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A new Benchmark
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ith restrictions continuing to plague fitness clubs in some parts of the world, it’s challenging to quantify the full impact of COVID-19 on the global health club industry,” explains Melissa Rodriguez, director of research at IHRSA. “However, in creating the latest IHRSA Global Report, we’ve taken insights gathered from the closures, feedback from leading operators and information from publicly traded companies, to identify the key takeaways from 2020 and understand the outlook for the future.”
This year’s edition of the IHRSA Global Report which addresses performance from 2020, is a valuable record of the tremendous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector, creating a benchmark from which to understand the recovery. Kristen Walsh reports for HCM Key IHRSA research takeaways
photo: ihrsa
We’ve taken insights gathered from the closures, feedback from leading operators and information from publicly traded companies, to identify key takeaways from 2020
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Melissa Rodriguez, director of research, IHRSA
Issue 9 2021 ©Cybertrek 2021
1. Closures and restrictions overwhelmed the industry worldwide in 2020 In North America, while restrictions had been loosened in some regions, capacity limits remained in the majority of states and provinces. Around 17 per cent of health club establishments in the US permanently closed in 2020, as the industry lost 58 per cent of its revenue when compared to the previous year. In Canada, shutdowns led to closures lasting up to six months for many health clubs. In 2021, Canadian businesses are still grappling with capacity restrictions across multiple jurisdictions. The top Latin American fitness club markets encountered prolonged shutdowns, some continuing into 2021. Gyms in Colombia and Peru contended with maximum capacity restrictions of 30 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, while clubs in Mexico and Argentina were closed for up to eight months. Fitness centres in Chile were still closed as of April 2021, with restrictions continuing in some parts of the country by August 2021. Several leading markets in Europe endured at least two waves of fitness closures in 2020, with some such as the UK dealing with three.
