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Outdoor activities could attract those who don’t want to work out in a club


cent in 2012 to 29 per cent in 2013 and 21 per cent in 2014. The budget sector has thrived during


the harsher economic times of the past fi ve years, but conditions for the budget sector may become tougher in the next few years: the UK is in the early stages of what looks likely to be a strong economic recovery, consumer confi dence has really bounced back and unemployment is falling much more rapidly than anticipated. The combined effect of these factors means that consumers may be more prepared to look at increasing their monthly outgoings again, which could potentially include trading up to a more expensive health club membership. Additionally, there’s some evidence


that saturation of budget options (encompassing budget clubs, plus some local authority leisure centres) is being approached in some areas. This is leading to budget clubs cutting joining fees and, in some cases, monthly fees. Competition – whether budget club vs budget club, or budget club vs local authority gym – is likely to intensify, and this is not going to be good for margins. Not only that, but the emergence


of the budget sector has caused a tremendous polarisation within the health and fi tness club market. Mid- market operators have either had to move further upmarket to more


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clearly differentiate their offering from that of the budget operators, or else they have moved more towards a low- cost model in order to compete more effectively – and with it making the budget segment even busier. In the meantime, the only mid-market


clubs likely to continue to thrive are the established local sites with an extremely loyal local following and not much competition, which succeed because of the strong personal service they deliver.


Revenue growth Finally, there’s the issue of how clubs can increase revenues from existing members and non-users. Other than perhaps some modest


potential to increase ancillary spend as the pressure on household income eases, the indications are that the best opportunities for clubs to increase member spending lie in extending their services beyond the club environment. So for example, a member may not


be able to physically visit a club as often as they want to – perhaps because of childcare commitments, for example – but might be willing to pay extra for the option to follow classes at home using a live stream, or to be able to download classes from an online library. They may also welcome the


opportunity to rent fi tness monitoring


equipment that will measure their activity levels throughout their day, not just when they are in the health club. Others may not want to visit their


club more often because they don’t enjoy working out indoors. Offering a variety of outdoor activities led by a member of staff from the fi tness club – outdoor classes in a local park, for example – may be one way in which members can be encouraged to do more without visiting their actual health clubs more regularly. And for the non-user, as well as a


desire to be offered a pay as you go option when they visit a club, there’s almost certainly a market among potential users – and indeed among people who haven’t yet expressed an interest in joining a health and fi tness club – for at-home and outdoor services. This could be a home-based personal training session, the hire or sale of fi tness equipment to use in the home, the hire of fi tness monitoring equipment, or the running of outdoor classes. Potentially there’s a whole new


audience who may never have had any desire to enter a physical club, but who would welcome the opportunity to take part in some outdoor or home-based structured fi tness activity, whether that’s an outdoor run or class in a park, or a class streamed to their home. ●


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 69


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