The quality of health and fi tness facilities has improved hugely across both the public and private sectors
fragmentation of the market should have been expected, not many were ready. This nascent sector of the market is expected to reach eight per cent of the total number of clubs within the next fi ve years. Some leisure trusts have already entered this market with price points comparable to their private sector counterparts. There is also increasing interest in smaller format clubs like Anytime Fitness. Despite competition and the effects of the recession, the health and fi tness market has proved remarkably resilient. Although at best operators will be produc- ing fl at like for like performance, this is far better than many other sectors. While other operators may be able to sit tight, for private equity owners this is a prob- lem. Consolidation is clearly on the cards.
ABOUT ROB GREGORY:
Rob Gregory started working in the health and fi tness industry in the early 1980s as a gym instructor. He moved onto club management, before launching corporate fi tness management company The Fitness Company in 1986. After selling the company in 1990, he completed an MBA and then ran Forza Fitness Equipment’s UK commercial busi- ness for six years before helping to
launch European health and fi tness operator Elixia in 2000. In 2004 Gregory started work- ing as a consultant. He then joined Fitness First in 2007 as global member experience director and a member of the executive board. In 2009, he relaunched his own busi- ness, Lifetime Health, with a focus on developing digital strategies for the health and fi tness sector.
EVERYTHING IS ABOUT TO CHANGE As an industry we need to acknowledge and recognise how far we’ve come. But we have no time to be complacent. Old models die hard and we have to change to survive. At a fundamental level we all have to be clear what our value proposition is, and we must ensure that we deliver. The industry has approached social media with trepida- tion but we can’t sit on the fence any longer. We have to listen and engage with our customers in order to develop. Much of the change we are experiencing is driven by tech- nology and we are now competing against an array of digital
ISSUE 1 2011 © cybertrek 2011
products. I now engage with ‘dailymile’ and track my fi tness progress through my Suunto watch; it also tells me if I’m over-training or not doing enough. And at last count there were over 7,000 mobile health applications of which over half were health and fi tness related. In short we have to get better at helping people stick with the habit of exercise and keeping them active, wherever and in whatever way makes sense to them. One thing is also abundantly clear. The health problem in this country and elsewhere requires government intervention and our indus- try needs to be at the table for this debate. The need for the services we offer has never been greater as the health of the nation continues to deteriorate. But we are perfectly poised to take advantage of this opportunity if we are willing to learn and adapt. ●
Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 55
PHOTO: DAVID LLOYD LEISURE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76