Leisure DB State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2024

OPERATOR PERSPECTIVE

An eye to the future Every Total Fitness club has at least three pools: a large 25m pool, a smaller warm pool for learners and less competent swimmers at a slower pace, and a large hydrotherapy pool. Almost half of the estate has five pools, with an additional recovery pool and swim flume for athlete training. It’s unsurprising, then, that 75 per cent of new joiners cite the pools as a key reason for choosing Total Fitness. “We have so much water that capacity isn’t an issue,” confirms Lawler. “We currently have around 3,500 learn-to-swim students across our 15 clubs, but lessons predominantly take place in dedicated learner pools. The older kids might occupy one lane in the main pool, but those main pools are big. “Even at peak class time, the impact of learn-to-swim on overall water availability is therefore low. It means we don’t have to be too creative when it comes to timetabling.” Neither does Total Fitness push the creativity too far in terms of pool timetable content. “Other than learn- to-swim, the only group activity in our pools is aqua aerobics,” says Lawler. “We don’t experiment with what we see as fads – float yoga, indoor cycling in the pool

lesson, even though the kids are only in the pool for about 30 minutes. For 10 minutes after each lesson, parents can speak to the teacher to get detailed feedback and discuss any more complex needs the children might have. “Of course it costs us more, but it’s important to the parents so we consider it a good commercial decision. It also makes the teacher’s job more satisfying. “We’re working hard to achieve swim teacher consistency, too, both for the child’s learning experience and to help give parents a clear view of their child’s progress. This is challenging given the shortage of swim teachers at the moment, but we believe in creative solutions and investing where the challenges are. “So, our swim teachers are now largely employed rather than self-employed. If it isn’t a full-time role, we’ll work to create a hybrid role. We find great individuals who want to teach learn-to-swim, and if they would also be great somewhere else – front of house, perhaps, or as a gym instructor – we create the right role for them. “If we find someone who we think would be a great swim teacher, but who isn’t yet qualified, we’ll also recruit and employ them elsewhere while they train, and subsidise their training.”

We’d like to create service-related poolside roles, with people on-hand to help members feel comfortable

Swim lessons predominantly take place in dedicated learner pools

If someone would be a great swim teacher, but isn’t yet qualified, we recruit them and subsidise their training

and so on. These activities wouldn’t meet any need we’re hearing expressed by our members.” She adds: “In fact, when it comes to the pool, we find people’s needs are fairly basic. They want to feel comfortable, they want easy access to the pool and they don’t want to feel exposed. As an industry, we need to learn how to meet these needs without compromising the regulatory aspects of operating a pool. “This is something for the future at Total Fitness, as it will require significant investment to reimagine the poolside to help members feel more at ease and less exposed. We’d also like to create more service-related poolside roles, with people on-hand specifically to help members feel more comfortable. “If AI starts to cover lifeguarding, we certainly won’t see this as a cost-saving measure. We’ll redeploy people into new roles to enrich poolside service levels and the member experience.

“I believe this will also help retain poolside-based team members for longer. It’s harder to attract and retain people for poolside roles currently, but adding new and engaging elements to the role could really help.” Part of the package She concludes: “As I say, Total Fitness has a lot of water at its clubs. With pool running costs higher than they used to be, we’ve had to make some different investment decisions to prioritise behind-the-scenes investment – in CHP units, for example – rather than in member-facing enhancements and aesthetics. “However, as a full-service operator that appeals to a wide range of people, I maintain my view that pool stock can’t be viewed as a yieldable asset in its own right. It is part of the overall offering. Our commitment to high variety is table stakes for Total Fitness and something we will not compromise on.”

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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023 STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024