Independent gyms in the UK have fared better during the pandemic than larger corporate operators in holding on to their members, according to research

Thanks to being small and agile and able to adapt and pivot quickly to deliver what their members needed during lockdown, independents have outperformed the sector during the past year, according to research by 4global, ukactive and GGFit, called the Independent Fitness Clubs Benchmarking Report.

The study found that net member movement was generally positive during key times in 2020 for independent clubs, in spite of being negative for the wider sector. Membership levels bounced back significantly better in terms of visit throughput and active member percentage.

The report is based on a study from July to December 2020, using data from 627 independent clubs, representing a total of 289,000 members, 3.9 million visits to independent gyms and revenue of £32m.

The percentage of active members was lower in July and November 2020, when compared to 2019 levels, due to clubs being in lockdown for most of the time during these months. But by December 2020 the level of active members recovered to within 1 per cent of 2019 numbers, showing a healthy appetite for returning to the gym.

Interestingly, independent clubs achieved much higher joiner rates than the rest of the industry during these six months – sometimes by a factor of three. The report suggests this was due to a combination of re-engagement campaigns, re-joiners, and the ‘local’ business effect of independents reaching out to their communities during the pandemic and gaining more engagement.

Utku Toprakseven, partner at 4global, said: “This report represents the first collaborative dive into the independent gyms collective data and is an exciting opportunity to assess the value of the rich diversity delivered to members across this sector of the health and fitness industry.

“We very much look forward to working with even more independent operators and system providers in the coming months, with the aim of deepening our collective understanding of the critical impact that independent gyms have to the wider health and physical activity agenda.”

“We know independent fitness businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, but with the support of their members they’ve proven to be agile and adaptable to change, which is clearly demonstrated in this report,” said Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive.

“It is our hope that we can continue to support the growth of independents across the physical activity sector by sharing our insight and data, and working together with our members to drive change.”

Read the report: HCMHandbook.com/independentrecovery