"BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY"

Snap Fitness adds facilities
7/3/2008 8:50:51 AMNEMS Daily Journal
BY DENNIS SEIDNEMS Daily JournalTUPELO - With the multi-billion dollar fitness industry growing about 8 percent a year, it's no wonder many see a vast business opportunity.One of the newest players is Snap Fitness, based in Chanhassen, Minn. Having opened its first franchise in 2004, the chain has grown to nearly 1,400 locations, including 14 in Mississippi. Nine more are scheduled to open this year in the state.Snap has been named among the top franchise operations by several business magazines, including Entrepreneur, Franchise Market and Success.And in Northeast Mississippi, two more of the 24-hour fitness centers have opened, one in Saltillo and the other in Tupelo.Franchise owner Rick Jones, who has several other Snap locations, said the business model is simple:"It's convenient and it's affordable," he said. "And once you're a member of one, you're a member of all Snap Fitness Clubs."For Jones, the Tupelo location is his flagship.It sits in the former Berkline/BenchCraft Furniture showroom near the Mississippi Complex of the Tupelo Furniture Market. Snap fills about 6,500 square feet of the 21,000-square-foot building. "We have plenty of room to grow, and we're already talking about what we might do," said Tupelo Snap General Manager Thomas Cain. The club features Cybex equipment, free weights, 50-inch flatscreen televisions and stand-up tanning beds.There are no showers available, however.Jones said Snap pushes "quick and convenient" and shower facilities aren't part of the program - at least for now.Cain said response to the Tupelo club - and Saltillo, too - has been favorable in the nearly two weeks they've been open."We've got about 200 agreements - that's very good," said Cain, who added that Jones likes to "think outside the box" when it comes to designing his Snap Fitness locations."He adds some of his own ideas, too, and it really shows," Cain said.For example, the typical Snap club is about 3,000 square feet. The Tupelo location is more than twice that, and the Saltillo club is 4,000 square feet."I go larger, I put in cut-pile carpet, I add big-screen TVs, and I make this a big production," Jones said. "We do it up right."Memberships are on a month-to-month basis, but longer term contracts are available.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 7/3/2008, section B , page 6