Gym and fitness category in 'sprint' condition with surprise triumph in December

CACI, the data specialists focused on people and place, have revealed a significant spending increase in gyms and fitness focused brands, comparing December 2024 with the same month in 2023. The more premium end of the market benefitted from the greatest year-on-year growth, matched by the popularity of athleisure, both offline and online, as consumers show increased appetite for health and wellness beyond the traditional ‘New Year’s Resolution’ months of January and February.

David Lloyd and Third Space tracked strong year-on-year growth, the former experiencing a 13.9% uplift for December, and the latter 41.4%, likely as a result of openings in Battersea, Wood Wharf, and Clapham Junction. Both brands had similar success in 2023, up 17.4% and 42.2% on December 2022 respectively, indicating a real trend for festive spending on premium gyms. Nuffield Health also had a year-on-year surge at +17.2%, while the more budget-friendly saw some sales growth, PureGym at +6.6% and The Gym up by 12.8%.

According to CACI’s data, athleisure as both a fashion and fitness choice shows no sign of slowing down. Sweaty Betty was up 21% year-on-year for December, lululemon 34.5%, Gym Shark 78.2%, and even footwear brands that are pitching more at the fitness market are having success, Asics up 38.6% not long after a concerted marketing campaign on their Padel shoes. 

This is reflected by online native brands moving into bricks-and-mortar, seeing the headroom for offline spend in athleisure and the value of physical experience. Alo Yoga has recently opened on Regent Street and in Covent Garden, and TALA has just announced its first physical store on Carnaby Street, both set to benefit significantly from the online halo, gaining exposure to wider audiences and the increased online spend that results from having showrooms in prime West End locations.

Lily Payne, Senior Consultant at CACI, said: “Some might see this as spending in December for use in the New Year, the old resolution habit, but the patterns and scale of growth for gyms and fitness brands suggests behavioural change. There’s a more consistent trend, positioning wellness experiences as more of an essential outgoing than an added expense, even in December when the spending pressures are usually on gifting and socialising. The rise in spending on gyms, particularly on the more premium end of the scale and with ‘club’ style offers over one-off visits, matched with the domination of athleisure, makes it very clear that consumers are fully invested in this space because of the positive wellness outcomes.

“That means the higher cost associated with brands like Third Space and lululemon becomes less of an obstacle; people want to experience luxury when it comes to fitness and wellness, and want the garments to match. The popularity of athleisure will continue as more and more ‘tribe’ brands like Alo and TALA come to the fore with their collections, as well as gyms which can offer a holistic experience, ticking all the right boxes for an increasingly wellness-focused consumer.” 

This follows CACI’s announcement on premium athleisure in July last year. Its Brand Dimensions platform pointed to a notable shift in consumer spend towards athleisure-focused brands and fitness, and away from equally premium fashion retailers that focus more on formal and casualwear, a trend that evidently is still prevalent today.