Anytime Fitness Ranked #1 "Fastest-Growing Fitness Club In The World"

HASTINGS, Minn., July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- From the humble beginnings of its first gym, which was barely the size of a typical home basement, Anytime Fitness (www.anytimefitness.com) has quickly become the fastest-growing fitness club chain on the planet – with no signs of slowing down.

Featuring a unique combination of individual attention, online support and 24-hour club access, nearly 2,000 Anytime Fitness clubs now serve more than 1,400,000 members in a dozen countries.

"Anytime Fitness recognized that consumers would respond to extremely convenient and affordable clubs and developed a business model to meet this demand.  Their ten-year growth rate is truly remarkable," said Joe Moore, President and CEO of the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA).

Anytime Fitness, which earned the title of "fastest-growing fitness club" by opening 279 clubs in 2011 and 1,474 clubs over the last five years, prides itself on providing members with unparalleled support and encouragement in a friendly, non-intimidating club atmosphere.  (IHRSA ranked Anytime Fitness #1 in one-year and five-year Unit Growth in its annual "Global 25" listings: www.ihrsa.org.)

#1 in Growth -- and #1 in "Club Culture"

"Many businesses can grow quickly and other companies specialize in earning customer loyalty," said Chuck Runyon, Anytime Fitness CEO and co-founder.  "We take great pride in having accomplished both of those things simultaneously.  We've done so by focusing first on the needs of busy people who simply want to lead a healthier lifestyle and then by providing our franchisees with the practical tools, technology and educational support to help members achieve their goals."

The "fastest-growing fitness club" title comes on the heels of several other accolades and noteworthy events for Anytime Fitness. 

Earlier this month, Runyon and Dave Mortensen, Anytime Fitness President and co-founder, were featured on ABC's "Secret Millionaire."  A few days later, Minnesota Business magazine ranked Anytime Fitness #1 on its inaugural list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For." Prior to that, Anytime Fitness was named one of "10 Great Franchise Bets" by CNN Money, a "Top 20 Franchise for the Buck" by Forbes, and ranked #10 on Entrepreneur's "Top Global Franchise" list.

In recent weeks, Anytime Fitness opened its first club in Qatar and signed an area development agreement to open new clubs in India.  In the coming year, Anytime Fitness expects to open another 250 clubs and expand into as many as five new countries.

More than 1,000 Anytime Fitness franchisees, club managers, corporate staffers and preferred vendors will attend the company's 10th-anniversary celebration and conference at the historic Palmer House hotel in downtown Chicago, September 13-16th.   Media representatives seeking credentials to attend the conference should contact [email protected].

About Anytime Fitness

Founded in 2002, Anytime Fitness is now the fastest-growing fitness club franchise in the world, with nearly 1,500,000 members and 2,000 clubs worldwide. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Anytime Fitness prides itself on providing its members with convenient and affordable fitness options in friendly, well-maintained facilities which feature top-quality exercise equipment. Clubs are now open in 49 states, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Grand Cayman, Poland, the Netherlands, Qatar and Japan.  Join one club and use them all.  Members also enjoy free access to AnytimeHealth.com, the most comprehensive wellness website available. 

SOURCE Anytime Fitness