Fitness franchise giant Self Esteem Brands partners with Buxton to make informed expansion decisions.
Self Esteem Brands - the parent company of major fitness concepts Anytime Fitness (the world’s largest fitness franchise), Basecamp Fitness, The Bar Method, and Waxing the City - partners with Buxton to attract and retain franchisees across the globe. The Buxton analytics portfolio arms the Self Esteem Brands team with the tools and techniques to make informed business decisions, providing insight into site selection best practices and retail franchise development.
We spoke with Mark Norman, VP of Real Estate and Construction at Self Esteem Brands and Bob Folsom, Senior Manager of Real Estate at Self Esteem Brands to hear their take on Buxton's suite of solutions.
Identifying real estate opportunities for Self Esteem Brands is a key component of Mark Norman’s responsibilities as Vice President of Real Estate and Construction. Norman uses Buxton’s data analytics tools daily to speak to both franchisees and internal corporate teams. Likewise, Bob Folsom, the Senior Manager of Real Estate at Self Esteem Brands, echoes the sentiment, saying that Buxton is a key tool for prospecting and speaking to existing franchisees.
Most of their more than 5,000 franchise locations are locally operated across 32 countries worldwide by independent, small business owners. To communicate effectively with these independent franchisees, all operating under various brand identities, Norman and Folsom recommend Buxton’s data analytics to convey the science behind site selection. We asked the team to elaborate on their favorite Buxton tools and how they facilitate their internal conversations, and ultimately, business decisions.
Leveraging Analytics or Franchise Development and Corporate Growth
When asked how he leverages data from Buxton, Folsom said, “I’m very much down in the trenches with franchisees and prospects, digging into the analytics of what makes a good site and what doesn’t. Buxton’s data helps move deals forward, validate ideas through verification data or tell us to go in a different direction.” Folsom adds that Buxton data analytics are an essential component of the company’s introductory package for new franchisees. He said they use the platform to make a case for site selection decisions and territory assignments.
Presenting compelling data is a great way to communicate with franchisees and gain their trust. Buxton’s data is the foundation upon which franchise teams make decisions. It’s important to communicate to franchisees that your company’s site selection decisions aren’t made from “gut feelings,” but instead with a proven, scientific selection model from both real-time and future datasets.
Providing Multiple Models for Various Brands and Teams
The Buxton platform enables the building and rebuilding of multiple models at once. Buxton clients can create models for each brand, developing site selection criteria for diverse concepts within one corporate umbrella.
Diverse portfolios call for a comprehensive database. Buxton’s datasets are comprised of information from over 126 million households across the country. We use mobile data to learn where devices live, shop and work to paint a complete picture of your ideal customer. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and Buxton’s flexible portfolio reflects that sentiment.
Self Esteem Brands has four different brands within four very different lifecycle stages. Anytime Fitness, for instance, has over 2,400 locations in the United States. Base Camp Fitness, on the other hand, is their smallest brand with less than 20 locations. Norman says that Buxton has been an integral piece of their growth puzzle, identifying how to properly grow at a sustainable rate for their smaller entities and how to maintain their market control for their bigger brands. The versatility of Buxton’s data is an essential component of their go-to-market strategy.
Digging into the Data on a Deeper Level
Demographic data is an important component of customer data, but it isn’t all encompassing.
“[With] psychographics, I can target directly to our core customers from a household level, seeing how houses behave, how they purchase goods and where they shop,” Norman said. “We all know there are a lot of areas where there’s maybe a lot of people, and there might be incomes and some things that make sense on paper, but you want the ability to really dig into the bigger profile to see, where does our customer live? Work? Shop? That’s done by drilling into the buying habits and behaviors of the household more so than just a high-level demographic level.”
Furthermore, the Buxton platform teaches franchisees how to target each specific customer group. Folsom said, “Almost anyone can go and find demographics online. How much income is in an area, how many people, etc., all of that is readily available.” He says that Buxton’s data empowers them to, “peel back the curtain” for franchisees, showing them exactly who their ideal customer profile is in a specific area and the ways to speak to them.
Buxton Helps Sales and Real Estate Teams Speak the Same Language
Finally, the Self Esteem Brands team said they appreciate Buxton’s analytics as a common ground between two vastly different teams: Sales and Real Estate. Norman describes Buxton as, “An investment that we’ve made as a corporation to really dig into the science behind site selection.” He goes on to say, “Data is a major piece for any long term regional, national brand to invest in. We work in conjunction with [sales] to agree on a DMA (direct marketing area).”
We partner with retail, restaurant, healthcare and hospitality clients from across the globe. Buxton is an essential component of the decision-making process for major players like Self Esteem Brands. Our software is designed to meet you where you are, creating a scalable solution for all brands, regardless of their lifecycle stage or budgetary concerns.
To learn how Buxton can support your team today please visit us online at www.buxtonco.com or schedule a demo today to speak with a dedicated Buxton team member.
