REPORT METHODOLOGY
LEISURE DB
operators, research and studio visits where we tested the products for ourselves. Eventually we drew up a definition we could all agree on. Our research team then painstakingly went through the 800 sites, one at a time, to determine which sites qualified as boutiques. Those that made it through the filter were then audited – at an individual site level – via web- and phone-based research to pick up all the data points we needed to produce our report. That was 2018. 2023 was about first revisiting the 2018 dataset, going through it with a fine toothcomb to establish whether sites were still open or closed. If open, we refreshed the data using web-based research. If closed, we researched the closure data to establish timescales, drawing on sources such as social media, local news articles, tags, head office details, Companies House records, fitness forums, local studios and businesses, blogs and Linkedin contacts who used to work at the studio(s). We also returned to Google Maps, whose time- stamped StreetView images allowed us to find a closed studio location and then step back in time through the time-stamped historical imagery to see when the studio signage disappeared. Given the five years that had elapsed since our previous London Boutique Studio Report, this was an invaluable tool in narrowing closure dates down to a specific year. We of course checked for new site openings over the last five years, too – both growth of existing businesses and new brands, drawing on sources including social media, local and personal knowledge, google searches, articles and so on. The result is the most comprehensive report available on the London boutique studio market.
If the brief methodology on the previous page makes this report sound like a simple undertaking, let us reassure you that it is anything but! At Leisure DB, we pride ourselves on the quality of our data and the robustness of our market analysis. Every piece of research we undertake, every report we produce, is meticulously planned and executed by our expert team. The London Boutique Studio Report is no exception. The work started in 2018 with a many months-long project to compile a dataset of all London studios. This audit, which identified around 800 sites, was initially and primarily based on a highly localised search of Google Maps. For each London borough, our team checked Google Maps for names of local areas, then searched keywords – studio, gym, yoga, pilates, CrossFit, etc – for each area. Overlaying local authority boundaries ensured we never added sites from neighbouring boroughs. We also went through ClassPass; nowadays everything is on Google Maps, but in 2018 ClassPass included some newer listings that didn’t appear on Google Maps. In this manner, we worked our way around London, also drawing on web research for individual sites to establish their status as a boutique studio. Adding sites to our database as we went allowed us to identify and avoid duplication, as well as ensuring we weren’t picking up existing gyms. If we found a studio that was part of a brand with multiple sites, we researched it and for efficiency added all sites to our database at the same time. The next step was to agree our definition of a boutique studio, which was arguably the most challenging part of the report. It took many hours of debate and discussion, numerous conversations with
If you have any suggestions regarding our methodology, definitions or report scope, please get in touch. At Leisure DB, we pride ourselves on being ‘for the industry, by the industry’ , and we will continue to evolve and expand this report in collaboration with the sector.
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LONDON BOUTIQUE STUDIO REPORT 2023
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