Operations largely resumed in Sweden and Norway. Many facilities were open throughout the quarter, but several municipal bathing facilities did not open until the end of the third quarter. 28 of the facilities in the Nordic Region, or 19%, were partially closed during the quarter. The easing of restrictions and the reopening of facilities have led to an increase in the number of members of the group for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic. In the Nordic region, membership increased by more than 6 300 since the end of the second quarter. In Germany, facilities were open but with strict requirements, such as negative PCR tests and mouth guards, so operations remained restricted.

Acting CEO of Actic Anna Eskhult comments, "All Nordic facilities are fully available for the first time since the start of the pandemic and already in the third quarter there was a small indication that our collective efforts to increase membership are having an impact. Membership increased for the first time since the start of the pandemic by 4% compared to the end of the second quarter, to almost 173,000 members. This should be seen in the context of the gradual reopening of our facilities, with, for example, our facilities adjacent to municipal pools reopening late in the quarter and under continued restrictions. Overall, 13% of our locations were closed this quarter. Strict restrictions on gym attendance remain in place in Germany, which will obviously hinder the future recovery of membership in Germany, which accounts for 12% of our total membership.

Now that, for the first time since the pandemic began, all gyms in the Nordic countries are open and the population is largely vaccinated, we have an excellent opportunity to increase membership again. This work started with a strong campaign in the third quarter and will continue in the fourth quarter. We are seeing a clear positive trend in the market that there is a willingness and a delight to return to gyms and our other sports venues now that we can welcome our members back to our facilities. We will therefore continue to expand our offering at all our locations: Gym, Pool, Outdoor and Digital."

Source: ACTIC Group AB
Picture: ACTIC Group AB