1st June 2017
The 2017 State of the UK Swimming Industry Report reveals that the number of pools has continued to decline slightly over the last 12 months. The number of swimming pool sites has dropped by 0.5%. For the fifth year in a row, more swimming pool sites have closed than opened.
The UK’s leading operator (by number of sites) is public leisure trust GLL, with 122 swimming centres. They are followed by Nuffield Health in the private sector who have 110 clubs with a swimming pool.
The 2017 report highlights that 84% of the UK population live within 2 miles of one of the 3,158 swimming pool sites.
Commenting on the figures, David Minton, Director of LeisureDB said: “Despite another slight decline in overall swimming pool numbers, technology and water that have previously caused a few issues for innovators are finally beginning to come together. New ideas and products to encourage swimming participation are emerging and it will be interesting to see how these developments impact the UK swimming pool market over the next 12 months”.
Summary of Key Facts
There are now 3,158 swimming sites in the UK, down from 3,173 last year.
34 new public and private swimming pool sites opened, down from 40 in 2016.
Public pay and play fees have increased by 3% over the last 12 months.
Notes
The State of the UK Swimming Industry Report is compiled from the most comprehensive review of the UK swimming industry, involving individual contact with all sites. The reporting period is the 12 months to 31st March 2017. The audit and resulting figures are compiled by independent leisure market analysts, LeisureDB, who have been monitoring the performance of the fitness and swimming industry for over 30 years. Further details of the report can be found here 2017 State of the UK Swimming Industry Report.