the title three times over the past four years, cementing its dominance as a business leader in the global fitness landscape.
What does the 2024 APAC Franchise of the Year Award represent?
Beyond Activ (formerly known as Fit Summit) describes the qualities of businesses that can be eligible for their Franchise of the Year award as “Any fitness, wellness or lifestyle franchise, that operates or invests in Asia-Pacific Award based on; the success of existing portfolio in APAC; recent net growth of franchisees in APAC; net growth of member rate in APAC; industry reputation; consumer reputation; franchise leadership; and investment on customer experience.”
In winning the award, BFT was competing against brands including Revl, Snap Fitness, and Anytime Fitness. “We are humbled to win the 2024 APAC Franchise of the Year award again,” said Dave Aitchison, APAC CEO for BFT. “The fitness industry in APAC is incredibly competitive, with many brands growing fast and branching out overseas. A focus for us as a business over the last 12 months has been to really drive performance and growth within our existing studios – if our franchisees are having success, then we are doing our job.”
Steady growth for BFT across APAC
BFT has been on an upward, global trajectory since launching in Melbourne in 2017. In March 2023, the brand celebrated the opening of its 300th studio (Barcelona, Spain) and has opened 42 studios since the start of this year alone.
BFT boasts 66,000 members across APAC, with a net member growth rate of 18%, and has seen year-on-year growth of 9.96%. As far as franchise sales across the APAC region, BFT reported:
- 75% of territories are sold in Singapore.
- 27% of territories sold within the first six months of launch in Hong Kong.
- 80% of territories are sold in New Zealand, with predictions of 90% by the end of 2024.
- 70% of territories sold in Australia with significant growth across NSW (Australia’s most competitive market).
Founder, Cameron Falloon, and the BFT team have paved the way for many boutique fitness brands to enter the market. They have established a structure, price point, and standard that has opened up the group fitness market. We’re excited to see where this Aussie business success story goes from here.
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