Globally, gyms have, on average, seen nearly 70 per cent of their pre-lockdown members return to their facilities since re-opening their doors.

The global figure comes from a report by brand and consumer insight firm ClubIntel, titled The Fitness Industry’s Re-Awakening Post-COVID -19 Facility Closures which gathered data from a sample of fitness operators worldwide during the month of September in partnership with a number of trade associations.

The report – based on responses from 556 fitness operators across eight global regions, representing 7,300 clubs, gyms and fitness studios – shows that 10 per cent of operators have seen all of their members (100 per cent) return.

"Our data parallels the results from a study of US members conducted in July, where 65 per cent of members indicated they were fairly or highly likely to return and 19 per cent reported being neither likely nor unlikely to return," ClubIntel said in the report.

"The data leads us to believe that most fitness operators should expect membership levels by year ending 2020 to range from 50 per cent to 80 per cent of pre-closure levels, with fewer than 20 per cent returning to full pre-closure levels."

Other headline findings include that, on average, respondents are projecting 2020 revenues to reach 63 per cent of the levels generated in 2019 – a fall of 37 per cent.

Staffing levels have yet to return to pre-COVID-19 levels too, with operators reporting that, on average, 79 per cent of full-time staff and 74 per cent of part-time staff have been rehired so far.

"On average, around 25 per cent of fitness staff have not yet been brought back by their employer," ClubIntel said.

"We suspect these averages will not change much over the remainder of 2020 as operators seek to reduce costs to preserve cash due to projected revenue shortfalls for 2020."

ClubIntel undertook the study as a follow-up to a previous study in April 2020, which looked at how fitness operators had responded to COVID-19 mandated closures.

"The fitness industry is awakening from COVID-19 closures, some emerging from forced hibernation after a couple of months, others now just opening after six months in 'hibernation hell'," ClubIntel said.

"In some regions, clubs and studios remain closed. Upon awakening to this new era, some fitness operators are facing significant operational and financial obstacles.

"For most fitness operators the challenge is daunting, not insurmountable."

Other key findings from the ClubIntel report include:

- That most gyms and health clubs have reopened, especially in Europe (100 per cent) and the US (84 per cent). Only 13 per cent of facilities in the sample were closed at 1 September 2020.

- Club Intel says gyms in Canada may be facing the greatest challenges, with only a third expecting to generate 75 per cent of 2019 revenue levels and the remainder performing below this level.

- 50 per cent of the sample are offering exercise classes outdoors, as well as small group and one to one personal training.

- Video-on-demand is now being used by 70 per cent of the sample for group fitness and 52 per cent for personal training and coaching.

- The report says safety practices recommended by health authorities to reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure are automatically being adopted by fitness operators.

Fitness studios have the lowest adoption rate when it comes to introducing safety practices such as social distancing, sanitation and the wearing of masks to lessen the spread of the virus among employees, members, and clients.

European operators have the highest adoption levels for safety practices at 80-90 per cent, while operators in Asia and Japan have the lowest levels of adoption for these practices.

- European and U.S. operators were significantly more likely to incorporate outdoor exercise offerings than counterparts in other regions.

• To view and read the full ClubIntel report, click here

The following organisations contributed to the study: IHRSA, Oxygen Consulting, ACAD Brasil, Exercise Association of New Zealand, Muench Solutions Consulting, FitBizWeekly, EuropeActive, Club Industry, Les Mills International, Fitness Australia, Association of Fitness Studios, Encore Fitness, Good Soul Hunting, Club Insider, Brent Darden, Active Management, Club Spa & Fitness Association