to resonate strongly among German health and fitness consumers.
In the United States, Pennington (2003) noted that Curves stands out from the crowd because it caters to older, busy women who either work or have other responsibilities that prevent them from taking advantages of the facilities offered by a full-service fitness center. Additionally, Curves reaches out to customers who want a streamlined, targeted simple exercise regimen designed to meet the exercise and health needs of working and other women. Established in the United States, Europe, and Mexico, Curves is seen by Navratil (2002) as offering its customers an affordable (U.S. $29 to $39 per month) fee. As a women-only gym, Curves offers a structured circuit training routine combining strength training and cardio exercises undertaken around a circle of 8 to 16 hydraulic resistance machines (Krucoff, 2003).
Lady of America has a total of 1 million members in the United States and has been experiencing tremendous growth both domestically and at Lady's Workout Express locations across the globe (Lady of American franchiseà, 2002). Also a women's only fitness center, the Lady of America Franchise Corporation currently has locales in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, and Mexico. It also offers a 30+ minute workout employing contemporary female sized equipment, innovative aerobic and cardiovascular programs, tanning, and a friendly high-energy environment (Lady of America franchiseà, 2002).
Lady of America offers an affordable fitness model to customers that is similar to that provided by Curves. The formula used by this entity to attract customers is similar to that employed by Curves but Lady of America has a far less expansive presence both in the United States and abroad and as of now, no presence in Europe (Kent, 2002).
A third potential women's fitness center for Germany is LA Fitness, which has a presence in the United Ki...