INTERVIEW ANDY LANCASTER
“Fitness is a customer-facing industry. Every interaction shapes the member experience, which in turn drives retention and revenue”
Talent: Retention is the real battleground The tness industry has always been people-driven, but the challenge of managing this is only intensifying. Attracting talent is one thing; retaining it is another. High staff turnover remains a persistent issue and, with wage pressures rising, competing on pay alone is not sustainable. Future Fit businesses take a more structured approach. They actively map the skills they will need in the future and build clear plans to acquire and develop those capabilities. Talent strategy becomes proactive rather than reactive. Equally important is the employee experience. The most successful operators invest in wellbeing, culture and career development, recognising that retention is driven by more than salary alone. Clear progression pathways, meaningful training and a strong sense of purpose all play a role. Fitness is a customer-facing industry. Every interaction shapes the member experience, which in turn drives retention and revenue. Your people are not just employees; they are your brand in action. Investing in them takes time and resource, but the alternative – constant churn – is far more costly. Retention, not recruitment, is where the real competitive advantage lies. Technology: Turning data into action Technology is evolving rapidly, but the real differentiator is not access. It’s application. Most tness businesses already hold vast amounts of data. The question is how effectively they are using it. The most advanced operators are moving beyond basic metrics to develop a real-time understanding of their business and their customers. The scale of this shift is signi cant. The vast majority of Future Fit businesses now say their decisions are largely data-driven, using insight to inform everything from pricing and programming to customer engagement and retention strategies.
At the same time, the nature of supply chain relationships is changing. More than half of Future Fit businesses now actively collaborate with suppliers and customers, recognising that stronger partnerships drive both innovation and resilience. The days of purely transactional relationships are fading. Technology is also playing a growing role. Data, AI and supply chain management tools are improving visibility, enabling better demand forecasting and helping businesses identify risks before they become problems. Ultimately, stability is the goal. A resilient, well-managed supply chain underpins a consistent member experience – and in a competitive market, consistency is critical.
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2026
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