Franchised fitness operator Anytime Fitness has partnered with real estate advisor CBRE to help drive its UK expansion plans.

CBRE will advise on all of Anytime's property acquisitions and the partnership has been designed to support the fitness chain's objective to become the UK’s largest fitness operator.

CBRE will become a retained agent for Anytime Fitness members and can be commissioned by franchisees to help support their property search and assist in providing competitive commercial terms – potentially driving down costs.

"The health and wellness industry has changed significantly," said Stuart Broster, UK CEO of Anytime Fitness.

"Providing high-quality fitness environments, that people can access at their convenience, is a key differentiator.

"Having opened over 100 clubs in the past three years, we want to sustain our growth and CBRE will be an integral partner of ours and our franchisees in advising us all on strategy for future growth."

The partnership will also see CBRE provide outsourced transaction management services for Anytime.

“There is a significant opportunity for the rapid expansion of fitness clubs in the UK as we are seeing exponential growth in people’s focus on health, wellness, and lifestyle," added Rhodri Davies, head of UK retail at CBRE.

"In addition, the appointment reflects a flexible new offering that we can provide to clients in today’s evolving retail landscape.

“Furthermore, the appointment bases itself on a bespoke site acquisition model that CBRE has developed for clients in a changing world for the consumer."

Anytime currently has more than 150 clubs in the UK. with plans to grow the portfolio to 400 gyms by the end of 2020.