74% of UK operators confirm corporate wellness reaches previously unreached audiences

UK gym and studio owners are having their strongest run in years—and the story behind that growth points to an even bigger opportunity ahead.

A market growing on its own terms

According to Wellhub's Fitness Business Growth Report 2026, based on a survey of 662 gym and studio owners across 11 countries, 90% of UK operators report a consistently growing membership base over the past 12 months, ahead of the 86% global average. Profit margins are following suit: 72% say margins increased over the past year, well above the 56% seen worldwide. Marketing budgets have grown too, up for 78% of UK operators in the last year.

That growth is coming in a genuinely competitive market. Every single UK operator surveyed (100%) says local competition has intensified over the past three years, and only 28% are planning to open new locations in the next 12 months—notably more cautious than the 40% global average. Rather than betting on new sites, operators are focused on getting more from the facilities they already have.

Where UK operators are investing to stay competitive

Investment in technology is rising in step: 67% of UK operators have invested in new tech—including CRM, booking systems, automation, or AI—in the past year. AI adoption in content creation has reached 83%, ahead of the 66% global average. Furthermore, 83% say their facilities need physical upgrades to remain competitive, and 73% agree their spaces must evolve into full wellness destinations—incorporating recovery, social spaces, and specialized programming—rather than pure gym floors.

Operators are working hard to keep pace

Member expectations are shifting too: 88% of UK operators say members value flexibility more than they did a year ago, and 80% say adding new or trending formats is essential for growth. Meeting that demand requires real investment—82% report a rise in Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) over the past 12 months.

UK operators are meeting that challenge largely through their own hard work: just 3% have a dedicated marketing specialist or agency (below the 6% global average), with many spending up to half their working week managing marketing and member acquisition themselves.

The corporate wellness opportunity

That is why corporate wellness partnerships are gaining ground faster in the UK than almost anywhere else. 78% of UK operators now hold a more positive view of corporate wellness platforms than they did two years ago—well ahead of the 59% global average—and 74% agree these partnerships reach demographics they cannot access through standard retail marketing. Across Europe, Wellhub translates this demand into performance, delivering network traffic where over 80% of check-ins represent net-new members to the facility.

"The UK fitness industry is growing quickly, driven by strong consumer demand and continued investment from gym operators," says Kesh Agarwal, Head of Partnerships UKI at Wellhub. "Corporate wellness partnerships can help operators build on that momentum by reaching new audiences and creating additional, scalable routes to long-term growth. By connecting gyms with employees through their workplaces, these partnerships can complement operators' existing marketing activity and introduce their offer to people they may not otherwise reach."

For an industry already growing off the back of hard work, corporate wellness offers a direct way to keep that momentum going—reaching completely new audiences at scale, without asking operators to work even harder for it.

Download the full Wellhub Fitness Business Growth Report 2026