Strong Support and Smart Mapping Create Sustainable Franchise Territory Expansion
- Alloy Personal Training has redrawn its territories as part of its growth initiative.
- To further facilitate the brand’s franchise territory expansion, Alloy has upgraded technology and processes.
- Support includes help from Build’M, the real estate and construction arm of the REP’M franchise development company.
- The fitness and gym industry has rebounded since the COVID pandemic.
The primary duty of franchise leaders is to help their brands and owners maximize potential while serving customers and the franchise’s mission with excellence. Along the way, leaders must carefully pivot in response to changing conditions. Alloy Personal Training recently embarked on a major pivot: redrawing its territory map.
Rick Mayo, founder and CEO of Alloy, a gym franchise that provides customized, small-group personal training, says his brand’s franchise territory expansion was designed to empower franchisees. “We have been very conservative with our territories, which has allowed us to grow with integrity. We are increasing opportunities for existing and potential Alloy franchise partners and avoiding oversaturation by mapping thoughtfully. We want to help as many people as possible while allowing our franchise partners to maintain a competitive moat around their locations. We feel that we accomplished that. It’s been our mission since 1992 to help people look good, feel great and live life to the fullest. The added territories will allow us to help more people get to a healthier place.”
Why make this pivot? Mayo says the franchise’s growth was a key factor behind the change. “Originally, we mapped only the 150 major MSAs [metropolitan statistical areas] in the lower 48. We simply added the entire country to our criteria along with new data gleaned from opening 123 locations and from new software tools.”
Describing the Franchise Territory Expansion
Chief Operating Officer Suzanne Robb elaborates that “it’s important to us that Alloy franchisees have clear, non-overlapping territories, which removes ambiguity about marketing zones or client reach.” These demarcations enable Alloy’s marketing and coaching teams to target the specific demographics of each territory, she says. “In addition, the realignment streamlines operations and helps franchise owners focus on growth without guesswork. Plus, franchisees will benefit from higher membership potential and a stronger return on investment (ROI).”
Besides the new maps, Alloy geared up for growth by investing in new technology and processes, including:
- Data-driven mapping. “We upgraded our demographic and psychographic analysis tools to better identify high-potential markets and define realistic, exclusive territories,” Robb says.
- Franchise development customer relationship management (CRM) integration. The COO explains that this change “improves integration between the development and operations teams to ensure each new territory transition – from lead to open studio – is seamless and trackable.”
- Standardized onboarding and training. “We enhanced our onboarding playbooks, launch checklists and training modules to align with the new territory boundaries,” Robb says. “This will minimize confusion during ramp-up.”
- Performance tracking dashboards. “We are creating KPI [key performance indicator] dashboards so that both headquarters and franchise owners can monitor territory-specific performance data more accurately,” she says.
Robb reassures future franchisees that “Alloy’s growth plan is built on sustainability, not speed.” So in addition to technology upgrades that facilitate scaling, “we have dedicated support teams to help with operations, marketing, technology, and coaching.” Communication flows freely via regular performance reviews and franchisee advisory input, Robb says, keeping headquarters apprised of franchise needs throughout all levels of the organization.
Extra Support from Build’M
New owners will appreciate that Alloy’s growth plan isn’t just about selling new territories — it’s about making sure those territories actually open successfully. That’s where Build’M, the real estate and construction arm of the REP’M Group franchise development firm, plays a key role. Starting on signing day, Build’M assists with the heavy lifting of site selection, gym design, permitting and construction — services that allow franchisees to focus on hiring, marketing and community outreach.
Jason Tognarina, a senior project manager with Build’M, praises the new territory structure as “highly beneficial for incoming Alloy franchisees because many of these areas overlap with markets where Build’M has already executed successful leasing and construction projects. Our experience in these regions allows us to accurately forecast when it comes to lease rates, tenant improvement allowances and construction costs.”
In addition, Tognarina says Build’M can work with “proven vendor partners who have already delivered quality results on previous Alloy locations. This continuity creates efficiencies throughout the entire process – site selection through construction – resulting in faster project timelines, more accurate budgeting and smoother openings for new owners.”
Alloy’s Opportunities and Market
Alloy Personal Training offers franchise opportunities throughout the United States. The gym market is solid, according to MMCG Invest, a company that provides feasibility studies and market analysis for real estate projects. MMCG Invest reports that the U.S. fitness and gym industry has rebounded well since the COVID pandemic, with 2025 revenues projected at more than $45 billion, and states that in 2024, nearly 77 million Americans had memberships. Industry growth is expected to be about 8% to 9% annually, MMCG estimated, reaching “the mid-$50 billions range” by 2030.
Visit the main Alloy website to find out more about the brand, its mission and its services. For information about ownership opportunities, visit Alloy’s franchise website.
