100,000 people expected to join gyms in January
Published: 29/12/2006
Over 100,000 people are expected to join UK fitness clubs over the next
few days as they act on New Year's resolutions to improve their fitness
according to the HealthClubBenchmark® Survey by Deloitte.
Data shows the number of people joining health clubs is 65% higher in January
then other months of the year. In January 2006 in excess of 100,000 people
joined a gym, compared to an average of 63,500 per month across the rest
of the year.
Neil Burton, manager of HealthClubBenchmark® comments: "January is a great
time for anyone interested in joining a gym to shop around for bargains.
On average health club members will pay £46.00 per month and many health
clubs will offer competitive packages and incentives to help get members
started. For regular gym goers, this monthly fee presents excellent value
for money as the range and quality of facilities on offer is better than
ever."
Whilst other areas of household expenditure such as hotels and private
education have risen above inflation over recent years, membership subscriptions
to a gym remaining fairly static. On average gym membership fees rose by
3.2% during 2006.
He added: "Operators are starting to look at innovative ways to engage
the 61% of the population who have never considered walking through the
door. As a result I would expect to see more clubs introducing flexible
membership options and additional programmes and incentives to support members
finding it difficult to maintain their New Year enthusiasm."
Other Results:
London remains the most expensive city for gym membership with average
monthly subscriptions of £53.40. Northern Ireland is the cheapest location,
charging an average of £35.93 for monthly membership. However, other parts
of the UK have seen membership fees rise faster. The highest rise was in
Wales where gym fees have increased by 5.4% during 2006.
Average Subscription per Member November 2005 - October
2006
| Northern Ireland |
35.93
|
34.91 |
2.9% |
| Yorkshire |
37.75 |
37.07 |
1.8% |
| East Midlands |
40.83
|
39.63 |
3.0% |
| North West |
41.30 |
40.16 |
2.9% |
| South West |
42.14 |
40.42 |
4.2% |
| Wales |
42.41 |
40.24 |
5.4% |
| Scotland |
42.50 |
41.92 |
1.4% |
| East Anglia |
43.99 |
43.05 |
2.2% |
| North East |
44.80 |
44.35 |
1.0% |
| West Midlands |
41.18 |
40.03 |
2.9% |
| All UK |
46.00 |
44.60 |
3.2% |
| South East |
47.82 |
45.97 |
4.0% |
| Greater London |
53.40 |
51.87 |
3.0% |
Source: HealthClubBenchmark® Survey by Deloitte
All monthly subscriptions have been calculated to include VAT.
Notes for editors