The fitness franchise industry is diverse but revolves around one key element; physical activity. This is something that has to be of interest to you if you want to work in this industry. This, however, doesn’t mean you are limited to what type of franchises you have available to you; the fitness franchise industry can be anything from running a gym to teaching rugby to children. This diversity amongst the franchises that are available means that as long as you enjoy physical activity, there will be a franchise that you will enjoy being involved in.

UK Fitness Franchise Trend

The UK, along with many other counties, has a trend that occurs yearly and I’m sure you’ve heard of it; New Year gym resolutions. Every year, gyms see a surge of people wanting to get fitter by working out; even if this doesn’t result in 100% attendance, there is a need for gyms to facilitate this trend. This is derived for a much larger trend in the market, the UK as become more health & wellbeing focused with more fitness activities than ever before, take Zumba for example. This can be seen by the Leisuredb.com 2017 fitness industry statistics:

• 6,728 fitness facilities with an increase of 4.6% from last year
• Market value of 4.7 billion, up 6.3% from last year
• Membership up to 9.7 million, which was an increase of 5.1% from last year
• 272 new fitness facilities have opened, up from 224 last year
• Current penetration rate of 14.9%

The statistics show how many people are participating in physical activities, whether they be in private or in a public fitness facility. The trend is on the incline and this isn’t something thats likely to change, according to some industry experts. It is expected that this year alone we are likely to reach a 5 billion market value with the memberships for nearly 10 million people, which will equate to over 15% penetration rate.

Why are we fitness focused?

As we can see from the previous statistics, the UK population is spending much more of their time and money trying to become more fitness focused, but why is this? The trend is likely the result of the UK government marketing to the population to improve the general wellbeing of its citizens. This is because there has been another trend which isn’t considered good for the population; the upwards trend of obesity across all ages, including children. With children aged between 10-11, the obesity rate is 33%, this is high but not nearly as high as adults, with females coming in at 58% and males at a soaring 68%. The obesity statistics are very concerning and the government are trying to combat this with many campaigns focused around eating healthier and participating in more physical activities in a week. These campaigns are great for the country but it also free marketing for all the fitness franchises out there.

The Future of Fitness Franchises

The fitness franchise industry is moving more towards low cost fitness activities; just because there is a rise in people wanting to participate in more activities, doesn’t mean that they have more disposable income. This can be seen by the increase in low cost gyms on the up, PureGym for example, offering extreme discounts on monthly memberships. This doesn’t mean other higher cost fitness franchises aren’t improving with this increase of demand, it’s just the percentage is shifting towards lower cost activities to ensure we get enough exercise within our budget.

If this industry is of interest to you then take a look at Wabba, it’s a UK & worldwide fitness trainer experience with over 40 years’ experience, it’s very flexible and has generated many successful franchisors. - Wabba Fitness Franchise