UK gym membership spending up by 44%

Budget gyms with more flexible contracts contribute to increase in membership in last year

Consumer spending on UK gym membership has soared by 44% in the last year, figures reveal, driven by the growth in popularity of new, budget gyms which come without the expensive shackles of contracts that cannot be unlocked and hefty fees.

The research suggests that earlier reports of the demise of the gym - as the UK enthusiastically embraces cycling, park runs and open water swimming - may have been premature. In June Sport England reported the first fall in the number of people going to gyms or keeping fit in the privacy of their own homes - by 153,000 to 6.56 million - but the latest figures indicate they are being more pro-active.

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