Courtesy of Big Blue Swim School, a SwimSwam partner.
Big Blue Swim School, one of the country’s fastest-growing franchises in the learn-to-swim industry, looks to continue its expansion in Texas after a successful 2023 in the market. The brand, which recently announced its merger with Atlanta-based L5 Swim, currently has two locations open in Texas. Two additional locations are slated to open later this year, and six corporate locations are already confirmed for development.
“2023 was a great year for Big Blue, and we are excited to continue that momentum in 2024,” says Chris DeJong, Founder and President of Big Blue Swim School. “With our recent merger with L5 Swim, our current and new franchisees can expect a new level of expertise and resources to guarantee success for their locations. Our current Texas locations are some of our most successful, and we are ready to capitalize on that success to expand the Big Blue footprint in other Texas markets.”
Big Blue Swim School, which is celebrating its 30th location opening in February, opened 11 schools in 5 new states in 2023. Texas, the state with the third highest population growth in the country and an increase of 1.6% in 2023 alone, is a natural market for Big Blue to continue its growth to meet the increasing demands of families in the state.
“At Big Blue, we understand that we are teaching parents’ most prized possessions – their children – and with that comes great responsibility,” states Tom Dolan, President of Corporate Pools at Big Blue Swim School and two-time Olympic gold medalist in the men’s 400-meter medley. “We are proud to continue our mission in Texas with our current pools, and we look forward to providing more families the Big Blue experience in 2024. We already have great interest from franchisees who see the potential we see in Texas.”
Big Blue’s current Texas locations are open in Plano and Allen, with the Frisco location set to open in the first quarter of 2024 and the Houston location set to open this summer. Both the Plano and Allen locations have seen tremendous success in the community, with the Allen location far exceeding their opening goal, showcasing the brand’s success and name recognition in the Texas community. Based on that success, the franchise is focusing on expansion in the Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio markets and aims to have 265 pools sold nationwide by the end of 2024.
Big Blue is actively looking for qualified franchise partners to develop in several other key markets across the country as well, including Seattle, Ohio, Kansas City, Long Island, Virginia Beach, Denver, Richmond, Southern California, Orlando and Tampa.
To learn more about franchising with Big Blue Swim School, visit https://bigblueswimschool.com/franchising.
ABOUT BIG BLUE SWIM SCHOOL
Big Blue Swim School was founded in 2009 by competitive swimmer Chris DeJong. The first location opened in Wilmette, Illinois, followed by four additional Chicagoland schools. In 2017, Level 5 Capital Partners acquired a stake in the brand, and pools are now open in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Salt Lake City, Detroit, St. Louis, Northern New Jersey, and Northern Virginia. Big Blue is currently growing through franchising with plans to have a minimum of 230 pools sold by the end of 2022. Big Blue Swim School’s real estate expertise, strong brand, proprietary technology, and leadership support, coupled with its best-in-class consumer offerings, position its franchise partners for long-term success. To learn more about franchise opportunities with Big Blue Swim School, visit http://YourBigMomentStartsHere.com.
