What you need to know

Membership of private health and fitness clubs is growing, with 18% of Brits now members compared with 15% in 2018. This growth has primarily been driven by the expansion of low-cost operators, with PureGym and The Gym Group both having record years in 2018 for the opening of new locations. This accessibility, combined with low membership fees and long opening hours, has seen more people willing to enter the market than ever before.

There is stronger competition than ever from the home workout sector, with an ever growing range of apps, subscription services and online personal trainers to provide guidance and motivation. The increasing emphasis on using data to monitor and track performance is bringing new opportunities to home workouts and gyms must ensure they maintain progress with technology to satisfy and retain members.

Health and fitness clubs have the advantage of offering more personalised instruction and the potential for building rapport, but the range of classes and quality of instructors remain vital. More boutique fitness studios with more limited focus such as yoga, boxing, rowing or cycling are providing additional competition as people seek new challenges, and it is important those members of traditional gyms are not ignored after induction.

Products covered in this Report

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:

  • Health and fitness clubs examined in this Report are defined as being privately owned, ie operated by a company or individual on a commercial, for-profit basis.

  • Where reference to the public sector is made for the purpose of comparison, public health and fitness clubs are defined as those operated by, or on behalf of, a local authority, such as a gymnasium and other facilities found in public leisure centres or swimming pool complexes.

Back to top