PRESS RELEASE
18th June 2015
Number of UK Fitness Members in London exceeds 1.5 million for the first time
- 5.8% rise in total membership and 5.4% rise in market value
- Total market value now estimated to be £4.3 billion
The 2015 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report reveals that the UK health and fitness industry is in good health, it has more clubs, more members and a greater market value than ever before. 1 in every 8 people in the UK are members of a gym, an all-time penetration rate high of 13.7%.
The 2015 report highlights that the industry has experienced another year of positive growth over the twelve month period to the end of March 2015, with increases of 5.4% in value, 3.3% in the number of fitness facilities and a 5.8% rise in the number of members.
The growth in the industry continues to be driven by strong performance from the rapidly growing low cost market in the private sector. This expanding market now accounts for 9% of the total number of private clubs, 10% of the private market value and an impressive 24% of the private sector membership.
Summary of Key Facts
Total market value (public and private sectors combined) is estimated at £4.3 billion, up 5.4% on 2014.
13.7% of the UK population are now registered as members of a private health and fitness club or a publicly-owned fitness facility contrasting with 13.2% in the previous year.
Total industry membership is the strongest growth indicator, up 5.8% to 8.8 million over the past 12 months.
191 new public and private fitness facilities opened in the 12 month period ending 31st March 2015, up from 177 in 2014.
There are now 6,312 fitness facilities in the UK, up from 6,112 last year.
Commenting on the figures, David Minton, Director of The Leisure Database Company said: “The results are great news for the industry and finally we have some innovation and fresh thinking coming through; the consumer obviously appreciates the new experiences, as shown by the sharp increase in member numbers and the all-time high penetration rate”.
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Notes
The State of the UK Fitness Industry Report is compiled from the most comprehensive review of the UK fitness industry, involving individual contact with all sites. The reporting period is the 12 months to 31st March 2015. 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 30 years. Further details of the report can be found here 2015 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report.
Further Information:
The Leisure Database Company
The Leisure Database Company is a leading independent database specialist and market analyst. Established over 30 years ago, the company is contracted to Sport England and Sport Wales to maintain their respective Active Places databases covering over 20 types of sports and fitness facilities. The company also works with a wide range of fitness operators providing member profiling reports, new site analysis and latent demand estimates.
Tel: 020 3585 1441