OPENINGS & CLOSURES
POOL FACILITIES
PRIVATE SECTOR
PRIVATE SECTOR
Meanwhile, on page 98, Seb Barre of The Laboratory Spa & Health Club observes: “Within our country club-style offering, our swimming pools have always been a focal point: we’re known for their quality. “The strong membership base we have justifies our decision to protect the tranquillity and availability of our pools.” Nevertheless, the AI lifeguarding technology being rolled out by GLL could be a game-changer across both private and public sectors, with an “intelligent camera system [that] detects everyone in the pool,” says Andrew Clark in his interview on page 44. He adds: “We’ll be able to create heat maps to show hotspots and under-used capacity in our pools.” Meanwhile, as our facility breakdown (below) shows, many private sector clubs also have facilities such as sauna and steam alongside their pools. As consumers increasingly seek relaxation and recovery as well as fitness, operators such as The Laboratory Spa & Health Club are looking to expand this offering still further. “We have some exciting poolside plans for next year, such as introducing an ice lounge and sanarium and a fully refurbished sauna and steam room,” confirms Barre (see page 98).
Our audit is based on private gyms that also have a pool; in many cases, the membership is a combined one. “It’s hard to accurately track usage and ROI on the considerable costs of running our pools, as anyone who’s a member has access,” confirms Adam Watson of Nuffield Health (see page 90). Within a full-service model, this may not be of primary concern. In her interview on page 106, Total Fitness CEO Sophie Lawler says: “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.”
Openings & closures: Private clubs with a pool, 2010 – 2024
50
50
Closures
Openings
45
41
40
30
28
25
20
20
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.
16
16
15
14
13
10
7
17
10
14
7
6
11
7
8
7
7
4
4
6
2
2
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
If a club is taken over by another operator, this is not counted as a closure or a new opening. Closures not recorded pre-2013.
NOTE FOR THE READER: As outlined previously, when comparing year-on-year stats, you may notice a discrepancy between total pool numbers versus what one might assume from reported closures and openings. For a briefing on why this is the case, please see page 33.
Across the UK’s private health club sector, six brand new clubs opened with a swimming pool, while 25 clubs – with 29 pools between them – closed. This year’s net loss of 19 private sector clubs with pools compares to a net loss of 14 in 2023, 16 in 2022 and 37 in 2021.
Facility breakdown
Gym Swimming pool Sauna Steam room Spa pool Studio Cycle studio Sunbed Squash Golf Indoor tennis Sports hall
100% 100%
93%
92%
74%
70%
50%
20%
PRIVATE CLUBS WITH SWIMMING POOL OPENINGS +6
13%
11%
9%
6%
PRIVATE CLUBS WITH SWIMMING POOL CLOSURES -25
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
96
97
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023 STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
96
97
STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
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