Almost half of all members train in chains

Today, the top 10 providers account for almost half of all customers in the German fitness market. The development of the largest players and the ongoing consolidation of the industry become clear in a longer-term comparison. At the end of 2014, their share was still around 27%, and has therefore increased by more than 20 percentage points over the past ten years.

The reason for this is the significantly greater growth of this group compared to the rest of the market. While the largest fitness companies were able to increase their membership by around 2.9 million, according to surveys by DSSV, DHfPG, and Deloitte, membership numbers in other segments even declined in some cases during the same period.

Thanks to both organic and acquisition-driven expansion, the number of facilities they operate has grown by around 700 from just under 900 in 2014 to today. Thus, the number of customers per facility has also increased significantly over time. While in 2014 the number of the largest operators was already significantly higher than the overall market, at 3,400, it is currently a good three times higher than the total of all providers.

While in 2014, the Rainer Schaller Group (RSG) alone accounted for more than 40% of the top 10, today it is RSG and FitX that jointly dominate the ranking by members. While RSG has around 1.4 million members, FitX counted 1 million customers for the first time last year. Measured by members, they account for 45% of the top 10. If you include third-placed Clever Fit, the number is even higher than 60%.

FitX with the strongest growth

RSG has once again increased the number of its facilities and members over the past ten years, defending its position as market leader. National and, above all, international expansion during this period will be driven primarily by diversifying the facility portfolio and developing new concepts such as High5 (from 2015), John Reed (from 2016), and John's Bootcamp (from 2018).

In 2020, the group achieved its largest growth milestone with the acquisition of Gold's Gym, one of the best-known fitness brands with around 3 million members in the franchise system. In the fall of 2022, owner and CEO Rainer Schaller died in an accident.

Hagen Wingertszahn and Dr. Jobst Müller-Trimbusch will take over management. Last year, the company launched a "modernization offensive" for its McFIT facilities and announced an investment volume in the hundreds of millions of euros for the next three years.

The Essen-based company FitX achieved by far the strongest growth of all providers on the German market during this period. From fewer than 100,000 members, the number has increased more than tenfold in today's 105 facilities. While the company wasn't yet in the top 10 in 2014, it now ranks second.

FitX focuses its offerings on operating facilities of at least 1,800 m², which average approximately 9,500 customers. This likely means they achieve the highest membership numbers per facility for comparable providers in Europe.

As a further driver of revenue, in 2024, membership fees for new members will be increased from the previous €24 to €29, and for the first time in the company's history, membership fees for existing members will also be increased from €15 in some cases in the early years to €24 this year. This brings the runner-up even closer to the perennial industry leader in Germany. At the last FitX facility, which opened in 2024 in Mannheim, the two fitness studios are now only 400 meters apart and are located on the same street.

FitX has displaced the franchise provider clever fit from second place to third place today. Clever fit, together with EASYFITNESS, which also operates in the discount segment and ranks fourth, operates 640 facilities in Germany. This represents 40% of the facilities in the top 10.

BestFit Group Second-Best “Newcomer”

Also not included in the ranking of the largest operators in 2014 is the current BestFit Group (now all-inclusive fitness). After numerous transactions, most notably the merger of jumpers Fitness with Ai Fitness in 2020, the group, held by its investor Nord Holding since 2013, is now the fifth-largest provider with more than 400,000 members.

The LifeFit Group has had a new investor since last year. The investment company Waterland, which previously held investments in the Dutch operator Basic-Fit and the corporate fitness provider Hansefit, has expanded its national investment in fitness facility operators with this acquisition, having already invested in FIT/One in 2020.

At the beginning of this year, the LifeFit Group announced its intention to fully acquire the FIT/One Group, which was ranked ninth in the top 10. This would move it up to fourth place. Kieser is committed to an even stronger positioning as a healthcare provider.

With the motto "The time will come when Kieser is needed," the franchise provider began marketing its 116 facilities in Germany, reaching seventh place among the top 10 in terms of membership. The past decade was also eventful for the ACISO Group, which was ranked eighth: In 2016, the Migros Group, which had entered the German market with the development of its ELEMENTS facilities, acquired INLINE, which also includes the INJOY franchise system.

The acquisition of Greinwalder & Partner Unternehmensberatung followed in 2019. In 2022, Migros sold the group to Lafayette Capital, which had previously been active in the German fitness market with ELIXIA. In the same year, the acquisition of corporate fitness provider FITCOMPANY followed. One year later, the German and Austrian facilities of the Scandinavian company Actic were acquired, and DANTRIM was acquired at the end of 2024.

In joint ninth place with FIT/One is the only provider in the ranking that operates solely regionally. With its diverse facility concepts, from discount studios to premium resorts, the Pfitzenmeier Group combines 51 facilities and plans an investment volume of €50 million for the next three years.

Outlook

Based on the planned figures of the ten largest operators, the top 10 will likely continue to grow in the current year up to 2025. And perhaps new providers will also make it into this ranking.

Source: BODYMEDIA / edelhelfer sport GmbH
Picture: edelhelfer sport GmbH