Gyms closing?

[jmn]

I've just read that Fitness First in Exeter is closing after opening in 2001.

Reason given is that membership has declined greatly since COVID with many customers saying that they now prefer training at home.

This mirrors my own experience when my own gym closed after lockdown. I bought my own equipment (that wasn't easy at the time) and I wouldn't go back to a gym now.

Another company that obtained planning permission to open up on an industrial estate near me has decided not to proceed.

Are gyms now generally in decline?

[J4CKO]

Not the one I go to, it’s always a bit too busy.

[Alex Z]

PureGym are still opening new locations, and the one I use that opened in 2019 is always nicely busy without being dead or overcrowded.

[MC Bodge]

jmn said:

I've just read that Fitness First in Exeter is closing after opening in 2001.

Reason given is that membership has declined greatly since COVID with many customers saying that they now prefer training at home

This mirrors my own experience when my own gym closed after lockdown. I bought my own equipment (that wasn't easy at the time) and I wouldn't go back to a gym now.

Are gyms now generally in decline?

I suspect that a lot of people had monthly gym memberships, but rarely used the gym, or went along and did very little. Many of those people will have canceled their subscription. Few will be actively training hard at home.

I do know quite a few people who attend gyms.

I often train at home myself, but I do enjoy boxing & circuit training with others.

[Its Just Adz]

Not here either, they seem busy.

[Ice_blue_tvr]

I just left our local David Lloyd as it was just too busy at pretty much any time of the day.

When I first joined i was happy to pay a premium for a quieter gym, but it's as busy as fitness first used to be. And it's full of chavs.

I think fitness first had fallen out of fashion. People either go to the "premium" name gyms or the super cheap unmanned ones.

[Tickle]

Gyms busy where I am, maybe the one mentioned in the OP is a victim of cost of living, people not regular gym goers cancelling memberships.

[C5_Steve]

Mine is the opposite, never been busier and certainly an increase post covid. It's now like January all year round.

[Zio Di Roma]

Ice_blue_tvr said:

I just left our local David Lloyd as it was just too busy at pretty much any time of the day.

When I first joined i was happy to pay a premium for a quieter gym, but it's as busy as fitness first used to be. And it's full of chavs.

I think fitness first had fallen out of fashion. People either go to the "premium" name gyms or the super cheap unmanned ones.

Yes we have seen an influx of “the wrong sort” at our David Lloyd. There was a team of them in the pool with ankle tags a few weeks ago. Is DL running a summer discount promotion or something?

[Ice_blue_tvr]

Something about the new investors and maximising the rate of growth in order for the books to look good now that the brand is up for sale (or has already been sold?).

Not sure how half these chavs afford it. I got lots of emails and calls to keep my business, but the most they would do was throw in 2 months for free.. Still too pricey for what is an overly popular gym with no real transparency of what everyone pays.

[2354519y]

Ice_blue_tvr said:

Something about the new investors and maximising the rate of growth in order for the books to look good now that the brand is up for sale (or has already been sold?).

Not sure how half these chavs afford it. I got lots of emails and calls to keep my business, but the most they would do was throw in 2 months for free.. Still too pricey for what is an overly popular gym with no real transparency of what everyone pays.

Many chavs, especially the ones that use our business have good incomes due to their illicit activities.

[Sheets Tabuer]

Puregyms near me are like night clubs, standing room only.

[SV_WDC]

Think a lot more people are into group exercise these days like Boxercise, Cross-fit & spin classes.

Sure there will be a subset of people still working out at home, but have found most friends prefer to take the monotony out of gym by working off a PAYG payment. You have to be visiting 3+ times a week for most gyms to be worth it. Fine at first but suspect for most that drops off lots after the first month & again each subsequent month.

[MC Bodge]

SV_WDC said:

Think a lot more people are into group exercise these days like Boxercise, Cross-fit & spin classes.

It does seem that way, and quite understandable.

[alabbasi]

Every Gym will go out of business if all the members they sign show up to work out. The operating model for a profitable gym is to sign people up that never attend. This is why they make it so hard to cancel.
Many people during covid bought equipment so that they can work out at home or discovered outdoor spaces. Many also figured out that they never go and never will so this is no surprise.

[BobToc]

Mid market has been getting killed by PureGym and Gym Group for a while now, Covid was just a final (?) blow. Shame to hear about the David Lloyd experience though.

[globaltraveller]

The Virgin Active near us is packed all the time. The London City ones which I also use seem empty though, and they keep 5 or 6 around the square mile.

David Lloyd is very expensive, £200+ I think, so I’m surprised how busy it is and that it attracts chavs.

[Scarfie]

alabbasi said:

Every Gym will go out of business if all the members they sign show up to work out. The operating model for a profitable gym is to sign people up that never attend. This is why they make it so hard to cancel.
Many people during covid bought equipment so that they can work out at home or discovered outdoor spaces. Many also figured out that they never go and never will so this is no surprise.

Not sure I subscribe to that, a gym’s costs of heating, lighting and staffing will be the same whether one person attends or 300, and if it’s a David Lloyd their food takings would be very down if no one attended! Agree they ideally want a churn of people so they can collect regular joining fees.

I left David Lloyd as it was just not value for money any more, and joined another at 1/5th of the monthly price. It’s just getting a refit this week and is thriving. So can’t see gyms closing around this way, at least bloody well hope not!

[alabbasi]

Scarfie said:

Not sure I subscribe to that,

It's true. The average gym in the US has around 1500 members but in no way have the capacity to take that many if they showed up say 5 times per week. I remember an article on a chain called Planet fitness that showed that 60% of their members attend 5 days / month or less. Many not at all. Your gym might be packed, but the membership is much larger and many who are members attend infrequently if at all.

If you're a regular at a gym, think about how packed it is in January and how many of those faces you see in May-October. January is the biggest sign up month of the year and everyone tends to be gung ho for a few weeks before they lose interest. Rarely do they cancel when they stop going.

[Scarfie]

alabbasi said:

It's true. The average gym in the US has around 1500 members but in no way have the capacity to take that many if they showed up say 5 times per week. I remember an article on a chain called Planet fitness that showed that 60% of their members attend 5 days / month or less. Many not at all. Your gym might be packed, but the membership is much larger and many who are members attend infrequently if at all.

If you're a regular at a gym, think about how packed it is in January and how many of those faces you see in May-October. January is the biggest sign up month of the year and everyone tends to be gung ho for a few weeks before they lose interest. Rarely do they cancel when they stop going.

I disagreed with the go bust part, it’s not really relevant to their bottom line! Agree with the rest of it in part, although if you’re also taking money through facilities on site (PT, food, extra classes) you don’t want no shows, and you will be restricted to a number of members due to facility capacity.