Following the launch of the UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2025, a new blog series shares the views of leaders across the industry on the growth of the sector and what the report means for their organisation. In the first blog, we hear from Belinda Steward, CEO of Places Leisure.
The UK Health and Fitness market is currently buoyant, with potential demand outweighing supply and the UK’s market penetration being among the highest in Europe – meaning there are opportunities for all operators to be successful and tap into this demand.
The UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2025 highlights that the demand for health, fitness and wellbeing facilities from the younger demographic is continuing to grow. It is seen as a non-negotiable and a social outing for many. At Places Leisure, we are ensuring we capture this demographic by creating spaces where there is a real sense of community and customers have access to social spaces beyond the gym and studios.
In addition to seeing the gym as a place to socialise, it also a place for younger people to create and build healthy habits which will follow them through their life. At Places Leisure we are working hard to break down some of barriers young people face when trying to access physical activity, by creating and running tailored programmes.
Through our Junior Gym programme, we run supervised gym sessions for those aged 11-15 helping them to work out safely and effectively. Other programmes include our Big Sister Project which we run in partnership with Women in Sport. The Big Sister project is specifically designed for girls aged between nine and 15, giving them a safe space to exercise and learn during a crucial time when most tend to fall out of love with sport.
We are seeing this increase in demand from the younger age bracket, but we continue to see demand from older demographics. A sense of community and being able to socialise is also important for this age group, but we are also experiencing an ask for more tailored programmes with education integrated throughout.
We have recently rolled out our 12-week Move through Menopause programme across our sites, aimed at supporting people through menopause. As well as our Forever Active programme, which is made up of low-intensity exercise and sports sessions aimed at improving mobility, fitness, and general wellbeing.
The report has also highlighted that many respondents with a health condition stated that they are less active and do not need to join a gym or leisure facility, despite evidence that physical activity is known to be a key preventative and risk-reducing lifestyle factor. This is a concerning finding, especially since physical inactivity is the fourth largest killer in the UK.
As an industry, we all need to work to change this perception and work to reduce the burden on the NHS. Our industry can play an increasingly important role in healthcare pathways by collaborating more with healthcare providers, particularly in areas like weight management, rehabilitation and mental health programmes. We also need to work to encourage people into our centres so they can see and feel the benefits that physical activity can bring.
Although there is significant demand within the market, challenges are being faced by both operators and customers. Utility costs remain high, along with other operating costs, presenting several challenges for operators.
Additionally, we can see from this report that price continues to be a barrier for many customers, suggesting that people are continuing to be impacted by the cost of living. As a sector, we must show value for money, not only through the tangible services and equipment we offer but also through the emotional impact that physical activity can bring to individuals.
As a sector, this is generally a very positive time, but as operators we must not become complacent. We must continue to create safe and welcoming spaces for our customers and provide them with a journey that not only brings physical benefits to them but also emotional benefits. If we can do this, our customers will create strong healthy habits which ultimately will make for healthier and happier communities.
To read the report, the UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2025, click here.
More People More Active More Often
