After pumping up its size in California, the Max Muscle franchise of nutrition and sports fitness stores wants to throw its weight around South Flor-ida, with plans for 30 to 40 locations in the next five years.
The company is looking for business owners with rock-hard biceps and some heavy change to open stores. The first takers in South Florida were husband and wife Ron and Susan Meijernik, who opened Max Muscle’s first Florida location at Dadeland Plaza in Miami on June 15.
They hold the franchise rights to Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Lee, Hendry and Collier counties. They already sold off two franchise packets of three locations each.
“In California, they’re doing extremely well, and I think South Florida could be an excellent copy of that,” Ron Meijernik said.
The Dutch national lived in Jamaica for 19 years, working in supply chain management for hotels, before moving to Miami in 2005 with Susan, a psychology student at Florida International University. They looked at 112 franchise models and Max Muscle caught their attention. The company, co-founded by former Oakland Raiders linebacker Joe Wells, is planning a 500-store expansion in the next five years.
Max Muscle sells a branded line of nutritional supplements that it develops and manufactures, along with branded fitness clothing, exercise gear and publications. It also sells 3,500 third-party products from 150 companies.
What separates it from the General Nutrition Center (GNC) chain, which has more than 5,000 locations, is Max Muscle’s consultation with customers to design a nutritional program and workout schedule, said Marc Kiekenapp, its VP of franchise development.
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