Anytime Fitness selects The Behar Group to handle its real estate search

December 5, 2011

Anytime Fitness, based in Hasting, Minnesota, has selected Chris Seepe of The Behar Group Realty (TBG,  www.thebehargroup.com) to handle the search in Ontario.

Anytime Fitness is a recession-resilient, world-class, top-ranked fitness franchise, serving over 1,300,000 members through over 1,700 locations worldwide.

Employing state-of-the-art technologies to recognize members coming and going, Anytime Fitness offers its franchisees an amazing capability to provide unprecedented security for its members 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, while empowering franchisees with membership and remote operations management.

The franchise offers convenient and affordable fitness options to its members in friendly, secure, and well-maintained facilities that feature top-quality exercise equipment. Members enjoy free access to AnytimeHealth.com, arguably the most comprehensive wellness website available. As part of their local membership fee, a member can visit any Anytime Fitness location in the world without any additional fee, and the franchise’s centralized software system manages this function with automatic member recognition.

Anytime Fitness, started in 2002, opened its first location in Canada in 2004, and proudly boasts one of the lowest failure rates of any type of franchise in North America, and a 0.0% failure rate in Canada. There are currently 34 locations open in Canada, 25 in Ontario, and 42 additional sites sold and opening soon.

“We chose The Behar Group to assist us in managing all of our franchisees’ real estate needs, and grow our presence, throughout Ontario. We are genuinely enthusiastic about the long-term prospects of our business relationship with TBG,” said Jeff Thames, COO of Anytime Fitness.

In October, 2011, Entrepreneur magazine rated Anytime Fitness the “Top Global Franchise” and the world’s largest and fastest-growing co-ed fitness club chain.

Anytime Fitness is looking for locations and franchisees all over Ontario, in towns with populations as small as 7,000, and with sites that are brightly lit and generally 4,000 to 5,000 square feet; in high-pedestrian-traffic retail locations sporting a grocery or triple A anchor, ideally three parking spaces per 1,000 square feet, and a 24-hour-illuminated parking field; a 10-year-minimum lease with 5-year options; and a tenant allowance for build-out.

Landlords that feel an Anytime Fitness franchise would be a good fit for their retail property, or prospective franchisees looking for a profitable business with super-strong franchisee support, are encouraged to contact Chris Seepe, Broker, at The Behar Group, E: cseepe@thebehargroup.com, M: 416-525-1558.

The Behar Group is retained by 7-Eleven

October 7, 2011

The Behar Group, in partnership with Jones Lang LaSalle, has been retained by 7-Eleven International to oversee its real estate growth plans across Ontario.  7-Eleven plans to open 150-200 stores in Ontario, starting in 2012.

The Behar Group has been asked to initiate and execute a strategic plan alongside Jones Lang Lasalle in order to achieve these targets.

With nearly 42,000 units globally, 7-Eleven has been the leader in the convenience retailing business for 84 years.  Site selection will include urban walk-up locations, suburban corner locations, and gas bars.  Sizes required generally range between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet, however flexibility will be shown for the right locations.

Yosi Behar unites Jews and Muslims in a groundbreaking real estate deal

September 30, 2011

The groundbreaking ceremony of the first Muslim cemetery in the Greater Toronto Area took place on September 18, 2011.  It was a historic occasion, one of the most moving aspects of which is the friendship that has formed between the Chair of the Cemetery Committee (Sabi Ahsan, a real estate agent who is a devoted member of his mosque) and the landowner who brokered the deal (Yosi Behar, an Israeli Jewish Canadian). Their mutual admiration and respect goes well beyond a business relationship. Their bond is a model of what it means to live in Canada (and they both spoke of this at the ceremony, which was attended by municipal, provincial, and federal dignitaries, many of whom had helped the pair achieve this remarkable goal). Both men are committed to unity within their own communities and between the Jewish and Muslim communities and the wider community in Canada. Hopefully their bond is a sign of things to come for the success of the project.

The story of  Yosi and Sabi has already been broadcast on television and other media, and will no doubt continue to be shared around the world.  We at The Behar Group hope to see more ‘good news’ stories about Muslim/Jewish relations highlighted in the media in and beyond the coming year. There are many stories to tell as we work towards marginalizing those who wish to divide us, and empowering those who are messengers of peace and harmony.

The Behar Group partner Bee Media inks deal with Calloway REIT, finalizing others

September 23, 2011

After a successful summer that saw Behar Group partner Bee Media sign a cross-Canada deal with Calloway REIT, Bee Media is looking forward to attending Toronto’s International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) 2011 Conference, set to take place this fall, October 19-21.  Bee Media is currently in the process of finalizing deals with numerous national and international developers and owners.  The company is an opt-in mobile marketing service that delivers location-specific offers and shopping tools to consumers on their mobile devices–whether they’re in or near a retail outlet, or in the common area of a shopping mall or other venue.

Bee Media can help:

  • Deliver greater value to tenants
  • Drive shoppers from the common areas into stores to increase sales
  • Gain powerful insights on traffic counts and patterns to maximize lease rates
  • Offer consumers an enriched shopping experience with helpful shopping tools to build loyalty
  • Leverage a single app that works in all locations