A recent Experian and Reward report showed interest in fitness surging in the UK and now a new study from data specialist CACI has reinforced that, with the company revealing a “significant spending increase in gyms and [on] fitness focused brands” in December compared to the year before.

It added that 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”.

Popular gyms such as David Lloyd and Third Space saw the strongest double-digit growth (having seen similar success the previous year), while Nuffield Health, Pure Gym and The Gym also saw healthy jumps.

Importantly, a consequence of this was that the data pointed to athleisure as both a fashion and fitness choice showing no sign of slowing down. 

Sweaty Betty was up 21% year-on-year for December, Lululemon rose 34.5%, and Gymshark 78.2%. Footwear brands that are pitching more at the fitness market are having success too, with Asics up 38.6% not long after a concerted marketing campaign for its Padel shoes. 

CACI said the trend is also 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.”

Interestingly she added that it 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.”