May 2009
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Bid to find best new fitness presenter
Rate drops could make things worse By Mary Ferguson DROPPING membership rates to ride the recession could cause more harm than good, it has been warned. A report by Mintel claims operators of private gyms have ‘most to worry about’ during the economic downturn and leisure analyst Matt King told Workout reducing prices could actually make things worse. He said: “There’s a danger that if clubs offer too many discounts they may lose their unique selling points. “Instead, they need to add perceived value – for example by offering more personal training – which a lot are now doing. People need to justify that what they are spending money on offers them the best value.” Matt said that drastically dropping prices may also indicate to members that the gym is struggling, causing them to lose confidence in the club. And instead of focusing on gaining new members, operators should look after existing users to prevent them taking their money elsewhere. “You need to retain those people who don’t want to go to local authority centre but who are looking at their direct debits and wondering what they are getting from them. Even
adding something like a small coffee bar or clothing range will help members feel they are getting more. “It’s all about retention as I don’t think we will see many people taking out new memberships in the current climate.” The Mintel report predicts that revenue in the private gym sector will fall by three per cent to £2.6 billion this year, and 100,000 people will cancel memberships. It expects revenue at public leisure centres to increase by £30m. The report also claimed that many of the major chains have already begun to ramp up their discounts and special offers, but Matt said it’s a fine line between making memberships more affordable and maintaining the exclusivity that forms part of the appeal in the first place. He added: “Gyms are most at risk of losing those people that don’t use the gym much, as they will find it harder to justify the monthly membership. So to keep members, operators need to encourage them to use the facilities more often. “Otherwise the idea of paying less at a local leisure centre, or opting for pay as you go, will become just too tempting.”
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An independent gym in Yorkshire is getting behind one of its member attempting to set a new world record by completing the ultimate fitness challenge. Simon Boguszewski, pictured above with his daughter, has been training at Bawtry Health and Fitness Studio, where he aims to complete a 24-hour challenge involving the equivalent of multiple marathons and gruelling strength tests. The event will raise money for The Kidney Research Fund, in support of his daughter Jasmine. Full story, Page 3
UK fitness professionals have been invited to audition for the title of best new European fitness presenter. The heat for the Train the Trainers International Presenter Contest will take place at independent club Gymbox in London’s Covent Garden. The winner will then go on to represent the UK at the finals in the Netherlands, hosted by the EFAA (European Fitness and Aerobic Association.) The event was launched last year to enable talented presenters to put themselves on the map in the European fitness world and this year is being sponsored by FitCamps. Lydia Campbell of FitCamps said: “A good presenter doesn’t have to have a six pack, thong or leg warmers and body size or age doesn’t matter. A healthy image does.” The 2008 winner was Danny Rust, who will be presenting at UK events throughout 2009.