By Lauren Walker
Obviously during a pandemic it’s a risky move to pick up shop and move somewhere else. Our family fitness business for 20 years was very successful at our old location. My parents made the decision to sell the building and move on. There was no talk of moving the gym to another location. It weighed heavily on my family. My parents were talking of retirement until they got a phone call. Next thing we knew the gym had a new home! Within the span of two weeks we said goodbye to our old home and hello to our new one.
The opportunity was right for my family. It’s not just something you can decide to do in one day. There are many things to consider such as the cost of moving, leasing the space and updating the space. We moved all of the equipment ourselves which saved a ton of money. I got many bumps and bruises in the process. We all did. The rubber flooring we had in our old location now serves us the flooring in the new location.
Here are some questions to consider when planning a move for your facility:
1) What is the cost of moving?
2) How are you going to move the equipment?
3) Where is the new location?
4) How much is the lease?
5) What is the cost of new equipment?
6) What is the cost of flooring?
7) What is the cost of new staff?
8) What is the cost of repairs?
These are big expenses especially if you have to buy all new equipment (we didn’t have to). The cost of a new floor would have been $10-$15,000. That in combination with any new repairs also adds to the cost. My parents owned our old location and were responsible for the repairs on the building. Leasing is a big relief. The new location allows my parents to lease the space, so all necessary repairs and maintenance are done by the landlord. Currently, landlords seem to be eager to lease space due to the pandemic, so you may find that you’re able to negotiate a lower price.
Honestly speaking you can’t expect to necessarily make a profit immediately. That’s part of the risk. If you’re launching a new facility you may find it difficult to drum up new business. People are still hesitant to return to a gym. We are fortunate to already have established clients as we’ve been in the community for over 20 years. Deciding to move to a new location is not an easy one. There’s no question it was a whirlwind for my family but the opportunity was right.
Lauren is the former manager of All Fit All Ages Gym in Port Perry, Ontario and a personal trainer with over 20 years experience. She is also a freelance writer and contributor to The Scugog Standard with a featured column “Movement for Life”.
