Courtesy: Big Blue Swim School
NEW YORK — Big Blue Swim School, one of the nation’s fastest-growing swim school franchises, is coming to Fairfield, Westchester County and Nassau County, through a new agreement for five pools throughout the New York and Connecticut area. That means children and parents in the area will soon enjoy the innovative swim school experience that makes Big Blue one of the most exciting opportunities in franchising.
“What makes Big Blue so special to our franchise partners is that we are teaching children a vital life skill,” said Chris DeJong, Big Blue’s Founder and President. “With our proven and differentiated swim school model, we look forward to the opportunity to provide families throughout the New York and Connecticut communities with a special learn-to-swim experience.”
Since opening its first pool in 2009, Big Blue has changed the way swim lessons are taught. “Everything we do is focused on showing kids they can achieve anything through the magic of weekly swim lessons,” said DeJong. “Big Blue is a mission-driven business focused on creating big, life-changing moments for kids and families. This mission drives every operation at Big Blue.”
This five-unit expansion is the most recent signing for Big Blue, which is on an impressive growth trajectory despite the pandemic. In addition to opening a location in Fairfield, two locations in Westchester and two on Long Island, three additional territories on Long Island are available for another franchise partner to develop.
“2020 has been a challenging year, but Big Blue continues to sign deals because we learned how to adjust our Dive-in Days to be safe and socially distanced,” said CEO Scott Sanders. “For franchise brands, it’s more important now more than ever to focus on what makes your brand unique.”
Big Blue Swim School takes the unique approach of hiring exclusively full-time, highly trained swim associates, differentiating them from most swim schools, which typically rely on part-time employees. Because full-time professionals are more easily retained, turnover is very low, which helps maintain consistency and encourages children to build trust with their instructors.
Big Blue has also found an edge on its competition by offering heightened flexibility in scheduling, making swim lessons substantially easier for parents. “All of our pools have room for progress immediately when kids are ready and families can schedule multiple kids of various levels and ages to swim all at the same time,” said DeJong. “Our proprietary software eliminates the challenges families can have when scheduling and rescheduling lessons for their family.”
For franchise partners, Big Blue delivers numerous differentiators, including LessonBuddy™, a proprietary enterprise system which allows partners to manage the business remotely. Other services provided to Big Blue franchise partners include data-driven site selection, construction, technology, and marketing. “When our franchise partners open, they are given the tools they need to scale quickly,” said DeJong. “In addition, Big Blue’s business model is recession-resistant, because swim lessons fill a vital need for water safety and cannot be replaced by an online offering. Unlike other hard goods retail franchises, swim lessons are impervious to Amazon.”
Big Blue has already signed 120 units in 20 states across the country and with an aggressive growth plan, the franchise aims to reach 150 units by 2021, positioning the brand as a leader in the $3 billion learn-to-swim industry.
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. Through that investment, Big Blue plans to grow through franchising to 150 pools by 2021. 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.
Big Blue Swim School is a SwimSwam Partner.
