The German health club industry has weathered the effects of the pandemic better than many other countries, despite widespread lockdowns and disruption, according to figures just published by industry body, DSSV.

The organisation found the total number of members of health clubs in Germany declined by only 11.6 per cent during 2020, leaving the nation with 10.31 million gym members.

The attrition rate means overall market penetration fell from 14 per cent in 2019 to 12.4 per cent.

While there were some permanent closures, the number of health clubs fell by just 1.4 per cent during 2020.

According to DSSV numbers, there are now 9,538 health clubs in the country.

Other headline figures from the report, which charts the health of the German fitness industry, show the industry generated revenues of €4.16bn during 2020 – a 24.5 per cent fall from the €5.51bn figure in 2019.

Unlike many countries where gyms are accessed on a pay-as-you-go basis or without the payment of a membership fee, contracts in German gyms are typically more binding and have enabled most operators to continue to collect dues during lockdown, with most offering a scheme whereby elapsed time is added to the end of a membership term.

This has enabled the German gym sector to get through the pandemic in better shape than the sector in many other nations.

To read the full report (requires sign-in), on the DSSV website, click here.