In the past few years, the number of consumers calling boutique fitness studios their destination of choice has grown by around 70 per cent. In the UK, studios such as 1-Rebel, Barry’s Bootcamp and Heartcore Fitness are enjoying increased popularity from an engaged and loyal customer base. Part of this expansion is a result of consumers looking for innovative, varied and exhilarating fitness experiences, such as HIIT and functional training.

These boutique fitness ‘members’ are, on average, a decade younger than the traditional club member and primarily millennials, choosing to spend their income on improving their personal health and fitness through high-quality specialised experiences.

On a monthly basis, boutique fitness studio clients spend nearly £1 billion more than is spent on traditional fitness clubs and multipurpose facilities. Boutique studio users seek multiple experiences. 77% of boutique participants attend another studio or are also members of a club. It isn’t that they are not loyal, but they want to align with their different personal life experiences. They are loyal to what is of value to their life.

The success of boutiques is driven by millennials. This is not just a term for a demographic group, but more of a mindset, a lifestyle. As described by Club Intel, the millennial effect is “The conscious desire to have their brand experience align with their lifestyle value.”

Psychographics of Boutique Users

• Seek Inspiration and Adventure
• Uniqueness and Novelty
• Authenticity and Transparency
• Crave a Tribe, not just a Community
• Covet a Local Feel

Often boutiques focus on indoor cycling, high intensity interval training (HIIT) or yoga. Now, traditional but forward-thinking operators are seizing the business opportunity to profit from boutique fitness, whether by strengthening their existing value proposition or by creating a new one.

A number of established commercial operators including David Lloyd Leisure, Fitness First, Pure Gym and The Third Space have capitalised on this opportunity. Local authority operations are also introducing boutique studio concepts, such as Fusion Lifestyle with their Intencity studios.

Justin Smith, Head of UK at Precor comments: “The growth of boutique gyms is led primarily by providing members with a specialised offering where they can feel part of a like-minded community, all of which helps member engagement and retention. The additions of both the Queenax™ modular functional training system and the indoor cycling brand Spinning^® to the Precor portfolio, along with our vast range of cardiovascular and strength equipment, enable us to offer personalised solutions, whether it’s for a boutique gym or a larger facility wanting to offer members a boutique experience within their site.”

“Gyms can offer a unique range of HIIT functional circuit classes and build their intense, exercise-loving community through group classes with Queenax™ and its extensive variety of apps, optionals and education training. They can deliver their members a fantastic ride with the range of Spinner^® bikes and a dedicated education programme that enables staff to become certified Spin^® instructors and facilities to provide a consistently high standard of classes using top of the range equipment that is durable and built to last.”

 “This report, written by ukactive Insight in collaboration with Precor, looks at the impact of the growing boutique sector and the opportunities for both boutiques and traditional fitness facilities to adapt their offering to meet the changing needs of the consumer and remain competitive in today’s increasingly saturated health and fitness market. It includes four case studies which demonstrate how Precor’s Queenax equipment has been effectively used in four different facility environments as a solution to create a successful boutique experience for customers.” 

Download the report