Gym owners in the UK can increase revenue by diversifying beyond membership fees. The most effective strategies include developing ancillary services like personal training and recovery programmes, monetising in-club digital screens through advertising, and building hybrid membership models. Together, these levers can meaningfully lift average revenue per user (ARPU) without requiring significant new footfall.
The UK fitness industry is growing, but competition for members is intensifying. According to the State of the UK Fitness Industry Report 2024 by Leisure DB, total UK gym membership reached 10.7 million and market value hit £5.9 billion in the 12 months to end March 2024 — representing 4.1% membership growth and 9.7% market value growth year-on-year.
That growth is real, but it masks a structural challenge. Membership income alone is not enough to protect margins when energy costs, rent, and staffing pressures continue to rise. The operators growing ARPU most effectively are those adding multiple revenue streams inside the club, not just chasing new sign-ups.
Industry penetration now sits at a record high of approximately 16.9% of the UK population, according to the Leisure DB State of the UK Fitness Industry Report 2025. That leaves room to grow, but it also means the low-hanging fruit of mass membership growth is largely picked. Revenue strategy now needs to go deeper, not just wider.
Ancillary services — personal training, group classes, recovery treatments, retail, and food and beverage — are one of the highest-impact revenue levers available to gym operators. Industry benchmarks suggest personal training alone can contribute double-digit percentages of total club turnover when structured and promoted effectively.
Personal training is the most scalable ancillary product most gyms already have. Bundling PT sessions with memberships at a slight discount increases initial transaction value and improves retention because members who train with a coach are more likely to renew.
Time-limited offers shown via in-club screens — for example, "Book a PT session within 48 hours and get 20% off" tracked via a QR code — can convert passive members into paying PT clients without heavy sales effort.
The Leisure DB 2024 report identifies "WellCare" — the convergence of medical fitness and holistic wellness — as a major driver of consumer spending. Services like assisted stretching, physiotherapy partnerships, cryotherapy, and menopause-specific programming are pulling in higher-value demographics willing to pay premium prices.
Gyms that reposition themselves as active wellbeing destinations rather than just training venues are better placed to charge more per member visit and reduce churn.
Retail and F&B are meaningful add-ons but require careful curation. Stocking products relevant to your member demographic — protein supplements, recovery tools, branded apparel — outperforms generic vending setups. Keep the range tight and premium.
Yes. In-club digital screens are one of the most underutilised revenue assets in UK gyms today. Framen, a digital out-of-home (DOOH) technology platform, enables gym operators to monetise existing or newly installed screens by running programmatic advertising from premium brands.
According to OOH Today, Framen is actively disrupting the UK DOOH industry by turning venues — including gyms, coworking spaces, and hotels — into scalable ad inventory. The model is straightforward: Framen provides and installs the screens at no upfront cost to the gym, then manages scheduling, content delivery, and reporting end-to-end.
Gym visitors represent one of the most in-demand audience segments in DOOH. They tend to be active, health-conscious, and have higher disposable income — a demographic actively sought by brands across fitness, finance, and lifestyle categories. Campaigns from brands including Adidas, Premier Protein, Trade Republic, BNP Paribas, and OTTO are already buying gym screen inventory through the Framen network.
Members also spend 45 to 90 minutes per visit, creating substantially longer ad exposure than typical out-of-home placements. That dwell time commands a premium CPM from advertisers.
The Framen Screen Manager platform gives gym operators full control over what runs on their screens. Operators can:
According to the Framen Help Center documentation, no technical knowledge is required to operate the platform. The system is fully managed, meaning gyms generate passive income without adding operational overhead.
| Revenue Stream | Effort Required | Upfront Cost | Revenue Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Framen ad network | Low (fully managed) | None | Passive / recurring |
| Personal training packages | Medium | Low | Active / recurring |
| Recovery services | Medium–High | Medium–High (equipment) | Active |
| Retail / supplement sales | Medium | Medium (stock) | Transaction-based |
| Corporate memberships | Medium | Low | Recurring |
| Local advertiser partnerships | Medium | None (screen already live) | Recurring |
Beyond the programmatic network, gym screens can be sold directly to local advertisers. Physiotherapists, sports retailers, cafés, and health food brands near your club are natural partners who want access to your member demographic.
Using the Framen Screen Manager's audience and impressions data, gym operators can package their screen inventory with concrete metrics — weekly footfall, demographic breakdowns, average dwell time — and pitch local SMEs directly. This creates a supplementary revenue line on top of what the programmatic network delivers.
"The gym visitor demographic is one of the most in-demand in DOOH. Members spend 45–90 minutes per visit, creating far more exposure than typical OOH placements — which is why advertisers pay a premium for gym screens." — Framen, DOOH venue network documentation
Hybrid membership models — combining in-club access with on-demand digital content — increase utilisation during off-peak hours and reduce the risk of members cancelling because of schedule conflicts. The Leisure DB 2024 report identifies hybrid membership as a major growth driver, particularly among younger adults and time-poor professionals.
Offering a tiered structure — standard club access, premium club plus digital classes, and a top-tier bundle with included PT credits — increases average transaction value at sign-up and creates natural upgrade pathways.
If you're looking for the fastest route to additional revenue with the lowest operational lift, start here:
Earnings depend on screen count, footfall, and audience quality. Framen's model is fully managed with no upfront cost, meaning any ad revenue generated is pure margin. Gyms with higher footfall and premium demographics — typically in urban UK markets — will command higher CPMs.
Not if the content is curated well. Framen recommends mixing paid ads with relevant owned content — class schedules, nutrition tips, member spotlights — so advertising feels contextual rather than intrusive. Members are more receptive to ads when surrounding content adds genuine value.
Based on current industry trends reported by Leisure DB, ancillary services and in-club media are the two most underexploited levers. Most operators still rely on membership fees for over 80% of revenue, leaving significant ARPU uplift on the table from PT, recovery, and screen monetisation.
A hybrid model gives members access to both in-club facilities and a digital content library — on-demand classes, coaching videos, nutrition resources. Members pay a slightly higher monthly fee for the combined offering, which increases ARPU and reduces churn by adding value beyond physical attendance.
Yes, particularly in urban areas. Offering corporate membership packages to local businesses — discounted rates for employees in exchange for a block purchase — provides predictable recurring revenue and fills off-peak capacity. It requires modest outreach effort but minimal operational change.
