Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In

Fitness Recap

by 
Shira Petrack
 on 
November 1, 2021
Fitness Recap

A year and a half after the initial lockdowns, we dove into the foot traffic of the fitness sector to see how visits to this hard-hit sector are recovering. 

Near-Recovery over the Summer

Many gym rats discovered the convenience and cost-effectiveness of home workouts over the pandemic, leading some experts to predict that the COVID closures would mark the beginning of the end of gyms. But by summer, monthly visits were already inching closer to pre-pandemic levels, with year-over-two-year visit declines of just 3.2%, 3.3%, and 4.8% in June, July, and August, respectively. 

By September, however, visits had fallen back, and the year-over-two-year visits declined again to 13.2%. The drop in visits may be attributed to seasonality – gym visits rise in the summer with the advent of swimsuit season, and fall again in the autumn as consumers settle into their regular work and home routines once again. 

But a key element does appear to be the rise in COVID cases. Looking at weekly visits shows that while year over two year visit gaps grew into September, that gap has been shrinking into October - a very positive trend as the sector closes out 2021 and heads into a crucial Q1.

Diving Into Individual Chains 

The drop in gym visits was felt across many – but not all – major fitness brands. Most notably, Crunch Fitness has been on a growth streak, with September visits up by 19.3% compared to 2019. Visits to Planet Fitness have also been comparatively high – the fitness leader only saw a year-over-two-year visit drop of 0.4% in September, despite the heavy visits losses at other leading chains. Anytime Fitness also outperformed the sector standard, with September visits only down 7.1% compared to 2019.

Meanwhile, significant visit gaps remain for LA Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, and Gold’s Gym, with September foot traffic down by 30.1%, 47.7%, and 32.0%, respectively - a likely combination of location closures and lower foot traffic to city-based branches.

Filling Out the Picture

The clear effect of location closures can be seen when diving into visits per location numbers, which show that some of the heavily-impacted chains are actually doing better than their year-over-two-year visit numbers indicate. While visits to LA Fitness, Anytime Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, and Gold’s Gym were still down compared to 2019, the chains’ respective year-over-two year drops in average visits per venue figures are much smaller – less than half – the year-over-two year visit gap.

So, while many brands are getting less visits overall, the drop in visits speaks more of a shrinking overall reach and not necessarily from the pull of well positioned locations.

Gyms Still Have a Dedicated Consumer Base 

Surprisingly, the drop in fitness visits does not seem to have affected the median visit duration for those who chose to continue hitting the gym. In fact, the median visit duration actually grew for all the brands analyzed when compared to pre-pandemic visit length. September median visit lengths to Planet Fitness, Crunch Fitness, LA Fitness, Anytime Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, and Gold’s Gym increased by 3.2%, 9.1%, 1.4%, 3.2%, 1.4%, and 4.2%, respectively, when compared to the median visit length in September 2019. 

One possible explanation could be that the return of more committed and enthusiastic gym-goers has already been seen, with the shift in focus returning back to attracting newer or less engaged audiences.

Will the fitness visits return to pre-pandemic levels? Will the increase in median visit duration stick? 

Visit placer.ai to find out. 

Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter

Great! Prepare your inbox for data-driven insights...
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Pent-Up Demand Ahead of October Sales Events
4 Strategies Retailers are Using to Drive Traffic to Their Venues
5 Key Regional Grocery Players Impressing in 2023
Upscale Kitchenware Trending Up
Costco Finds More Room for Growth
Four C-Store Chains Making an A-Grade
National Parks + Outdoor Summer Activities
Diving Into Darden: Summer 2023 Update
The Summer Event Effect
Messi: Massive in Miami
Looking Back on Back to School 2023
The Anchor Recap: August 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: August 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: August 2023 Recap
Placer.ai White Paper Recap: August 2023
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Strikes Again
Big Scoop: We All Scream For Ice Cream
Sports Away: Lululemon & Nike’s Momentum Continues
Summer Visits Heat Up For Recreation and Outdoor Gear Chains
No CSS overwrite - July 2023 Office Index Recap
Staging - August 2023 Mall Indec
Mid-Atlantic Grocery Deep Dive
Experiential Chains Heating Up This Summer
Petco Goes Big by Going Small
Ulta Beauty: Leading the Discretionary Pack
Discount and Dollar Chains Continue to Thrive
Summer of Sports: DICK’s Sporting Goods and Hibbett Sports
Off-Price: Succeeding Into Summer
The Anchor Recap: July 2023
Superstores Maintaining Pandemic Gains Amidst Economic Headwinds
2023: Home Improvement at the Halfway Point
July 2023 Office Index Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: July 2023 Recap
widget test
The Taylor Swift Visit Lift
Southwestern Grocery Dive
July 2023 White Paper Recap: Halfway Point Review & Quarterly Index
Yum! Brands: Driving Dining Visits
Slurpees and Summer Movies Stimulate Consumer Foot Traffic
Cool Beans: Summer Coffee Update
Checking In on Back to School 2023
Crocs and New Balance Tip The Scales
Burger Bliss: Shake Shack and In-N-Out Stacking Visits
Chipotle & McDonald's Continue to Reign Supreme
Vibenomics and Placer.ai Partner to Enhance Retail Media In-Store Measurement
California Grocers Here We Come!
Marriott’s Different Audiences
Bonchon and Kura Sushi Thrive in the Fast-Casual Scene
A Shoe In: Footwear Climbs to the Top
Cheers! Raising a Glass to Beverage Retail
Placer.ai Office Index: June 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index June 2023 Recap – A Turn of the Tide and a Dive into Open-Air Lifestyle Centers
Local Kitchens: Redefining the Restaurant
Unlocking Urban Insights: The Value in Manhattan’s Employees
Ohio State Parks On The Rise
How is Inflation Impacting the High-Income Shoppers?
Five Fast-Growing Dining Chains
What To Expect From Prime Day and July Sales Events in 2023
The State Of Fashion: How Are Apparel Retailers Faring in 2023?
2023’s Latest Dining Success Story: GEN Korean BBQ House
The NBA Finals: A Location Intelligence Perspective
Moving the Market: The Impact of Domestic Migration on Housing Costs
Post-Pandemic Museum Update
The Darden-est Things
The Enduring Demand for Urban and Suburban Retail
Leveraging Data to Evaluate the Impact of Municipal Investments
Trader Joe's Success Amidst Food Inflation and Changing Consumer Behavior
Placer.ai Office Index: May 2023 Recap
Fitness at its Fittest: Staying Strong in 2023
Movie Theaters, Off-Price, and Home Improvement: May 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index - May 2023 Recap
What’s Working for Bath & Body Works?
Why Are Specialty Grocers Thriving in 2023?
The CAVA Craze: A Location Intelligence Perspective on the Mediterranean Marvel
How Will Primark’s US Expansion Impact Target?
All Eyes on Eyewear
Northwestern U.S. Grocery Dive
Return of the Lunch: Salad Chains Are Thriving
Retail Media Networks – Off the Beaten Track
Bet Your Bottom Dollar: Discount and Dollar Stores Drive Foot Traffic
Ulta & Lululemon: Discretionary Spending On The Up
The Score After Q1: Sporting Goods Chains
Who Uses NYC Airports: Biting Into The Big Apple’s Main Transport Hubs
Off Price: Strength in The Face of Retail Challenges
Visits Improve for Home Improvement
Walmart, Target & Wholesalers in Q1 2023 – The Return of Mission-Driven Shopping?
Department Store Roundup: Q1 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: April 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index, April 2023 – A Rebound on the Horizon?
How Will Bed Bath & Beyond’s Bankruptcy Impact the Retail Space?
Buffet Restaurants: Filling Up on Foot Traffic
Thrift Stores: Vintage Visits Drive New Age in Apparel
The Windy City: A Hub of Post-Pandemic Opportunity
Diving into Dining Traffic - Q1 2023
Bring On The Joe
A Dollar (or more) For Your Thoughts: Five Below and pOpshelf
Dining Out With The Cheesecake Factory
Retail Foot Traffic Recap – March 2023
Digging Into 2023: McDonald’s and Chipotle Update
Placer.ai Office Index: March 2023 Recap