énergie Fitness takes home prestigious award

énergie Fitness walked away from one the franchising calendar’s most prestigious awards evenings with a highly coveted award.

Gym franchise énergie Fitness celebrated its big win at the 2019 HSBC BFA Franchise Awards, as it took home the crown in the Brand Awareness & Innovation category. It faced stiff competition from other successful, long-established franchises, but managed to claim victory thanks to what HSBC’s Head of Franchising, Andy Brattesani, said was “innovation in brand strategy and thoughtful [implementation] throughout the network”.

Pip Wilkins, CEO of the BFA, commented on why énergie was the worthy winner in its category.

"All the finalists have shown excellence in innovation. But the judges were truly impressed with énergie Fitness' rehaul of its identity to adapt to society."

The franchise’s rebranding of its ‘Fit4Less’ clubs to énergie Fitness, as well as its introduction of boutique fitness concept ‘The Yard’, helped the franchise to secure the win. In addition, its gym owner training programme, ‘Take the Stage’, which helps all of its franchisees improve their skills in delivering an exceptional gym service to their clubs’ members, was recognised for its quality.

Ian Rushbury, Head of Training, Fitness and Innovation, explained why the ‘Take the Stage’ programme has been so effective.

"My team is delivering four-hour, in-club training sessions on our culture, service promise and member interaction. By the time the rebrand is finished, all clubs will be delivering the customer experience in a more unified way."

Speaking back in 2017 during the extensive rebranding process, Head of Franchise Recruitment, Peter Croney, explained what franchisees need to understand prior to joining the business.

"It's very important that franchisees understand exactly what it takes to be successful. Franchising stacks the cards in their favour, but we still have to make it clear that running a franchise is much more than paying a fee, sitting back and waiting for the money to roll in."