Opening or taking over a fitness or sports centre

Ouvrir ou reprendre une salle de fitness ou de sport

All the advice if you want to take over a gym

The development of the fitness sector continues and many people wish to embark on the adventure. Several solutions are then possible: create your own gym, take over an existing gym or join a franchise network. Discover everything in an article by AZEOO!

Key points

Consistency between the profile of the entrepreneur and the project: although the idea is attractive, taking over a sports hall is unfortunately not for everyone. You have to like the world of sports, have a lot of time available and, above all, be a good manager.

The analysis of the gyms that you have worked with is very important. You will also have to manage all the infrastructure and staff.

Location: the location of your future gym must be carefully thought out and you must analyse its geographical situation. If your premises are isolated, you will have few customers, so aim for major roads, town centres, etc.

Layout: you should plan your premises to see if there is enough space. Try to identify where to put the changing rooms with showers and other facilities, but also where the reception desk and waiting area will be located.

Equipment: Quality equipment should naturally be prioritised. Also consider placing more cardio machines than weight training machines. The latter are more varied and there is often no point in having 3 thigh presses in a single room.

Hygiene and safety rules: the necessary equipment to help an injured client (or a person in distress in general) must be present in your gym. Fire and hygiene regulations are also compulsory, find more information on this link.

Cleanliness: the cleaning and cleanliness of your venue must be taken into account in the time and salary costs.

Civil liability insurance: this is compulsory and will protect you and your staff. It must be clearly displayed in your venue.

Communication: we have written several articles on communication and marketing. In summary, consider creating a website and social media accounts. Feed them intelligently by making users want to know more and share the daily life of your venue.

Regulations to be respected

You do not need to have a diploma to open a gym. However, the coaches and staff must have a state diploma.

A declaration to the prefecture will be necessary within 3 months in order to register the equipment and to approve the gym. More information on the legislation governing gyms here.

Imposition

  • Entrance tickets and subscriptions are subject to the VAT rate of 20%.

  • Profits made are subject to tax.

  • If your turnover is more than €500,000 per year, you will have to pay the business property tax.

To find out more, discover the AZEOO personalised coaching software.

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