The German fitness industry continues to recover from the enormous losses during the three-year corona pandemic. In the middle of the year the number of members was 10.7 million. After the increase of one million last year, this corresponds to an increase of 400,000 compared to the end of 2022. “The low point now seems to be over and the fitness and health industry is heading for the pre-corona level,” reported the employers’ association of German fitness – and health systems (DSSV) on Wednesday in Hamburg.
However, the association assesses the development with caution. “Compared to the pre-Corona level as of December 2019, the industry is still missing around one million members and the corresponding sales. At the same time, operating and personnel costs remain at a high level,” according to the association. Accordingly, 40 percent of the gym operators assessed the company’s economic situation as “bad” or “rather bad”.
Gyms had to close for months during the pandemic, later they could only open under strict conditions. As a result, they lost members en masse, and sales in the fitness industry, which had long been spoiled by success, collapsed. The association did not provide any information on sales development in the first half of 2023. In 2022, sales had more than doubled compared to 2021, which was explained by the increased number of members, higher contributions, but also the weak previous year, which was characterized by corona.