‘Red Monday’ campaign sees attendances soar

FITNESS First turned the so-called ‘most depressing day of the year’, on its head with the return of its annual ‘Red Monday’ campaign.

Fitness First, celebrating 30 years in operation in 2023, has been turning ‘Blue Monday’ Red for a decade, providing everyone in the UK with free entry to its clubs across the nation.

This year, to support people with the soaring cost of living, it added an additional incentive, the chance for members to ‘Burn off Your Bills’

Anyone who visited a Fitness First club on January 16 was automatically entered into a prize draw to win a month’s worth of energy, courtesy of Fitness First.

As a result, Fitness First data has shown that collectively, participating clubs saw a 32 per cent increase in customers on Red Monday, compared to the same day last year, and six per cent compared to the previous week. The campaign successfully encouraged customers around the country to head to their local Fitness First for a free workout; with residential clubs, such as St Albans, Bedford and Milton Keynes, collectively reporting an increase in attendance of 17 per cent on the day.

However, it was Fitness First’s citybased clubs that reported the most encouraging statistics on the back of the campaign.

In recent years, these clubs have been significantly impacted by the pandemic induced exodus from UK cities. Yet, on Red Monday this year Fitness First city clubs reported almost 5,000 club visits, a 78 per cent increase in performance compared to the same time last year.

Head of marketing Anne-Laure

Kujawski said: “Like many businesses, the state of the economy and the soaring cost of all areas of life is having an impact on our customer base.

“However, we recognise that as a fitness operator, we are in a position to offer an antidote to the mental strain that many are feeling at the moment.

“The aim of our annual Red Monday campaign is to provide all with access to facilities to improve their physical and mental health without worrying about financial barriers.

“This year we wanted to supplement this further by offering customers the chance to have their energy bills paid for by Fitness First.

“We are delighted by the impact of this year’s campaign and the results from our city-based clubs are particularly promising for our continued postpandemic recovery.”