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Do you own a Curves for Women franchise? Have you owned one, or know anyone who has? What are your thoughts on this franchise?
Curves For Women is one of the fastest growing franchise companies of the decade, having now topped 10,000 locations. I know in our area the concept seems to have passed the test of time. However, according to Franchise Pundit, 8% of the current Curves franchise locations are for sale.
What’s the inside scoop on the Curves for Women franchise opportunity?
SHARE YOUR INSIGHT. LEAVE A COMMENT.
Looking to buy Curves in GA USA and relocate members to my current fitness center. Does anyone know if Curves will sue if I buy the Curves contracted members and bill them from my club, drop the Curves name?
My attorney told me the Curves contract is the most one sided contact he has ever seen and it screams “we want your money, we want your money”
Curves has recently partnered with Cleveland Clinic and together they developed a premier weight management, nutrition, and behavior modification system which is just being launched called Curves Complete. After the economic downturn and loss of many Curves – and the restructuring of territories to protect the surviving Curves – I think the time is ripe for a resurgence of the core Curves who have weathered thus far. Exercise alone is never highly successful for the sort of weight loss that many early members sought.
Now, with the integration of daily online accountability, weekly one on one coaching, and the availability of facilitated group meetings, along with a well researched nutrition plan, and bio feedback exercise, I really think the weight loss focus can be met in a sustainable way.
Also, regarding membership numbers, this is something each individual would need to figure based on the number of hours the owner will work, rent, and cost of living in the area. There is no set number as I have seen very small memberships sustain a one woman (and one employee) facility. What are your expectations – hours to work and income – you can figure membership needs from there.
I am thinking of investing in CURVES. What is the sucess rate in North Carolina?
I assume you are considering a re-sale.You need at least 350 consistent paying members to earn a profit. I don’t know what rents are in NC, but you need to be under $2,800 per month. Check projection sheets and tax returns. If there has been a membership decline over 2 years, you can aasume it will continue and you will need to survive for 5 years. I only know of a few clubs that have grown in membership and that is only because clubs closed around them. Do your due dillengence and don’t let your emotions rule your decision.
Thank you for this blog. I have been seriously considering buying a Curves in my home town BC,Canada. I have had a few meetings with a owner (prior to listing) and have had many concerns ( membership #’s , declining membership, lenghth of lease, 2 locations in same town -to close together, potental earnings ? francise rules, regs. ) . I have been a member for 7 years and have seen membership decline , 2 owners- (recent only 1 yr) . Almost left myself but have regained my momentum recently with loss of my job of 22 yrs. I love the concept , how it coincides with my interests. Would love to fnd something similar that I could do to help women – without going broke !
I am a former Curves owner. I closed my club in Dec. 2010. No matter how hard we worked we could not make a living with Curves. We worked long hours. There is a lot of paper work to do. We tried all kinds of promotions. We worked booths at fairs, football games, health fairs, etc.. Put flyers out all over town. This job takes ALL of your time. We loved our members, but just could not keep losing money.
Does anyone think that Curves will turn around? Was Curves a good business before the ecomony went down? I am looking to buy a resale at this time? Please let me know what you think..Thanks
I have owned a Curves for 2years same thing I have done everything they have asked of me. But I havent had a wage in 18 months and work 6 days a week. Has anyone out there got to court to fight this company
It appears the US Curves is in trouble. What about Canada, specifically Ontario?
I agree the market appears saturated in the GTA, and the clubs are small – the demographic is suitable.
Is Canada suffering too? Owners let me know.
Canada has done a lot better than the US because we have not had a rough time as much as the US has. I love Curves, have been a multi club owner for 12 years and am still making money today. Why, by doing everything the Curves way. A lot of other franchisees that complain do so because they do not follow the system. When the economies turn around, just like all other business’s out there, so will Curves and more will open.
I have had a Curves franchise for 5 years, at first it was fantastic but has steadily gone down hill. There is no support from Curves International, they just take your money every month for virtually nothing. I have just seen the episode of Secret Millionaire featuring Gary and Diane Heavin and it made me SO MAD. It protrays them as some kind of saints giving away over $400,000. What about the Franchisees who helping to make you the rich people you are. $2 billion last year. What about the Franchisees who are going bankrupt and walking away from their clubs. What about giving them some help. No! No help for us. They still haunt those poor franchisees for unpaid royalties, for the term of their contract. Come on Gary and Diane CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. Look after your Franchisees otherwise you may end up like the people you were helping on the TV show.
I owned a Curves for 4 years. I was there 6 days a week. I opened and closed it. There was never any help from Curves. I closed my doors last July (2010). I had to file bankruptcy but I still have to pay the bank about 30,000. because I mortgaged my house. I still after a year haven’t received the final insurance payments. Isn’t that insurance fraud? I think the insurance companies need to know.
I believe more than 50%of all Curves have closed. Curves is a revolving door of low cost membership and constant giveaways by corporate. You must maintain over 350 members or more at all times to succeed. Women working out are normally fickle, with you for awhile and then stopping. It’s hard to emotionally commit to continue their exercise program. Franchise lured many women into buying in without full disclosure of financial commitment and high demand for membership ti be successful. Many women mortgaged their homes, trusting a “Christian Owner” and lost their investment. Too many Curves were too close together. It’s a great deal for the member, but the owner can’t stay in business for long and if so, pays a heavy price for it. Too much competition in that industry.
Best you could edit the blog title Is Curves for Women a Good Franchise Investment? : EveryJoe – Sports and Entertainment News to something more specific for your subject you create. I enjoyed the blog post still.
WOW..I must be crazy to be considering this venture.. I am about to open a Curves in Italy. My husband is scared of the risk, and my mother thinks I’m going to lose my house. I’ve been trying to convince them that this was a winning idea, and that nothing will go wrong. I spoke with the other gym owners ( there are now 26 here in Italy ) and they seem to like it, even tho they say it’s A LOT of work. They sent me all this great information making it look like the perfect decision for me, and they totally convinced me to go for it. I was about to mortgage my house in order to get the money ( which by the way here in Italy the cost of the franchise alone is $45,000 !!!! ) I would need over $100,000 in order to open…I’m so glad I found this page…these are the firstt negative writings I’ve read about Curves and I must say, I’m nervous now about signing the contract.. ( I hate it when my mother is right !! ) Still not sure what I’m going to do…I don’t have a plan B…any ideas ??
Hello, did you open your curves?
I will be in Rome for a few weeks and wanted to find a Curves to work off my extra wine and pasta. Did you open your business? Also, my city, Norfolk, VA used to have 3 Curves locations. They have all closed. So I now go to the next closest one. I don’t know what is going on with Curves, but it doesn’t look good.
NO THIS IS NOT A WISE INVESTMENT UNLESS YOU JUST HAVE MONEY AND TIME TO GIVE AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 The company is good and I believe in it, but the companies business pratices and ethics are screwed up. They allowed me to buy into the company and then said I wasn’t a “legal owner” and finally took my existing business of 5 years and gave it to the Texas Rep for free.
Are you in a Club and not satisfied, then contact Kerry at kmanahan@globalnetpc.com. We may be able to help you with a solution for you that keeps you in your club. No cost or obligation. Send me an Email with you contact information, best time to call and etc.
Sincerely
Kerry
I have owned a franchise for almost 4 years. The previous owner misrepresented the active ( consistently working out) members to me. I feel I purchased a lie. I am down to 72 active members but only about 30 work out each day, and membership is dropping drastically. I have so many women that I know love Curves and I am feeling quilty for considering closing. There are alot of expenses at the first of the year, I am considering giving up Dec. 31. I have a full time job and depended on my manager to keep things going. BIG MISTAKE. Looking over the Archived members I know over 600 women have been members at on time or another. I love Curves and I don’t understand why everyone else does not. I think it is a great workout especially for older women.
I’m considering buying a CURVES too, but will change with the times and marketing! Ask anyone…the hours don’t work and just workout enough is not enough! You have to GO to your dietitians in the area, your doctors who specialize in obesity and diabetes, offer teen only hour(s), and expand the market base. Set up a buddy system, food drives, community involvement….great product, these are hard times…no one should give up their half hour of sanity. Stick with it and add 25 members by Christmas!
BE SCARED. DON’T BUY!
Please let the owner of your club know she is not alone.
http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/curves-franchise-resale-buyer-alleges-fraud/
When you joined this Curves location, was the cancellation policy explained to you? Did the trainer who signed you say it was a 12 month contract, and that you have committed to 12 drafts? Was anything said about it continuing after the 12 drafts?
Curves International’s defense is you signed a contract that stated your draft would continue until your contract was cancelled in writing. They claim the consumer must take responsibility. Their defense is you should have noticed a draft coming out of your account each month. This is wrong on so many levels.
Have you filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission?
I am entertaining the idea of purchasing a Curves franchise in a small town. I have been a fitness instructor for over 30 years, and presently I’m a licensed Zumba, Zumba Gold and Zumbatomics instructor. I woulkd like to offer Zumba classes at the same center. Is this plausible?
K Joleen, it is personally rewarding to really make a difference in women’s lives. Yet, I have to say be prepared to learn quick, receive little support and work ALOT. You are more successful the more you work but if you are an empathetic person like myself being “tuned in” to others needs for lots of hours can be emotionally draining. Negotiate on the price big time!! I wouldn’t buy one that I had to get a loan to do so, because the profit margins are low. Know the location lease/rent requirments you need to have low overhead and if you are in a high rent area this is impossible to change. Listen to the owner that talked about the true member numbers of who is actually working out. You need to know who is working out. Because I did the same thing and contaced those who weren’t. They were grateful for my honesty but I lost 25 of the 125 members I had when I took over within 2 months of starting. Within two years I am up to 136 but not quite making livable profits. Also, I recommend knowing the number of members who prepay for their memberships and take this into consideration into reducing the selling price if they are keeping those membership dues. Because any of them cancel you still are responsible for refunding part of those prepaid dues that you never seen. Overall, I wouuldn’t recommend it unless you are fully prepared for all of these things, ready to work alot, ready to learn really fast, and buying cheap.
Hi, I own a Curves in a small town.The club is down to 75 members ,I have been thinking about staying open but getting rid of the Curves name and just having a women fitness club.Does anyone know the best way to go about this or anyone who has done this without being sued by Curves International.
Thanks Cathy
Cathy, feel free to contact us at 877-591-5037
You WILL be sued. I am going through that process right now. After losing money month after month, and with local competition beating my mandated prices, I tried to go out on my own so I could reduce the prices to being competitive. That was 6 months ago and they finally caught up with me and they are threatening to take everything I have. Meanwhile, the idea didn’t work and I was losing money every month. (Of course, I was losing money every month as a Curves too) Curves has seen it’s day. And by the way; they are not nice.
Hi, I am in same boat as you . Just curious as to how you worked things out, if you don’t mind sharing . My 5 year contract will soon end. When I purchased the club the equipment was 4 years old then so I’m looking at 9 year old equipment now. So what to do, I own my building if not I could not continue even now I am constantly pouring personal money into the club. Any sugestions will be greatly apppericated.
Thanks Pam
Mandy, I was just wondering what is the approximate populations of the areas that these Curves locations are in??
I hope you closed.
Just wondering if you could recommend a good online business. I am forced to work from home as I have been diagnosed with mercury poisoing and possible MS. I have always worked and would love to earn some money for holistic medical care from home/online. Have found many scams but nothing legit. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and would you please send them privately to my email address? Thank you-