OPERATOR PERSPECTIVE
THIRD SPACE
Data shows our members are interested in swimming, and it remains a core part of our offering, says Managing Director John Penny
“As a luxury full-service operator, it is and always has been key to offer swimming as part of our offering. There have been interesting discussions over the years, because space comes at a premium in London; not having a pool would mean more square metres of gym floor, and in turn more revenue-driving personal training. “However, pools drive clicks. The image of our City club swimming pool is the top-performing digital marketing asset of all the images we use for the group – the most clicked upon image by prospective members – proving how appealing these services are. “Of course, that isn’t our only metric. There’s also the simple fact that peak time monitoring shows our pools to be busy. In a four-lane pool, we might have six people per lane in peak hours, some training competitively, others swimming more for relaxation.
“And usage is quite varied. As I say, a proportion are serious swimmers, others recreational, but there’s also a significant group who use our pools for relaxation, recovery and wellbeing. Meanwhile, at the five clubs where we have Third Space Medical, physiotherapists regularly use the pools for injury rehab sessions. “We also have two full-time swim PTs per club, who provide adult swim coaching whether you wish to train for an event or just learn to swim properly.” He adds: “As we continue to reach out further across London in terms of geographies and demographics, we need to be mindful about the types of service we offer to achieve target membership penetration per site. And swimming – whether it’s recreational, competitive or recovery – remains a key asset that’s required.
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STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
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