The Australian-made but globally loved Studio Pilates International is celebrating many milestones in 2022, including its 20th birthday, expansion into a fifth country, the U.K., and many new sites sold around the world, including the most recent in Denver, Colorado.
Studio Pilates was founded by former Olympic swimmer and PT, Jade Winter, and his wife and qualified physiotherapist, Tanya Winter, in 2002.
The business has since boomed with 72 studios now operational across Australia, New Zealand, China, the U.S. and the U.K., 123 sites sold and many more to come.
While many fitness franchises have been struggling post-pandemic, Studio Pilates has seen a 38 per cent growth in revenue for 2021 and 2022 and a 48 per cent growth YOY in the number of studios opened. Standing strong in the face of adversity, the brand has also never had to close a studio due to financial hardship.
The Studio Pilates franchisees are proof of the iron-clad turn-key franchise business model, with over 50 per cent of current franchisees owning more than one studio, with some owning up to four and continuing to expand their portfolios.
Co-founder and CEO Jade Winter attributes the growth and success of the company to its solid foundation and accessibility to people of all professional backgrounds.
One of the brand’s biggest USPs is that you don’t need any prior experience in fitness or business to invest in a franchise.
Jade explained: “When Tanya and I started Studio Pilates, we didn’t have any experience in business, so we worked really hard for over 10 years learning the ins and outs and creating centralized systems and processes, which we then turned into a turn-key business model.
“One of the biggest things that prevents people from investing in a business is that they’re intimidated by things like numbers – and I don’t blame them. We’ve mitigated that fear by streamlining all of those processes and created centralized cloud-based systems including accounting and bookkeeping that takes a bit of the initial stress and risk out.”
With a huge shift recently seen in the fitness industry, more people are ditching high-impact cardio and HIIT training in favor of more mindful movements, which makes Studio Pilates an even more appealing investment.
Jade added: “Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a huge shift in people’s attitude around exercise, including a big focus on mindful movement that enhances the connection between the mind and the body and that’s what Studio Pilates does.
“Furthermore, my wife Tanya is a physiotherapist and she’s designed our unique program so it’s suitable for all ages and fitness abilities, meaning the client pool is a lot bigger than a lot of other fitness franchises.”
