Stay ahead of the curve and secure future growth for your business with Mintel’s UK Leisure Centres and Swimming Pools Market Report. The report provides a data-led understanding of the current leisure facilities market and opportunities within the industry for brands and businesses in the UK.
Key Insights in the Leisure Facilities Market
- The continuing impact of the cost of living crisis on public leisure centres and swimming pools
- Opportunities emerging from the sector’s increasing focus on health and wellness
- Potential to expand customers’ activity repertoires and frequency of visiting
- Target demographics for expanding the leisure centre customer base
- Key influences on public leisure centre and swimming pool visiting habits
- Differentiating the facility offer for specific customer segments
UK Leisure Centres Market – Current Landscape
The relative affluence of the sport and exercise market’s core participant base continues to protect public leisure centre and swimming pool visiting from the worst of the cost of living crisis, while facility operators have maintained support for families particularly.
The main threat to the market’s future health is posed by the need to replace an ageing facility stock and the question of whether cash-strapped local authorities will be able to invest in that regeneration effort.
- UK leisure centre market size: The UK market has regained its pre-pandemic value, growing to an estimated £1,593 million in 2024.
UK Leisure Centres and Swimming Pools – Opportunities for Growth
Where they can, there are exciting opportunities to reimagine the form and function of public leisure centres as the market pivots towards serving new demand – among policy makers as well as consumers – for wellness services that support mental and emotional as well as physical health.
- UK leisure centre consumer insights: Experiences of spa and beauty treatments at public leisure centres have increased across all age groups.
Purchase the full report for a complete analysis of the UK Leisure Centres and Swimming Pools market, including market dynamics and consumer insights.
More About This Report
For the purposes of this report, Mintel’s analysts have used the following definitions:
Leisure centres and swimming pools are defined as those owned by local authorities, including facilities run on a ‘dual-use’ basis (eg facilities housed within schools, etc that are available for use by the public at certain times of the day or week). Market size is based on expenditure in publicly-owned leisure sites.
Private health and fitness clubs are excluded from the coverage of this Report, as are all other private leisure and swimming facilities that are not open to the general public, such as those reserved for employees, or association or trade union members.
Meet The Expert
This report was written by David Walmsley, Research Analyst at Mintel. David is a research analyst at Mintel focusing on the sport and leisure sectors, which he has covered for more than 15 years. Formerly a journalist with the BBC, Independent News & Media and the SportBusiness Group, he holds an honours degree in International Studies from the University of Birmingham.
Public leisure centres are reimagining their form and function to serve new interest in health and wellness that goes beyond physical fitness alone.
David Walmsley
Research Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for public leisure centres and swimming pools
- Prioritise health and wellbeing to attract customers and investment
- Help parents regain their independence
- Get sport back in the game
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size & forecast
- Market predictions
- Revenues recover
- Winners and losers cancel each other out
- Public providers are well placed to compete with private rivals
- High energy costs still a big burden for leisure centres and pools
- Graph 1: average wholesale gas prices, forward delivery contracts, 2021-24
- Facility numbers fall in face of council funding pressures
- Graph 2: public leisure centres with swimming pools, 2014-24
- Widening health and wellbeing focus will reshape market’s future
- Graph 3: health management behaviours adopted in the last 12 months, 2023
- What consumers want and why
- Leisure centres and pools are the activity market leaders
- Graph 4: participation in sport, exercise and fitness activities, 2023-24
- Centre use is powered by the pool
- Graph 5: participation in public leisure centre and swimming pool activities, by type, 2024
- Four in 10 users visit at least weekly
- Graph 6: frequency of public leisure centre and swimming pool visiting, 2024
- Families first
- Graph 7: people visited a leisure centre or swimming pool with in the last 12 months, 2024
- Ease of access is the main driver of leisure centre use
- Graph 8: motives for using public leisure centres and swimming pools, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Leisure centres lean in to rise of private healthcare
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Market Dynamics
- Market size
- New openings slow pace of decline in centre numbers
- Graph 9: public leisure centre and swimming pool numbers, 2014-24
- Market regains pre-pandemic value
- Revenues rise despite falling facility numbers
- Market forecast
- Market’s winners and losers cancel each other out
- Investment needed to unlock potential of rising health and wellbeing demand
- Market segmentation
- Non-essential spending slow to return
- Graph 10: public leisure centre and swimming pool revenues, by segment, 2020-24
- Leisure centres still seen as places to spend on sport
- Market share
- More councils take leisure centres back in-house
- Graph 11: public leisure centre and swimming pool numbers, by operator type, 2024
- Big two dominate revenue picture
- Graph 12: leading leisure centre and swimming pool operators, by revenue, 2019-23
- GLL takes turnover back above £300 million
- Public providers are well placed to compete with private rivals
- Macro-economic factors
- Falling inflation has reduced pressure on household finances…
- Graph 13: CPI inflation rate, 2021-24
- …but high energy costs are still a big burden for leisure centres and pools
- Graph 14: average wholesale gas prices, forward delivery contracts, 2021-24
- Interest rates expected to fall in 2024, but borrowing pressures will remain
- Consumer sentiment: wellbeing is up but the recovery has slowed
- Graph 15: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- Consumer confidence: fragile but trending upwards
- Graph 16: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
- The cost of living crisis: still an issue for almost everyone
- Graph 17: perception of the state of the cost of living crisis in the UK, 2024
- Price rise potential hinges on providing social, wellbeing-focused activity
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- More leisure centres close than open
- Facility numbers decline in face of council funding pressures
- Graph 18: public leisure centre numbers, 2014-24
- Local authorities expect further cuts in provision
- Graph 19: anticipated impacts of balanced local authority budgets on leisure centres and swimming pools, 2024/25
- Sustainability ambitions add to facility costs…
- …and drive innovation
- Leisure centre providers can align with new mental health policy focus…
- Graph 20: mental health as a cause of stress, 2024
- …and support consumers’ widening pursuit of health and wellness
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Leisure centre and swimming pool visiting
- Leisure centres and pools are the activity market leaders
- Graph 21: participation in sport, exercise and fitness activities, 2023-24
- Visiting is led by the young and the better off…
- Graph 22: visiting public leisure centres and swimming pools, by demographics, 2024
- …in line with the wider sports participation market
- Graph 23: participation in sport, by demographics, 2023
- Parents are a key customer segment – but tend to leave with their kids
- Graph 24: visiting public leisure centres and swimming pools, by parental status, 2024
- Leisure centres are part of a wider activity ecosystem
- Segment target audiences through cost and activities
- Graph 25: public leisure centre and swimming pool visiting habits, by gender, 2024
- Leisure centre activities
- Leisure centre use is powered by the pool
- Broad activity repertoires are a key source of customer value
- Graph 26: repertoires of public leisure centre and swimming pool activities, 2024
- Other sports gain ground on swimming
- Solo swimming takes a dive
- Graph 27: participation in public leisure centre and swimming pool activities, 2022-24
- Who’s getting out of the water? Everyone under 45
- Graph 28: solo swimming, by gender and age, 2022-24
- Where are they going? To other sports…
- Graph 29: participation in leisure centre sports other than swimming, by age, 2022-24
- …and free events
- Graph 30: participation in free sports events at public leisure centres, by age, 2022-24
- Majority of visitors sample more than sport
- Graph 31: participation in non-sport/fitness activities at public leisure centres and swimming pools, 2022-24
- Sport and exercise is thirsty work
- Graph 32: eating and drinking in leisure centres, by activity, 2024
- Spas can offer busy parents some valuable me time
- Graph 33: experience of spa and beauty treatments at public leisure centres, by gender and age, 2022-24
- Frequency of visiting
- Four in 10 users visit weekly
- Four in 10 centre users visit at least once a week
- Graph 34: frequency of public leisure centre and swimming pool visiting, 2024
- Make the most of parents’ new-found independence
- Graph 35: visiting public leisure centres and swimming pools less than once a month, by age, 2024
- Swimming seeks more regular slot in family calendar
- Graph 36: weekly or more frequent public leisure centre and swimming pool visiting, by activity, 2024
- Variety, quality and sociability can drive more frequent visiting
- Graph 37: weekly or more frequent public leisure centre and swimming pool visiting, by motivation, 2024
- Use peer power to broaden activity repertoires for more regular play
- Graph 38: weekly or more frequent leisure centre visiting, by number of activities taken part in, 2024
- Visiting habits
- Families first for leisure centres and pools
- Graph 39: people visited a leisure centre or swimming pool with in the last 12 months, 2024
- Playing partners can promote social racquet sports
- Graph 40: people visited a leisure centre or swimming pool with in the last 12 months, by age, 2024
- Target older solo swimmers and exercisers with health-focused offers
- Graph 41: visiting a leisure centre or swimming pool alone, by activity, 2024
- Motives for visiting
- Consumers value local leisure
- Ease of access is the main driver of leisure centre use
- Graph 42: motives for using public leisure centres and swimming pools, 2024
- Convenience is about more than distance
- Frequent fitness users don’t have time to waste
- Graph 43: importance of convenience as a driver of public leisure centre use, by activity, 2024
- Customers can find value for money in leisure centres’ range of activities
- Graph 44: importance of comparative cost as a driver of public leisure centre use, by activity, 2024
- Friendly faces can cover facility investment gaps
- Graph 45: importance of atmosphere as a driver of public leisure centre use, by activity, 2024
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- New facilities in planning and construction
- Operators invest in venue upgrades
- New Swimming Alliance launched
- AI supports swimming safety
- New golf brand tees off for Everyone Active
- Return of the youth club
- From PTs to GPs: Wellness membership adds doctor’s appointment access
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Appendix
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Market size
- Market forecast
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Snoop methodology
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