The 2008 FIA State of the Fitness Industry figures recently released reveal a 2.6% increase in the estimated market value of the fitness industry despite the difficult economic climate.
Reporting on the industry’s performance from 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008, The Leisure Database Company have released figures highlighting a positive but slower growth than the previous year’s increases in all three key indicators: fitness facilities, members and market value.
There has been a net increase of 41 fitness facilities since 1st April 2007, bringing the total number in the UK to 5,755.
The number of UK fitness members has also increased in the last 12 months to 7.2 million. A further 46,418 UK consumers are now members of a fitness gym, representing a 0.6% increase.
The 2.6% increase in the estimated market value brings the industry worth to £3.7 billion.
Commenting on the market intelligence, David Minton, Director of The Leisure Database Company said “Fitness operators will not be surprised by these figures. There is a slow down, as you’d expect with the current economic conditions, yet it is encouraging to see the overall market value for the industry has increased. This shows that operators have been able to maintain margins and not resort to discounting”.
“News from Sport England earlier this year also indicates the industry to be robust in the economic slowdown. The Active People survey showed gym attendance was up by 0.7% compared to last year, which is in-line with the State of the Fitness Industry figure reported above”.
“Being fit and active is now such an integral part of our mental and physical wellbeing that it is no surprise that consumers continue to view their gym and leisure centre membership as a 'need to have' expenditure rather than a 'nice to have' one” said Andree Deane, CEO, Fitness Industry Association.
“But as an industry we are deeply conscious of the fact that our members have a shrinking disposable income and we are therefore constantly searching for ways to help them maximise the value they get from using our facilities”.
Further details on the 2008 FIA State of the UK Fitness Industry Report are available from The Leisure Database Company on +44 (0) 20 7379 3197