The fitness industry in 2024 was all about momentum. It began January 4 when 100+ industry leaders, including Health & Fitness Association (HFA) President and CEO Liz Clark, rang the opening bell at Nasdaq in New York City to kick off “The Year of Fitness.” Then, throughout the year, signs kept emerging to support this optimistic…
The Health & Fitness Association (HFA) secured several protections for U.S. fitness facility operators in the Negative Option Rule, otherwise known as “click-to-cancel,” which the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized on October 16. However, some challenges remain for small business operators. The rule requires businesses offering goods or services with recurring payments — such as…
Average monthly fitness facility dues in the United States rose 9% in 2023 to $65 per month, but that increase did not seem to affect U.S. memberships, which reached an all-time high of 72.9 million, according to the 2024 U.S. Health & Fitness Consumer Report. Data from the report, which was commissioned by the Health &…
In researching this year’s “Top 20 Global Franchise” rankings, Melissa Rodriguez, market research advisor at the Health & Fitness Association, found some surprising data. For example, Curves, at one time a powerhouse in the U.S., growing to 7,877 locations in 2005, now has just 367 outlets domestically. In terms of the big-name players, it’s nearly…
Persistent inflation and rising costs have many health clubs and studios cutting expenses, seeking additional revenue sources, and raising prices. While HVLP models are thriving largely because they are affordable forconsumers, even they aren’t immune. Just take Planet Fitness, which raised its basic membership price this summer for the first time since 1998 from $10/month…
Despite rising living costs, consumers in many markets around the world remain committed to investing in their health and fitness, as detailed in the 2024 HFA Global Report, published by the Health & Fitness Association. In the past year, developed markets, including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Spain, demonstrated record-breaking performance in their…
Apps have long been heralded as tools that help drive personalized communication and put the club experience directly in members’ hands. Now, AI integration into apps offers the opportunity to take those personalized experiences to the next level. If one-to-one interaction has been where the industry has wanted to go in terms of spurring retention,…
CBI: You were just named to the HFA board a couple of months ago. What does it mean to serve on the board, especially as somebody representing your region of the world? AHMAR AZAM: Being on the board of HFA is both an honor and a responsibility. I joined the fitness industry early 2014, and almost…
Technology ecosystems have evolved greatly–especially in the health and fitness industry–during the past 20 years. Yet, they can be traced back to the early 20th century when Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone and fax machine, created a primitive digital ecosystem. Today’s ecosystems still operate on that same early premise: Connecting devices and people…
Data from a new report from John Dunham & Associates (JDA) prove just how valuable the health and fitness industry is to the nation’s economy. Commissioned by the Health & Fitness Association, the JDA report says that the industry is responsible for $22.4 billion of economic activity, based on 55,294 health club and studio locations…
Data from a new report from John Dunham & Associates (JDA) prove just how valuable the health and fitness industry is to the nation’s economy. Commissioned by the Health & Fitness Association, the JDA report says that the industry is responsible for $22.4 billion of economic activity, based on 55,294 health club and studio locations…
Technogym traces its roots as a wellness leader back to the early 1980s when it was founded by 22-year-old Nerio Alessandri in his family’s garage. Alessandri’s development of a unique Hack Squat machine in 1983 paved the way for a series of constant innovations, including the launch of Technogym’s Wellness System—among the industry’s true software…
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