OPENINGS & CLOSURES
TOTAL MARKET
New pool openings in the private sector are at their lowest level since 2014. Looking at public sector openings, it’s interesting and indeed concerning to review the longer-term trend. Since 2013 – the first year Leisure DB monitored pool closures – every year bar 2022 we’ve seen more centres with pools close than open. The worst differential was in 2020: 46 closures versus 17 openings. This year, it’s 15 closures versus 13 openings.
Number of new openings: Since 1 April 2022
TOTAL OPENINGS: 15
5
Private clubs
Public centres
4
3
2
1
0
April 22 May 22 June 22 July 22 Aug 22 Sept 22 Oct 22 Nov 22 Dec 22 Jan 23
Feb 23 March 23
Number of closures: Since 1 April 2022
TOTAL CLOSURES: 31
5
Private clubs
Public centres
4
3
2
1
0
April 22 May 22 June 22 July 22 Aug 22 Sep 22 Oct 22 Nov 22 Dec 22 Jan 23 Feb 23 March 23
counted by this report, but would not appear in the openings/closures data. Similarly, if a hotel with a pool previously only for guest use only opened up a membership scheme to the local community, it could appear in the report without being detected in openings/closures. Leisure DB also regularly picks up a small number of pools that weren’t previously listed on its database, but that aren’t new openings. This number is not significant, but it nevertheless contributes to the discrepancy as we continue to push for the most comprehensive data set possible for this market.
Readers comparing this year’s report to last year’s may notice a discrepancy between reported total pool numbers versus what one might assume from reported closures and openings. There are a few factors at play here. First, a number of pools move in and out of public access, both in the public and private sector. You could, for example, have a local authority pool that hands back management to the host school, which then decides not to continue with pay-and-play swimming – i.e. the pool becomes for school use only. In this scenario, the pool would no longer be
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STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
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