PRESS RELEASE - STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
27 July 2023
Number of pools continues to fall, but revenues from swimming lessons are surging;
Leisure DB releases the State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2023
The UK has fewer public-use swimming pools in 2023 than in 2022, but revenue streams have been buoyed by surging demand for lessons and an average adult pay-per-swim fee that’s topped £5 for the first time.
These are the headlines of the State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2023, compiled by market intelligence expert Leisure DB and due for release at the end of July.
“The continued downward trend in pool stock is sadly to be expected as the long-term impact of COVID continues to make itself felt, compounded by the very significant repercussions of persistently high energy costs,” said David Minton, Leisure DB founder, industry analyst and commentator.
“Neither has government support been forthcoming at the time of writing this report; the application process for the funding announced in March is only just happening.
“With this in mind, what’s surprising in our 2023 figures is that we haven’t seen a more significant decrease in pool numbers: there’s been less of an overall reduction in pool stock over the past 12 months than in the year directly following COVID.
“However, we are likely yet to see the full and final impact of COVID, and high energy costs will undoubtedly cause more casualties; it’s important to note that our figures include pools temporarily closed but slated to re-open. The coming 12 months will be critical as big decisions are made on the future of pools across the UK.”
With this in mind – alongside its usual wealth of industry statistics – this year’s State of the UK Swimming Industry Report includes in-depth interviews with operators and experts from across the sector, providing the story behind the statistics as well as best practice advice.
And what clearly emerges is a huge opportunity to further optimise pool capacities and revenues, with many operators reconfiguring pools and timetables to accommodate more learn-to-swim.
“Demand for lessons is surging, with a huge backlog of kids who couldn’t learn during COVID,” confirms Fitronics’ Marc Jones in the report.
Yet the report also observes a more worrying underlying trend, with observations such as this from Bethan Laker of The Leisure Experts: “Currently, the sector lacks the know-how to turn pool operations into profitable ventures.”
RLSS and Swim England Qualifications board member Helen Bull echoes this when she says: “It’s time to admit that what has previously been done, hasn't worked. The current situation reflects a lack of investment and a lack of joined-up action. The industry now needs to do things differently.”
This year’s State of the UK Swimming Industry Report makes for a fascinating read – and as always, includes a full breakdown of pool numbers and regional coverage, openings and closures, public and private sector analysis and expert commentary on the trends.
Pre-order your copy now and benefit from a 20 per cent discount using promo code EARLYSWIM20 (valid until 31 July 2023).The full State of the Swimming Industry Report 2023 includes full details of club/centre numbers with pools, average fees, operator rankings, openings and closures and more. It is available for purchase now here.
A free Spotlight report, highlighting some of the key stats and trends, is also available and can be downloaded here.
Further Information:
LeisureDB
LeisureDB (formerly The Leisure Database Company) is a leading independent database specialist that provides key market intelligence and analysis across the industry. Established over 30 years ago, the company works with a wide range of fitness operators, providing member profiling reports, new site analysis, latent demand estimates, statistics and data licenses.