Female brand Mrs.Sporty developed its offer with tennis star Steffi Graf


who mostly have never worked out before and who are overweight and out of shape. This market is willing to pay around €45 a month for a simple circuit training and nutritional consultancy offering; if you can meet their needs, they have the money to spend. Other mixed gender operators are beginning to recognise this and are


‘feminising’ their offering where they can – but really the success stories in this field are those that embrace the female market in all dimensions of the business.


TRENDING NOW As in other markets, functional training is a strong trend. Fitness First, for example, is investing heavily in its


‘freestyle’ offering and making this the core of its marketing campaigns. Circuit workouts also continue to


have wide appeal, from high-end milon circuits through to high-intensity freestyle circuits that appeal predominantly to younger customers. Clubs purely offering circuits are


growing strongly thanks to their small footprint – less than 200sq m – which allows them to operate in convenient locations. PT studios are also developing along the same lines: sites of 200sq m or


April 2014 © Cybertrek 2014


less represent an affordable way for PTs to start their own business, often based on functional and EMS equipment.


FUTURE OUTLOOK Budget operators will continue to expand, bringing new exercisers into their facilities as well as attracting members from mid-market operators. At the other end of the scale, more


premium clubs will arise, offering additional value in the shape of pools, big wellness areas, outdoor spaces and first-class services. Healthcare will be more prominent, with clubs offering highly educated staff as well as specialist measurement and analysis to guide those with health issues. These clubs will be accepted and able to co-operate more closely with the health sector. Smaller footprint clubs will become


more significant as the trend towards convenience of location gathers momentum. Some will emerge as niche products – whether single-sex, focused on a clear customer proposition like pure muscle training or backcare, or standalone mind-body studios. Functional training will also drive this


small club trend, through CrossFit boxes for example – although more operators


will look to build concepts like CrossFit and MMA into their full-service clubs. Integration of nutritional programmes


run by competent staff and based on reward systems / gamification will also become a strong factor. And as everywhere around the world, digital interaction will play a huge role through the likes of apps and wearables – all of which will require new management skills and investment strategies. New builds and refurbs will be based


on more professional data analysis upfront as the market gets more and more saturated. But the German market remains highly attractive: witness new international entrants like Migros (ELEMENTS) and Madonna’s Hard Candy Fitness. I’m sure there’s more to come. ●


Dirk Kemmerling is owner and MD of HMC Health Management Company GmbH in Germany. Prior to that, he was the authorised signatory, director of operations and business development for Fitness First Germany. He has also owned and operated several fi tness clubs. Web: www.hmc-germany.com Email: dk@hmc-germany.com


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 79


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