The various aspects of the market place and how they relate to the business of HealthMark have been discussed up to this point.  Now HealthMark will be compared with its close competitors in the market place.  The following table (Competition) will provide a synopsis of the competitive environment.

The Dakota Team (Joe Dakota)
The most formidable competitor that HealthMark faces is The Dakota Team, led by ex-professional football star Joe Dakota.  They have been in business longer and have a much higher profile than HealthMark, due to Joe Dakota’s strong name recognition in the Tri-City area.  HealthMark believes that although The Dakota Team is excellent at what they do, HealthMark is targeting a different type of client.  Therefore, Joe Dakota will probably not forge into the new target market of corporate-sponsored fitness facilities.  If Joe Dakota did enter HealthMark’s new target market segment, HealthMark has developed contingency plans (see the Description of Risks and Contingency Plans sections).

Galactic Gym
In the new corporate-sponsored fitness facility market segment, Galactic Gym (a national chain) is the most formidable competitor.  Galactic has national affiliations and a larger market share in the corporate-sponsored segment.  The 30% market share that Galactic has maintained is due to the minimal competition they face in the corporate-sponsored segment.  The fact that this market share position has not grown in the last three years is clear evidence that Galactic does not really consider the corporate-sponsored segment a prime target.  In addition, this segment takes focus away from Galactic’s basic target and profit engine, which is health club membership.  Obviously, if you have free or inexpensive access to a corporate gym, you probably do not need to join a chain fitness center.

Fitness is Us
The smallest of the personal training competitors is Fitness is Us.  They employ a price discount strategy towards personal training.  Their margins are much lower than the other competitors which has made growth very difficult.  This firm does not represent a serious threat to HealthMark’s targeted markets at this time.