Anytime Fitness opens in Modena with an existing franchisee

Anytime Fitness has opened a gym at Via Jacopo Sadoleto 10 in Modena, bringing its total number of clubs in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region to three. The opening, reported by PrimaNotizie on 6 November 2026, is led by an existing franchisee: Giuseppe, who also runs the Reggio Emilia location. For the franchise sector, the news highlights growth through further investment by an entrepreneur already operating under the brand.

The new Modena club

The gym covers more than 800 square metres and is designed to accommodate between 1,200 and 1,300 members. This figure describes the facility’s planned capacity, not the number of memberships already sold: an important distinction when assessing the scale of the opening.

The premises include dedicated areas for cardiovascular exercise, weight training, functional training and classes. The club therefore brings together several forms of exercise under one roof, rather than focusing on a single specialism. Its separate workout areas are one of the tangible features of the new Modena location.

The club offers access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This refers to members’ ability to use the gym: it should not automatically be taken to mean that staff are present around the clock or that classes are available at any hour. Anyone assessing the service should distinguish between access to the premises and the way activities are organised.

A franchisee invests in a second city

From a franchising perspective, the most significant aspect is the shared operator behind the Reggio Emilia and Modena clubs. The new centre represents a further investment by Giuseppe, identified in the report as the franchisee who already runs the Reggio Emilia club.

This is therefore not simply the brand’s arrival in a new city, but the expansion of a business whose operator already has experience within the same network. That is the distinctive feature of this opening: in this case, geographical growth comes through an established franchise relationship.

The move illustrates one of the opportunities available in franchising: building a business with multiple locations under the same brand. The Modena case documents that choice, but does not, on its own, support conclusions about the clubs’ profitability or the franchisee’s financial results. The opening is a fact; assessing performance requires specific operating data.

For an entrepreneur considering a similar route, the key question is how to organise the transition from running a single club to managing several facilities, while remaining attentive to the characteristics of each location.

Three locations in Emilia-Romagna

With Modena, Anytime Fitness now has three gyms in Emilia-Romagna, following its locations in Reggio Emilia and Parma. The opening strengthens an existing regional presence and adds a third city to the brand’s footprint.

The explicitly stated link in ownership and operation concerns the Modena and Reggio Emilia clubs. It should not automatically be extended to the Parma gym: the regional total describes the brand’s presence, while the individual franchisee’s investment concerns the locations attributed to him.

This distinction helps readers interpret news about franchise networks more accurately. The total number of clubs operating under a brand and the number run by the same entrepreneur are different measures. In Modena’s case, both help explain the news: the brand’s regional coverage is growing, while an existing franchisee is expanding his involvement.

What to assess before following the same route

Floor area, planned capacity and round-the-clock access are the main operational details disclosed for the Modena club. They are useful reference points for understanding the project, but they do not amount to a financial plan or, on their own, establish the conditions needed to open another gym.

Anyone considering a similar investment should separately assess premises costs, staffing arrangements, access management and whether the local catchment area can support the projected membership. For a second location, it is also worth examining which activities can be coordinated across sites and which require dedicated management.

Practical takeaway: the Modena opening provides a concrete example of expansion through an existing franchisee. Before following the same route, assess each new location as a standalone project, without confusing planned capacity with actual membership, or network growth with the performance of an individual club.