Speaking at the HCM Summit in late 2024, industry expert Oli Patrick said the health and fitness industry has an opportunity to lead the world in wellbeing and prevention and called on the sector to step up and deliver the expertise and support consumers need.
The last 12 months has seen this call to action playing out in all parts of the sector, with a range of preventative health offerings coming to market as operators’ ambitions widen into wellness.
Services in areas such as mindfulness, sleep, nutrition, mental health and longevity are not new, but in 2025 we saw them go mainstream, driven by competition and demand for deeper engagement with prevention.
In many cases, these services are being offered at an affordable price for the first time, with health clubs’ accessible local delivery making it easier for people to maintain their health regime on a day-to-day basis.
2025 was the year when GLP-1s impacted the sector, with some operators selling the drugs to members
As the sober-curious movement gains momentum and more people get engaged with exercise and wellness lifestyles, they’re discovering the joys of living in a healthy body – more energy and focus, better sleep, greater clarity of thought and less ill health – and developing into a new group of super-users.
The US market jumped to 31 per cent penetration as a result, with 96 million consumers working out, while the UK market beat pre-pandemic numbers for the first time and EuropeActive confirmed its goal of a million members in Europe by 2030 is still on track.
In the public sector, the growth of health interventions has been notable, as operators have raised their game to find new ways to deliver everything from stroke recovery to balance training, with partnerships forming between operators and medics; such as at Hillbrow in East Sussex (p53).
2025 was the year when GLP-1s impacted the sector, with muscle mass loss and weight loss reversal on cessation both established by research, driving more consumers into clubs. We also saw training courses for PTs coming on stream to enable them to support members on GLP-1s and some operators starting to sell the drugs to members as part of support packages.
Collaborations have been a major trend, with HCM launching a Collabs news section in October to reflect the sheer volume of deals being struck, from Hyrox and Everlast (p31) to Solidcore and Whoop (p42).
These partnerships are unleashing amazing energy and enabling the sector to partner more closely with consumer brands, with all the benefits this brings. l
