Water Babies Goes The Olympic Distance To China

The UK’s leading infant swimming school franchise soon to make a big splash in China.

Water Babies, the UK’s leading infant swimming school brand is making waves with the opening of its first swim centre in China. The new Water Babies franchise in China is the first of the 80 successful facilities the brand plans to open across the country in the next 10 years.

With over 50,000 customers per week, the Devon-based franchise business’ model is one that has relied on hiring out swimming pools and is now moving towards operating its own ‘premium facilities’ where it will offer Water Babies lessons and aqua natal classed by its sister company WaterBumps. Water Babies has taken the lead by developing water training and products exclusively for infants and parents. Courses are designed for babies as young as six weeks old who are plunged in the water by caregivers, allowing them to build from their natural uterine relationship with water lifesaving swimming skills. Managing director of Water Babies, Steve Franks said: "China has shown us the way. It is our move into China that has prompted the company to build centres across our whole network. Without the scale of ambition demonstrated in China, it is unlikely that we would have considered building centres in Europe either."

Water Babies has partnered with Myrtha, the Italian pool-building company responsible for the construction of pools for recent Olympic Games, Wold Championships and Commonwealth Games. Franks revealed the first centres will built in Shenzhen and Zhuhai in Southeast China where the leading infant swimming franchise intends to kick start with smaller classes for optimal experience for mother and child. Franks added: "The Chinese consumer places a huge importance on child development, which fits perfectly with everything we do at Water Babies. We have a really premium product which appeals strongly to the Chinese consumer." New to the Chinese Market, Franks is confident Water Babies is going to make a big splash and blow its competition out of the water.