Over 120 new fitness facilities opened in last 12 months
The UK Health and Fitness Industry bucked the national trend and continued to grow for at least the 10th consecutive year. According to the 2010 FIA State of the UK Fitness Industry report, the definitive market report compiled by independent leisure market analysts, The Leisure Database Company on behalf of the industry’s trade body the FIA, 122 new facilities opened across the UK in the 12 month period ending 31st March 2010.
Despite a contraction in the national GDP of 4.9% for the last financial year and the most challenging trading conditions in living memory, the £3.8 billion fitness industry still grew its registered membership base to 7.4 million members in the period under review.
Summary of Key Facts
- Market Value is estimated at £3.8 billion, a 1% increase on the previous 12 months
- 12 per cent of the UK population are now registered as members of a health and fitness club or publicly-owned fitness facility
- Total industry membership base has grown by 0.4% over the 12 month period to 7.4 million.
- 122 new public and private fitness facilities opened in the 12 month period ending 31st March 2010
- There are now 5,885 fitness facilities in the UK
- The region with the most new fitness facility openings was the North West
- The region with the fewest new fitness facility openings was the North East
Single site operators accounted for 38% of all new private sector openings.
Commenting for the Fitness Industry Association, Chairman, Fred Turok said “Our industry has matured. What was once solely a leisure proposition now also has an important role to play in helping Government (irrespective of who wins the election), deliver its public health strategy. I suspect that our robust performance is due to the fact that we have improved our ‘fitness service’ and augmented it by offering patients and people who are at risk of suffering from over 20 lifestyle diseases, access to trained professionals who can deliver preventative, as well as remedial exercise prescriptions.
“Our role as a government delivery partner, on initiatives such as the Change4Life campaign, underpins this fact and provides the context for why the health and fitness industry has bucked the national recessionary trend.”
Commenting on the figures, David Minton, Director of The Leisure Database Company said: ‘The ongoing investments by consumers in their health, despite the difficult economic times, provides a solid platform that all operators can leverage as the economic recovery builds. Over the past 12 months, where other sectors have seen poor results, the fitness industry has maintained its performance levels whilst gaining new members and opening new facilities’.
Notes:
The FIA State of the UK Fitness Industry Report is compiled from the most comprehensive review of the UK fitness industry, covering some 5,885 sites. The reporting period is the 12 months to 31st March 2010. The audit and resulting figures are compiled by independent leisure market analysts, The Leisure Database Company who have been monitoring the performance of the fitness industry for over 20 years. The Local Data Company provide on the ground intelligence across high street clubs for the FIA State of the UK Fitness Industry report. Further details of the report are here.
