Curves Franchise
A Guide To The Curves Franchise.In 1992 the precursor to the Curves franchise opened in Harlingen, Texas. Diane and Gary Heavin opened a small gym in their hometown, but almost immediately began losing money. A few months later Diane noticed that most gyms in the area were full of men, yet women were noticeably absent. Drawing on her own feelings, she began speaking to other women and noticed a trend. Most women Diane knew were hesitant to spend time in a gym because they were self-conscious of working out in the presence of men. Diane and Gary began discussing the idea of opening a gym for women only, and the first real Curves franchise opened in 1995. The idea behind the Curves franchise is that it is a gym for women only, with no men allowed. This has changed slightly in recent years, with some owner operators allowing men to join yet this is still the minority. In many cases the owner operators still adhere to the philosophy of a women only gym as this allows them to work with the corporation’s own advertising. If they do allow men to join their Curves franchise, it becomes similar to any other gym. The other philosophy behind the Curves franchise is that these shops can be opened anywhere in the world. Membership is not limited to one area, one region, or even one country. Individuals who are interested in opening a branch of the Curves franchise can buy directly from the company, or purchase an already existing site. The problem of course is that not everyone can find a location within their given area. The Curves franchise works by establishing only one shop within a given territory, meaning that there can only be one within a specific radius as determined by the corporation. This prevents the over saturation of the market. The problem is that this only works in larger areas, and does not work in smaller areas. In a smaller area there may be three or four Curves franchise locations which makes it difficult for anyone to earn a profit. Buying a Curves franchise from the company itself is often a less expensive option. The company charges a set fee to buy into the company, along with monthly fees and a required training session at the head office in Texas. Then it is simply a matter of finding a location and renting the necessary equipment. Buying an existing location is often much more expensive because the current owner has invested time and money in advertising and gathering a client base. The Curves franchise has both positive and negative aspects that are dependent on a number of factors. In recent years past owner operators have begun filing lawsuits against the company, including a class action lawsuit in 2005. They claimed the company was impeding on their profits and also preventing them from making as much money as they were promised. The same complaints have been echoed by former owners all around the world.
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