10 YEAR VISION REALISED

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Updated 18 Jan 2022

Locals open first Doonside gym

IT'S a vision 10 years in the making, including a pandemic delay, but four Doonside locals have finally realised their dream of opening Doonside’s first ever gym.

One hundred and ten days after their original opening date in April, four Doonside residents opened the doors to Snap Fitness Doonside in October.

Michael Georgy, his wife Tamara Georgy and husband and wife duo Shirein and Jay Hickman, had a vision for more than 10 years to open a gym in the area they grew up in, providing a positive health and fitness community for local residents.

Franchisee Michael said the idea to open a gym in Doonside had been in the works for many years with the opportunity coming to fruition three years ago.

“Growing up in Doonside, we understand the area and identified a gap in the market and a need for a community location where people could gather together to socialise, exercise and a place for the youth in the region to come and spend their time,” he said.

“We researched a range of 24-hour gym and fitness franchises, looking for something more than just a gym. Snap Fitness offered us and our potential members a premium brand – from the equipment, facility and fit out, to the support – it was very evident that Snap Fitness was the way to go.”

As Snap Fitness Doonside prepared to open its doors in April, the COVID pandemic heightened and new lockdowns were introduced across Sydney and NSW.

“We were excited to launch in April, but due to the ongoing lockdowns and impacts from the COVID pandemic, we postponed our opening.

“These hurdles continued when our second opening day in June was postponed once again. With the recent lockdowns eased, we finally opened our doors on October 11,” Michael said.

“We waited 110 days to open the gym, but since opening our doors almost one month ago, our members have been excellent at supporting our requirements to continue operations under the current COVID restrictions, from cleanliness to top-notch safety.”

Snap Fitness Doonside boasts state-of-the-art features including:

• Crowd DJ for music selection by members.

• Premium classes.

• Brand new Technogym equipment of Olympic standards.

• Beauty Bars in the female bathrooms.

“Snap Fitness Doonside is not only the first gym in the heart of Doonside, but we are a 24-hour gym with a premium facility and a premium offering. From our classes and equipment to the one-on-one customer service, we treat each member as if they were our only member,” Michael said.

“Our facility isn’t just a gym for our members. When they enter Snap Fitness Doonside, they’re walking into a community. It is a place where you can work out at your own pace and socialise with the local Doonside community and people from surrounding areas.

“We know our members were keen to kick-start their health and fitness goals and take advantage of the social benefits of being a part of a gym following the pandemic and ongoing lockdowns.”

Outside of gym operations, Michael and the team are committed to giving back to their local community.

“We have also developed relationships and partnerships with other organisations in our extended community. We sponsor local soccer, cricket and football teams and have a partnership with the five local Subway locations that surround Snap

Fitness Doonside, giving discounts to our Snap Fitness Doonside members,” Michael said.

“As we continue to grow, our aim is to expand our partnerships. We have a vision of local businesses supporting other local business with Snap Fitness Doonside leading the way.

“In the future we hope to have a partnership program that encourages one business a week to set up a stand inside our facility to promote the business such as supplement stores and butchers, also providing our members with benefits such as discounts.

“One day we hope to see Snap Fitness posters in every business around Doonside.”

About Snap Fitness

Snap Fitness has 2000 clubs open or scheduled for development in more than 20 countries. A major fitness brand since 2003, it continues to evolve sustainably along with key fitness trends to provide results for customers.

Visit www.snapfitness.com.au