STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY
KEY TRENDS MARKET INSIGHTS FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE UK FITNESS LANDSCAPE
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WELCOME
State of the UK Fitness Industry Report 2026 Celebrating 20 Years: From Analysis to Action Two Decades of Industry Intelligence Welcome to the 20th-anniversary edition of the State of the UK Fitness Industry Report. For two decades, this report has served as the “gold standard” for the sector, providing the evidence- based backbone required for operators, investors, and policymakers to thrive. As we mark this milestone, Leisure DB continues its mission as an independent data specialist. We believe that critical business decisions should never be based on guesswork. Whether you are looking at site analysis, shifting supply formats, or the evolution of health-linked services, the following pages provide the strategic insight necessary to lead in the next era of tness.
We are for the industry, by the industry.
The Authority in Leisure Intelligence
Data that Empowers. Insight that Inspires. Celebrating 20 Years of the State of the Industry Report.
For over 30 years, Leisure DB has been the UK’s leading independent data specialist, providing the clarity needed to navigate an ever-evolving tness and leisure landscape. By unlocking the power of 850 million data points, we help operators, investors, and suppliers make better investments, sharper strategies, and more con dent decisions. Our Core Philosophy: Independent: We provide unbiased, agenda-free market intelligence.
Comprehensive: We audit over 7,000 facilities annually through direct contact. Actionable: We transform raw postcode and facility data into clear growth roadmaps.
“Since 2006, the State of the UK Fitness Industry Report has served as the sector’s ‘gold standard.’ As we mark our 20th year, we celebrate two decades of democratising data providing the evidence-based backbone that helps the UK leisure sector thrive, innovate, and grow.”
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WELCOME
Our Services: From Analysis to Action A Comprehensive Data Ecosystem. We offer a full suite of services designed to support your business at every stage of its journey.
Strategic Insight Services Stop the guesswork and start predicting. We use 30+ years of longitudinal data to help you understand your potential. Site Analysis: Is it the perfect location? We use latent demand modeling and competitive mapping to ensure your next site is a success.
Member Insight Reports: Who are your members, where do they live, and why do they choose you? Our Member Dot Maps turn postcodes into precise marketing intelligence.
Data Hub Services Access the pulse of the industry through our live tracking and curated intelligence. Brand Directories: A granular look at the players shaping the market. Monthly Market Tracker: The industry’s only daily tracker monitoring all openings, closures, and brand changes in real-time. Market Intelligence Reports : Bespoke deep-dives into speci c sectors, from boutique studios to the public sector. Data Consultancy: Tailored advice from our team of experts to help you deep-dive into the metrics that matter most to your brand. Partnerships & Collaboration Much of what we do is made possible through our collaborative ecosystem. The Power of Partners: We work with over 50 industry-leading partners to ensure our high-impact reporting remains accessible to the entire sector. EVOLVE: More than just data, we initiate conversations. Through our EVOLVE platform, we bring together leaders to spark debate and fuel the sector’s future growth.
Visit: www.LeisureDB.com | Email: hello@LeisureDB.com
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WELCOME
Contents
7 Forewords & Welcome David Turner, David Minton, Glen Thurgood, Jamie Buck, Alexa Passingham
17 Industry Views: Expert Perspectives Emma Barry, Steve Barton, Prof. Daisy Fancourt, Martin Franklin, Pete Cohen, Stuart Martin, Grant Harrison, Dr. Heather McKee, Matthew Pengelly, George Thompson, Julie Allen, James Foley, Tara Dillon 44 The market we’ve built ● Market Snapshot ● 10-Year Market Context ● Private vs Public Split ● Growth Trends (5-Year Change) ● Structural Signals: What the Headline Data Suggests ● Interview: Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer, EGYM 54 Activity vs Impact ● Openings vs Closures: Annual Market Activity ● Survival & Lifecycle: How Long Gyms Last ● Market Intensity: Churn & Competitive Pressure ● Interview: Andy Lancaster, NatWest 63 The Shape of Supply ● Format Shift: What Types of Facilities Are Opening ● Volume Model: Low Cost & High-Utilisation Growth ● Independent vs Chain: Structural Pressure ● Market Concentration: Top 10 Operator In uence ● Interview: Sean Thornton, - - Health Club ● Interview: Justin McDonell, Anytime Fitness 77 Access Geography & Demographics ● Regional Change: Where Growth Is Happening ● Access vs Concentration: Density, Value & Utilisation ● Interview: Prof. Richard Webber, Demographer ● Who Uses Gyms? The UK Fitness Consumer Pro le
88 Public vs Private Dynamics ● Public vs Private: Market Structure & Scale ● Diverging Models: Growth, Contraction & Format Shift ● Governance & Control: Who Operates Public Leisure? ● Interview: Duncan Jefford, Everyone Active 96 Infrastructure Shaping the Industry ● Digital Infrastructure: LMS Market Overview ● Governance: Public Leisure Management Models ● The Padel Effect: Emerging Competitive Investment 101 Health and Service Evolution ● Health Provision: Health Referral Service, Rehab & Wellness Integration ● Health Referral Services On Site ● Product Evolution: Recovery, Studios & New Services ● Interview: Dean Kowarski, Virgin Active
110 Sector Impact ● Are We Creating Healthier Communities? ● Access Indicators Summary ● Strategic Implications for Operators ● Implications for Policy & Investment ● Interview: Will Watt, State of Life
120 Research & Methodology
● Demographic Opportunity: Who We’re Missing & Where
127 Report Partners
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD
DAVID TURNER • CHAIRMAN, LEISURE DB
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
F irstly, a big welcome to our 20th edition of the State of the Fitness Industry publication, offering a snapshot of the daily data analytics we collect at Leisure DB. Last year I highlighted the vital importance of data and, more importantly, the way we interpret and use it. This year I would like to focus on how we as an industry made up of multiple parts
and exciting opportunities for new initiatives and developments.
The discovery of medications that can solve weight-loss has blown apart the old myth that 60% of our members join a club for weight-loss. But the fears we had about a weight-loss pill has not affected membership or participation. New investments in longevity and
healthy aging and the growth in data collection from individual activity are opening up new opportunities for product development and placing. Whilst COVID con rmed the need and the real positioning of online individual and community participation, the need for personal connections in this increasingly isolated online world reinforces the knowledge that people come to locations to be part of and to build community. All these opportunities and industry interactions create new data and knowledge and to keep up with this explosion, it is vital to create centres of data understanding, analysis and interpretation. At Leisure DB this is our focus. Using data analysts and industry experienced professionals, we have built the nest data leisure industry analytics team working hand-in- hand to give the best and most valuable insight and interpretation of the data available. So, my appeal to you all is - to share and cooperate with us to help build an understanding of our collective past, to evaluate the present and to create a platform for a creative and innovative future based on this collective knowledge. The more we share, the wiser we will get! “However good we are individually, we are logarithmically better when we work together.”
and incredible individual and corporate commitment, interact together to understand and build an industry of service that is better than the sum of the parts. However good we are individually, we are logarithmically better when we work together. The Internet democratised knowledge. Anything we want to know is instantly available through Google searches or Wikipedia, and the explosion of AI tools can instantly give us information. We all have knowledge that we collect and build on on a daily basis. However, there is a fundamental gap between knowledge, understanding and wisdom! Wisdom and understanding are gained by sharing together existing information and ambitions to improve. When we share our knowledge with others, we gain an understanding of our knowledge and that shared understanding helps us build together the future. Great quotations can help encapsulate our thoughts and focus our actions and these three pearls of wisdom say it the way it is and has always been - His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote - “Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote - “The fundamental law of human beings is interdependence. A person is a person through other persons.” And Bertolt Brecht wrote - “Everyone needs help from everyone.” Our industry faces many new challenges
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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FOREWORD FOUNDER’S FOREWORD
DAVID MINTON DAVID MINTON • FOUNDER, LEISURE DB
Not What We Are Doing. What We Are Becoming.
S ome people say singularity is now, for me the best everyday example of singularity-like progress is the full-self-driving Tesla. Experiencing self driving, self parking
the Financial Times reported around 80 different of cial UK data series have
been either decerti ed or cancelled outright since 2010 leading to AI and dubious surveys to ll the gap. I’m not advocating that we stop doing what we’re doing as this should not be seen as a partisan issue, but we do need to know what we should be reporting on. The challenge is no longer simply whether
and the car coming when you call it shows the future of autonomous vehicles. At the rst Tesla Diner in Los Angeles the latest humanoid robot in the Tesla Optimus range greets you with popcorn. Sadly, there’s no singularity-like progress in the tness space, when we can’t agree how many sites there are, how often people go and what they achieve. The importance of two gures, total site numbers (7,463) and percentage of the population that are members, (17.6%) is understandable but regrettable. Over the past twenty years demand for these two gures helped the industry raise nance and gave comfort to impatient operators and suppliers that things were going in the right direction. The beauty of having Leisure DB historical trend data on every site with tness reminds me that being positive between 2007-2013 was a tough call when growth could easily have been a rounding error. It’s true that I have been the purveyor of gures and it’s true I had to do what I had to do but we are now at a multi directional crossroads which could include; health, wellbeing, longevity, sleep, nutrition, movement and arts. So, it is time we ask, not what we are doing, but what we are becoming. Today total numbers and percentages seem both old- fashioned and questionable, especially when Leisure DB monitors every site on a daily basis. In the future our State of the UK Industry Report could be produced to order, at a touch of a button. I do sympathise with the desire to have a single objective measurement, something the sector did have, but with so many sector reports now, each with different methodology and research methods, what’s the poor AI platform to do? We’re not alone, the Of ce for National Statistics (ONS) have had ‘quality assurance’ problems dating back to 2008. Recently
exercise works, the evidence is unequivocal but how it can be implemented equitably, consistently and at scale within the NHS pathways. There’s comparatively little consistency in specifying how non- pharmacological interventions should be operationalised in routine care. How many of the groundbreaking current sector links into the NHS are part of the NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework? How many are classed as ‘clinical trials?’ How many PhD’s are being sponsored by the sector to provide more evidence?
“The fitness sector doesn’t lack activity. It lacks aligned evidence.”
Providing the evidence base of outcomes needs some alignment to avoid eroding trust, being caught in misinformation and fragmentation. The gures currently collected didn’t help during Covid because they couldn’t answer the questions the Government had in a pandemic. Since Covid the ‘Arts’ who received £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, have developed scienti c evidence of health impacts for those participating in a wide range of arts activities. Sport received much less and much more piecemeal. Commercial tness received essentially nothing because it sits structurally outside public health infrastructure, and will remain so while our quality of evidence remains uneven where it matters most, and while Treasury logic continues to favour treatment over prevention. The devil, as always, is in the detail, not in total numbers.
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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VISION 2026 AND BEYOND
GLEN THURGOOD • CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, LEISURE DB
Global Ecosystem: The Future of Continuous Intelligence
M y career has always been rooted in practical results, evolving from coaching in professional sports, to owning my own gyms, to developing health
at scale”. Leisure DB is building the data ecosystem to match this operational reality. By expanding our footprint internationally, we aim to harmonise market intelligence globally, empowering operators, investors and suppliers to understand change earlier and respond faster. This shift requires a change in mindset across the board. As I wrote in my recent chapter for the book Beyond Reps, “We must stop positioning fitness as recreation, and start positioning it as regeneration.” To achieve this regeneration at scale, we need actionable, accurate data that tracks our progress and proves our impact to the wider world. “By sharing our collective knowledge and leveraging advanced continuous data platforms, we can elevate the health and fitness industry on a global scale” Our vision is clear. We are providing the strategic foundation for the future of our sector. Building on the incredible foundation laid by our founder David Minton across his 46 years in the sector, and celebrating the 20th anniversary of this State of the UK Fitness Industry report, Heidi Blackburn, the team and I are taking his vision forward. Using data analysts and industry experienced professionals, we have built the finest leisure data analytics team working hand-in-hand to give the best and most valuable insight and interpretation of the data available. The future is bright, interconnected and full of opportunity. By sharing our collective knowledge and leveraging advanced continuous data platforms, we can elevate the health and fitness industry on a global scale. As David Turner reminds us, “The more we share , the wiser we will get!”.
technology. Joining Leisure DB as Chief Strategy Officer fourteen months ago was driven by a clear purpose to help our sector realise its true global potential. I am not a researcher by trade, but I know how crucial intelligent, actionable information is to operators on the ground. We stand at a pivotal moment. The era of standalone kit and bolt-on tech is over. Today, our sector is transforming into a fully integrated global ecosystem. At Leisure DB, we champion the power of insight to drive progress. Looking towards the rest of 2026 and our ambitious international expansion, our focus is firmly on global alignment. To support this, we are developing a revolutionary technology platform designed to deliver continuous intelligence, replacing outdated periodic reporting. We are combining operator validated data, analyst expertise and AI supported intelligence gathering to create a continuously updated view of the market. This will provide the foundation for everyone to make better, faster decisions. The industry demands sophisticated insights because the consumer demands more from operators. As Dean Kowarski notes in his interview (p106), “Consumers expect a far broader, more flexible wellness proposition that integrates social connection and community”. To deliver this, operators need real time intelligence that reflects true behaviour. Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer captures this transition perfectly (p50), stating that the future of fitness lies in “fully integrated ecosystems that connect equipment, data and intelligence to deliver measurable outcomes
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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RESEARCH
JAMIE BUCK • HEAD OF RESEARCH, LEISURE DB
From Static Data to Real-Time Intelligence
I ’ve been researching the UK tness market for 30 years, and the biggest change I’ve seen is not simply the growth of the sector itself, it’s the transformation in how information exists, moves and can now be understood. When I joined Leisure DB in 1996, almost everything was still in print. Research meant manually working through physical directories, Yellow Pages listings,
outdated or poorly researched information expanded through generic AI-generated content. Websites and social media accounts are frequently abandoned.
User reviews can be manipulated or misleading. AI tools can surface huge amounts of information
incredibly quickly, but without industry knowledge and human oversight they can also amplify inaccuracies at scale. That shift is fundamentally
brochures and phone calls to facilities. At the time, I was running Sportsline, a freephone service helping Londoners nd sports activities across the capital. Behind the scenes sat a searchable database of venues and activities, and after each call we would physically post information out to customers, printing activity lists, stuf ng envelopes and licking stamps with that unmistakable gummy taste that anyone from that era probably still remembers. That was what market intelligence looked like then. I often think about the contrast between the old leather-bound leisure directories we used to produce and the reality of research today. Back then, information arrived slowly, printed onto paper you could physically hold and archive. Today, the market never really stops talking. Websites update overnight, booking systems change constantly and social feeds move by the minute. Researchers now work across multiple screens with endless tabs open, dashboards ring noti cations all day and the strange modern experience of occasionally hearing phantom noti cation sounds that were never actually there. The market has always changed daily, we just didn’t have the ability to track it at that level before. In many ways, the internet solved the problem of information scarcity. But it also created a new problem: information quality. Online directories are everywhere, often lled with
changing the role of research. Historically, annual audits and static reports were enough. Increasingly, they are simply snapshots within a continuously moving environment. “AI can identify patterns and detect change, but context, interpretation and validation still matter enormously.” The future of market intelligence is not periodic reporting, it’s continuous intelligence. At Leisure DB, this is driving a major evolution in how we research the sector. We are combining operator validated data, analyst expertise and AI-supported intelligence gathering to create a continuously updated view of the market. Importantly, I don’t believe AI replaces researchers. If anything, it increases the importance of experienced human judgement. AI can identify patterns and detect change, but context, interpretation and validation still matter enormously. The future is not automated research. It is human-led intelligence operating at a scale that was previously impossible. For operators, investors and suppliers, the next opportunity in the tness market will increasingly belong to those who can understand change earliest and respond fastest.
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DEMOGRAPHICS
ALEXA PASSINGHAM • KEY ACCOUNTS & INSIGHT MANAGER, LEISURE DB
Beyond Size and Scale: Using Demographics to Build a Fitness Industry for Everyone
T he tness industry is a people- rst industry, built not just on equipment, facilities, or programming, but on the individuals and communities it serves. Traditionally, much of the focus has been on measuring size and scale: total memberships, market penetration, facility numbers, and revenue growth. These metrics remain critical. They help us track trends, benchmark performance, and
informed strategy, ensuring the unknown is given as much weight as the familiar. It is also important to recognise that not every facility needs to be everything to everyone. At an individual site level, success comes from clarity: understanding your unique selling points, de ning your target market, and ensuring you are delivering effectively for that audience.
The goal is not to dilute the offer, but to sharpen it, aligning services with the speci c needs of the community you are best positioned to serve. "If we are truly an industry for all, our data must reflect everyone, not just those already through the door." At an industry-wide level, however, the question must be: are we an industry for everyone? This is why diversity within the sector matters. There is space for public, private, and independent operators. There is room for low cost and premium models. We are here to help those striving to improve their max bench press and those wanting to pick up their grandchildren. We are here to help those training for marathons and those taking their rst steps towards a more active lifestyle. If we are truly an industry for all, if we want to make a meaningful difference to participation and if we are serious about asking, “How can we help?” to everyone, then we must combine size and scale analysis with demographic insight. This will ensure our growth as a sector is not only measured, but meaningful, inclusive, and built to serve every community.
provide context for where the industry stands today and where it may be heading. Without this macro view, it would be dif cult to identify opportunities or respond to challenges in a timely, strategic way. However, size and scale alone only tell part of the story. To truly understand our impact and how we can improve it, we must add more layers of data. This is where demographics come in. They allow us to move beyond “how many” and begin answering “who” and “why.” They help us understand the communities in which our gyms operate: age pro les, income levels, cultural backgrounds, health needs, and motivations. Crucially, demographic insight, especially when combined with structured segmentation, creates a more equal playing eld between members and non-members. Many operators know their members personally, understanding their routines and goals. But how do those individuals compare to the far larger group of “not-yet members” in the same catchment area? Demographic segmentation provides a methodology to bridge that gap. It allows us to contextualise our member base against the wider community, identifying who we are serving well and who we are missing entirely. It shifts us from anecdotal understanding to data-
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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INDUSTRY VIEW
Indust r y views
Emma Barry • Trouble Global Steve Barton • EGYM UK
Prof. Daisy Fancourt • University College London
Martin Franklin • Les Mills
Pete Cohen • Performance Coach Stuart Martin • PSLT Fitness Solutions
Grant Harrison • Ashbourne
Dr. Heather McKee • Behaviour Change Specialist
Matthew Pengelly • Matrix
George Thompson • Matt Hampson Foundation
Julie Allen • Active Insight James Foley • Alliance Leisure
Tara Dillon • CIMSPA
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
INDUSTRY VIEW
EMMA BARRY • TROUBLE GLOBAL
You’re not in the tness industry anymore - you’re sitting on something much bigger
T he tness industry died. You just didn’t get the memo. What replaced it is bigger, more valuable, and you’re standing in the middle of it, still counting memberships like it’s 2015. Wake up. You’re not running
Fitness is no longer just what people do. It is who they are, and who they are becoming. Algorithms may in uence identity, but sustained identity is built somewhere physical. That place should be the club. Technology can guide behaviour,
a gym anymore. You’re running something the entire wellness
but people and environments sustain identity. Operators are no longer simply service providers. They are motivators, connectors,
economy wants and cannot replicate. Your members have already moved.
They are tracking sleep, outsourcing nutrition, following in uencers, experimenting with GLP-1s, and trusting algorithms as much as coaches. The market has shifted. Most operators simply haven’t kept pace. This isn’t a loss of relevance. It’s a moment of opportunity.
and catalysts for long-term change. Yet much of the industry remains anchored
in outdated models, adding more classes, more equipment, and more content without addressing where real value now sits. The operators gaining ground are taking a different approach. They are building systems
The next opportunity does not live in more product. It lives in owning the intersection of space, system, and identity.
“Stop operating as a facility. Start becoming the system people build their lives around.”
While much of the industry continues to chase technology, wearables, pharma, and content, clubs already hold something those players cannot replicate: physical space, human connection, and live community. That combination is not legacy. It is leverage. As B. Joseph Pine II describes in the Transformation Economy, we have moved beyond services and experiences. Value now comes from enabling lasting change in people’s lives. This is where the role of the club must evolve. The club is no longer just a facility. It is an ecosystem. It is the hub where training, recovery, nutrition, data, and experience connect. It is a place where behaviours shift in real time. And, critically, it is a community, offering belonging in a world increasingly de ned by disconnection. Because belonging is where the value has moved.
around the club, forming smarter partnerships, and focusing on what genuinely drives change. Growth is no longer about doing more. It is about activating what already exists with greater precision. The opportunity is clear. Stop acting like a gym. Start acting like an identity engine. The future does not lie in competing harder as a facility. It lies in becoming the system that connects, sustains, and reinforces identity over time. You already have the assets. The question is whether you have the courage to use them differently. Emma Barry, Chief of Trouble, Trouble Global
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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INDUSTRY VIEW
STEVE BARTON • EGYM UK
Harnessing integration to deliver scalable results
P ersonalisation is no longer a luxury; it’s the expectation. To meet this demand, the era of standalone hardware and bolt-on technology needs to end. The tness industry has traditionally operated in silos, with strength equipment, cardio, and software, existing as separate products that vaguely connect but never fully integrate. This fragmented model no longer suf ces in
members disengage from exercise remains inconsistent and irrelevant training experiences. As a result, the industry is now moving beyond basic connectivity towards comprehensive orchestration. An integrated ecosystem, combining connected equipment, cloud-based platforms, and AI-driven intelligence, actively manages the training experience rather than simply documenting it. This
enables members to better understand their progress and remain motivated over the long term. This approach also delivers scalable quality. For multi-site operators, shared logic creates a more consistent member experience across every location, improving retention while supporting operational ef ciency. More importantly, it provides the structural foundation and data consistency required if the tness sector is to play a serious and credible role within the wider healthcare agenda. “The future of fitness lies in fully integrated ecosystems that connect equipment, data, and intelligence to deliver measurable outcomes at scale.” At EGYM, our mission is to help shift healthcare from repair to prevention. By combining connected training with AI-driven personalisation, we are building the infrastructure for a global prevention platform. Over the next ve years, industry leaders will not be de ned by individual products alone, but by who can deliver the most intelligent, integrated, and outcomes-driven experiences. This is no longer simply a product race; it is a systems competition. Steve Barton, Country Director UK, EGYM
a world of heightened consumer expectations and increasing modernisation, customers now expect seamless, connected workouts that deliver measurable results they can track and understand. It is becoming increasingly clear that the future of tness lies in fully integrated ecosystems that connect equipment, data, and intelligence to deliver measurable outcomes at scale. At EGYM, we connect training, data, and integration within one coordinated tness and wellbeing operating system. Through our ecosystem approach, member progress does not reset between visits or locations. Instead, it continues to build over time, creating a more engaging and rewarding experience that encourages long-term retention. The UK tness sector continues to evolve into an increasingly important part of the nation’s health and wellbeing infrastructure. Participation, engagement, and investment in tness continue to grow, re ecting a shift in consumer behaviour as more people prioritise health as an essential part of everyday life, even amidst ongoing economic pressures. At the same time, operators are seeing stronger levels of member engagement and increasing expectations around connected, personalised experiences that deliver measurable results and long-term value. Despite this growth, one of the primary reasons
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INDUSTRY VIEW
PROF. DAISY FANCOURT • UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Why the tness sector needs the arts
T he tness sector has been one of the great success stories in public health over the past two decades. It has helped to normalise exercise as a routine, essential behaviour, something people build into their weekly lives not just for enjoyment, but because it is understood to be fundamental to health. But if the tness sector wants to continue growing, it’s going to need to embrace the arts.
encourage people to train more ef ciently, more regularly, in a sustainable way. Dance, rhythm-based training, music-led classes and expressive movement all sit naturally within a tness environment, and extending this to other arts offerings within tness spaces could help consumers to engage more deeply. Third, the arts also activate other
mechanisms that the tness sector is currently under-leveraging, such as emotional
In my new book Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health, I make a similar case for the arts to the one that was made for physical activity a few decades ago: that it is a fundamental pillar of health and wellbeing. The scienti c evidence now clearly supports this. Regular engagement in the arts reduces the risk of developing depression, chronic pain, dementia and age- related physical decline, while increasing wellbeing, social connectedness and longevity. This research isn’t just relevant to the arts sector, but also to the tness sector. First, consumers are increasingly prioritising holistic wellbeing as much as physical outcomes. They are interested in activities that will simultaneously support physical, psychological, social and emotional health. In line with wider system-level shifts towards preventative health, they want to invest not just in their immediate health but on their future health. In other words, health, for consumers, is increasingly about more than just tness. And the arts offer the chance for tness providers to expand their own offer to meet this holistic, creative need. Second, the arts are very effective ways of regulating emotions and strengthening psychological processes that support behavioural change like self-esteem, mastery and agency. These are the same mechanisms that can help
expression, creativity and social bonding. Indeed, one of the tness sector’s persistent challenges is sustaining engagement over time. Drop-off is often driven not by lack of access, but by lack of enjoyment, meaning or connection. There is clear consumer demand for more immersive, socially-engaged, personal offerings, as shown in the growth of boutique studios, group training and experience-led formats. Hybrid tness- creative programmes are more likely to build habit and loyalty, reducing drop-off and increasing lifetime value. The tness sector has already changed how people think about exercise. The opportunity now is to broaden that achievement. Integrating creative,arts- based activities into the tness mix are not about dilution, it is about strengthening the overall offer so that it is more personalised, holistic, preventative, engaging and ultimately wide-reaching in its impact on health and wellbeing in its fullest de nition. Prof Daisy Fancourt, Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology, University College London “Drop-off is often driven not by lack of access, but by lack of enjoyment, meaning or connection.”
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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INDUSTRY VIEW
MARTIN FRANKLIN • LES MILLS
Community holds the key to continued club growth
W ith the tness events season in full swing, if there’s one word to sum up the current industry discourse, it’s community. Every major operator is emphasising the importance of community to their growth strategy, and the numbers bear this out. According to a recent ABC Fitness report, 73% of
sustainable success, but the often overlooked ingredient is the instructor. At the heart of every thriving club community is an inspiring instructor, someone who is highly trained to
motivate, mentor and make sure members get the results they’re
investing in. Finding these star players is easier said than done: in almost every recent conversation I’ve had with operators, the challenge of nding high-quality instructors in suf cient quantity has surfaced as a major pain point. That’s why we’re doubling down on providing expert support to help operators build and train championship- winning teams. Based on nearly 60 years of instructor training experience, powered by cutting-edge tech and informed by the latest research insights, we’ve
consumers say being part of a tness community helps them stay motivated, and as we all know, motivation is the key to a thriving club business. Clubs that foster community with high-quality programming around thriving modalities, such as strength training, Pilates, HYROX and run clubs, can become the central hub for these activities and thus, an essential pillar of people’s lives. Group training is the bedrock of club community and the reason why people who take classes attend their club more frequently, stay members for longer and refer more friends. This is where the magic happens. Group training is also an essential tool for maximising club capacity. That means busier clubs and bigger demand for equipment, so the need to leverage large-capacity spaces like the studio to spread footfall has never been greater. Your group training zones deliver real value by tailoring programming to members’ needs, while easing gym oor congestion during peak hours and boosting loyalty through community-driven workouts. Building stronger communities is the recipe for overcoming operational challenges and achieving
“Clubs that foster community with high-quality programming around thriving modalities can become an essential pillar of people’s lives”
built bulletproof systems to attract and upskill the next generation of rockstar instructors. Recent initiatives with Bannatyne’s and Parkwood Leisure have yielded impressive results, and we’re ready to support any operator in strengthening their instructor squad. Club success over the next 12 months will stem from creating thriving communities, backed by bang-on-trend programming and world-class instructors. Let’s make 2026 our strongest year yet. Martin Franklin, CEO, Les Mills UK
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
Behavioural change is not just about what people do It is about how people think, feel, and respond under pressure. The fitness industry has never been more advanced in helping people train their bodies. But long term change happens when people learn how to manage themselves with greater awareness, clarity, and intention. STOP 2 THINK helps organisations create practical behaviour change strategies that improve wellbeing, performance, engagement, and retention.
To find out more, email pete@petecohen.com or scan QR code opposite to visit petecohen.com Letʼs start a conversation
INDUSTRY VIEW
PETE COHEN • PERFORMANCE COACH
Real change starts with identity, not intensity
W hat if the biggest opportunity in the tness industry right now is not helping people do more but helping them understand themselves better? For years, we have measured success through effort. More sessions. More intensity. More output. But what if the real question is not how much people are doing, but how they are feeling while they are doing it?
they achieve, and how consistently they perform. But far less attention has been paid to how people actually feel. I don’t think there has ever been a more important time for us to recognise the true impact that exercise has on mental health. Now more than ever, people are associating movement with feeling better, not just looking better. Because what we are really Behavioural change is not just about what people do It is about how people think, feel, and respond under pressure. The fitness industry has never been more
in the business of is not just physical transformation, but human transformation. More people are exercising than ever before, yet many are also more tired, more stressed, and more disconnected. This isn’t a failure of tness. It’s a sign that tness on its own is not enough.
I started in the tness industry in 1989, and over the years I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the biggest operators in the sector as a behavioural change expert. My weight loss programme was licensed by organisations such as Freedom Leisure, Life Leisure, Next Generation, LA Fitness and Village Hotels. We trained their instructors not just how to deliver workouts, but how to help people change their behaviour. Because even then, it was clear to me that lasting results were never just about the exercise. They were about the person. And if I am honest, my passion has always been for the people who join our facilities and then quietly disappear. Not because they don’t care. Not because they lack discipline. But because they don’t yet see themselves as someone who belongs there. They want to feel con dent. They want to feel strong. They want to become the kind of person who lives that way. But without the right support, that dentity never quite takes hold. And those are the people we are losing. The truth is, they don’t need more complexity. They need simple tools. Simple strategies. And environments that help them build belief in who they are becoming. Because when that shifts, everything shifts. Over the past few decades, I’ve watched our industry evolve in remarkable ways. We’ve become more informed, more scienti c, and more sophisticated in how we train the body. But despite all of this progress, something important has often been overlooked. We have focused heavily on how people look, what PC001-Stop-2 Think-A4.indd 1
advanced in helping people train their bodies. But long term change happens when people learn how to manage themselves with greater awareness, clarity, and intention. STOP 2 THINK helps organisations create practical behaviour change strategies that improve wellbeing, performance, engagement, and retention.
“The people we’re losing don’t lack discipline, they lack belief they belong.”
The real opportunity for our industry is to shift from simply helping people do more… to helping people become more aware. In my work, I talk about STOP 2 THINK. Not as a technique, but as a way of being. Because what most people need is not another programme or another push. They need space. Space to notice how they feel, space to re ect on what they actually need, space to reconnect with themselves. When people are constantly pushing without pausing, they lose that connection. And when that happens, even the best programme will fall short of what they are really looking for. If the last 20 years have been about building stronger bodies, the next 20 years must be about helping people build a better relationship with themselves. Because when people learn to pause, to listen, and to respond rather than react, everything changes. And that is where true health begins. Pete Cohen, Performance Coach, Author & Keynote Speaker To find out more, email pete@petecohen.com or scan QR code opposite to visit petecohen.com Letʼs start a conversation
13/05/2026 14:15
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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INDUSTRY VIEW
STUART MARTIN • PSLT FITNESS SOLUTIONS
Pinpointing where the real opportunity lives: keeping people moving for longer
T he tness industry has long been focused on what’s next; new equipment, new concepts, new technology. While innovation remains important, the
facilities are not always the newest, they are the most consistent.
Where equipment works as expected. Where standards are maintained. Where the experience on day 300 matches day one. This consistency comes from strong, ongoing partnerships
greatest opportunity today lies not in the new, but in longevity. Longer lives. Longer health spans. Longer relationships with the people we serve.
between operators and suppliers, not one-off transactions. A “ t it and
forget it” approach is no longer viable. Instead, long-term collaboration must focus on proactive service, continuous performance, and shared accountability. “The most successful facilities are not always the newest, they are the most consistent.”
This shift changes how we de ne success. It’s no longer just about attracting members, but about keeping them active, consistently and over time. As populations age and health awareness grows, facilities must evolve. This means creating environments that prioritise accessibility, usability, and long-term engagement, not just aesthetics or trends. Operators are now supporting a broader demographic, from beginners to older adults managing health conditions. The question is no longer what attracts
Retention is built on consistent, positive experiences. For members, this means reliable equipment, well-maintained spaces, and environments that support all abilities. For operators and suppliers, it requires a shift in mindset; measuring success beyond installation, and focusing on utilisation, uptime, and long-term engagement. The easier we make it for people to stay active, the longer they will continue. The next opportunity for the industry isn’t in adding more, but in improving what already exists. By raising standards, maintaining quality, and supporting long-term use, we don’t just enhance facilities, we extend how long people stay active. That’s where real impact lies. Stuart Martin, Commercial Director, PSLT Fitness Solutions
attention, but what sustains participation. While the industry has improved front- end experiences, long-term engagement is often shaped by less visible factors. Over time, equipment performance can decline, facilities can lose consistency, and service models can become reactive. Members notice these changes, even if subtly, and they in uence whether people keep coming back. Too often, when retention drops, the focus shifts to marketing or programming, rather than the physical environment itself. At PSLT, we see that the most successful
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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