GARDEN GROVE, CA-- Nifty After Fifty, a fitness and wellness company that caters to seniors, has been given the go-ahead by the California Department of Corporations to begin selling franchises.
According to Sheldon Zinberg, founder of Nifty After Fifty and a retired physician, the franchise has several locations in California but will soon spread across the nation.
"Ours is a business model that is changing the way mature adults are exercising and improving their overall health and well being," says Zinberg. "Among niche gyms, the growth potential for senior fitness facilities is unparalleled. The demographic trends and lifestyle demands of an aging population are perfectly aligned to support a new model of fitness and wellness facilities. We have found that older adults simply want to work out with other older adults in a safe setting."
Founded in 2006 and based in Garden Grove, CA, Nifty After Fifty operates four centers in California, has a fifth ready to open and another six to eight in the planning stages. Zinberg expects to have 10 to 12 facilities open by spring 2008.
Nifty After Fifty will charge future franchisees a $50,000 start-up fee and a monthly 8 percent of revenue fee. Zinberg will offer training sessions and corporate training for new franchisees. The cost to franchisees could add up to nearly $500,000, which covers the equipment—if they purchase all of it, rather than leasing it — and any additional improvements made to the building, plus one year’s operating expenses.
The clubs offer multi-dimensional ways for seniors to improve their bodies and minds, including the Rewinding Your Mind program, which challenges members’ minds through computer and non-computer-based exercises. One of the more popular programs is Reviving Your Driving, which helps members regain their driving reflexes in a safe environment using a virtual simulator on a computer.
Nifty After Fifty offers other wellness services, such as physical therapy and rehabilitation, a Medspa for non-surgical facial rejuvenation using the latest laser technology, body contouring, and a nutrition and weight loss program.
Nifty After Fifty will be located in strip malls in cities with a high demographic of seniors, Zinberg says.