The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.

Revenue for the six months ending 30 June 2026 increased by 10 per cent to £133.1m (H1 25: £121.0m) while like-for-like revenue grew 3 per cent year-on-year, in line with expectations. 

CEO, Will Orr told HCM: “The 3 per cent like-for-like is reassuringly consistent considering it’s a noisy environment in terms of what's been going on around the world. It shows the quality and relevance of our proposition and market growth. 

Average member numbers grew by 5 per cent, hitting a milestone high of 1,002,000, before closing the period with 991,000 members. This compares with 923,000 at 31 December 2025 and 949,000 at 30 June 2025. 

“We do some surveying of incoming members and a chunk are new to the market, some are trading down from the mid-market, and some are switches within the sector,” says Orr. “One of the positive things is that our part of the market is driving those ongoing increases in penetration and still introducing new people to the gym. 

“The average age of our consumers is around 30. We still do very well with Gen Z, who are the most active and engaged cohort of fitness consumers. We know through our data that fitness and gym is their number one discretionary spend item. A month with us is the equivalent of a round of drinks, so that audience continues to do well.” 

He said GLP-1s are providing a tailwind for the industry: “We know there's an increase in the number of people training who are on weight loss drugs working with our fitness trainers. With penetration increasing in the UK generally, we think these drugs present a tailwind for the sector by creating new cohorts of people who then have the confidence and the momentum to take up a gym habit.”

The company is still on track to open at least 20 gyms in 2026. Four opened in the first half of the year, work has started on-site at a further two locations and contracts exchanged on 11 more. 

Net debt at 30 June 2026 was £58m and this is expected to increase by the end of the year, given the second-half weighting to the new gym openings, refurbishment programmes and the continuation of the share buyback programme. 

The company has worked hard on pricing and yield management to increase the average revenue per member per month by 5 per cent to £22.14 (H1 25: £21.16). 

“We know that our value for money ratings are extremely high. On an ongoing basis, we put through modest price increases to offset some inflationary aspects and we continue to invest in the proposition – for example with the new design approach, continuing to innovate with equipment, Hyrox, and small group training. 

“We've also unbundled some of the benefits of our Ultimate membership, so standard members can add on benefits. We try to be disciplined and innovative about the way we promote, so we avoid discounting too much.”

With many low-cost operators around the world piloting and rolling out reformer Pilates and recovery options, Orr confirms The Gym Group is also looking at this: “We're doing a handful of experiments in a small number of sites. We want to ensure the operating model remains simple, and that we're principally focused on great, well-equipped gyms, because we know that's what our consumers really want. Whether there's an opportunity to introduce one or two other amenities in that recovery space is something we're experimenting with. At the moment we’re judging reactions.”

The market has reacted positively to the strong results and shares have risen by 40 per cent since January.

The Gym Group has also been recognised as one of the Financial Times Europe's Climate Leaders 2026 – a ranking that highlights companies making significant progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The list is compiled by the Financial Times in partnership with Statista and recognises organisations demonstrating measurable climate action and emissions reductions.