IHRSA - PR 6/1/2009

IHRSA Releases 2009 IHRSA Global Report: The State of the Health Club Industry

Health Club Industry Nears ‘120 Million Members by 2010’ Mark

BOSTON - June 1, 2009 - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announced today the release of the 2009 IHRSA Global Report: The State of the Health Club Industry. The report contains the most comprehensive overview of the worldwide fitness industry, including the latest financial information and industry overview with analysis from independent clubs, large club chains, leading industry suppliers, club associations and federations.

“Health club companies around the globe are prepared to take advantage of a rebounding economy as 2008 totals indicated solid performance despite uncertain economic times. The resiliency of the health and fitness industry, led by operators and entrepreneurs, positions the industry strategically for the future,” said Jay Ablondi, IHRSA Executive Vice President of Global Products and Publisher, CBI Magazine. “While these are not ordinary times, the fact remains that there is simply no better industry in which to work or invest, than ours.”

With global totals of club memberships exceeding 117 million, IHRSA’s One Hundred Twenty Million Members by 2010 Plan for Growth is fast approaching realization. Launched in 1999 by IHRSA Director Emeritus, John McCarthy, IHRSA set a long-term initiative to promote exercise adoption and membership with the goal of 100 million health club members worldwide by 2010. In 2006, the bar was raised to reaching 120 million members by January 1, 2010. As rates of inactivity and obesity rise throughout the world, the industry’s responsibilities and work continues; inspiring the global community everyday to make the world healthier through regular exercise.

Key findings in the report include:

The industry generated an estimated $68.2 billion in total revenue, serving nearly 117.5 million members at more than 122,000 facilities worldwide, representing growth across the board from 2007 figures.
The North American fitness market has set the pace with its resiliency, demonstrating solid performance. Non-dues revenues, along with membership retention have been steadily climbing in the Canadian market.
Latin America, specifically Brazil, has shown consistent growth as business owners in these emerging markets improve their fitness operations and consumers’ willingness to pay for club memberships increases.
The European health club market generated $33.3 billion in revenue in 2007, an increase of 16% from 2006. Club units rose by 8.6%, with memberships growing 4.6%.
The growth of the Asia-Pacific market remains promising, with revenues, total facilities, and memberships increasing significantly.
The industry’s first quarter performance, which has shown it to be recession-resilient, indicates that is should fare better than many sectors of the global economy.

The “Industry Research” section of the report includes information on the top ten global markets with details on industry revenue numbers, club totals, membership numbers and penetration rates, in addition to sections on the Americas, Asia Pacific and European markets. The “Company Profiles” section highlights 200 leading club companies from around the world. The final section of the report includes supplier profiles, which provide clubs with useful information about products, services and software.

The 2009 IHRSA Global Report is available in both print and PDF format for members ($29.95), and non-members ($49.95) on www.ihrsastore.com. For media inquiries, please contact pr@ihrsa.org or +1 617-951-0055.

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) is a not-for-profit trade association representing health and fitness facilities, gyms, spas, sports clubs, and suppliers worldwide. The association’s membership includes over 9,750 clubs in 75 countries, along with over 740 industry suppliers.