Fitness sector sees strong annual growth despite net decline of seven centres over past three months: report

GapMaps, a cloud-based data intelligence platform used by brands to pinpoint optimal locations for its physical stores, has released its quarterly Health & Fitness Retail Network Report, tracking centre openings and closures in Australia for the three months ending 31 March, 2023.

Monitoring 21 brands in 3,218 locations across Australia, the report shows 51 new centres opened and 57 closed: a net reduction of seven centres.

Amongst the brands tracked, Fitstop Australia (+nine) and F45 (+eight) led centre openings in the quarter, whilst F45 (-10), Plus Fitness (-seven) and EFM Health Clubs (-seven) recorded the most centre closures.

At a state level, New South Wales saw most store openings with 18, whilst Queensland recorded the most closures with 20.

“Despite this net decline, the sector has maintained strong growth over 12 months, with an overall net increase of 48 centres,” said Scott Johnson, Senior Analyst, GapMaps.

“This growth has been driven primarily by Fitstop Australia (+38 openings, 0 closures) and Body Fit Training Australia (+34 openings, no closures).

“This latest data continues to illustrate how brands are adjusting their network portfolio to cater for demographic changes as they look for optimum locations across the country,” he adds.

“Our GapMaps Live platform continues to provide network planners with the very latest data to help them make more informed decisions on where to open and close their fitness centres, and get timely insights into the changing competitive landscape across the sector.”

This latest report is available to download here.