In 1980 The Leisure Database Company was registered, it started providing on-air community programmes and off-air backup telephone and mail services, a requirement from the Independent Broadcasting Authority. Our first client was Capital Radio, Kidsline service, then London Weekend Television, a two hour programme for Michael Grade called Saturday Action.
David Minton has embarked on a journey to optimum health, highlighting the potential for self-care and personal responsibility
AUK Parliamentary Committee on End of Life Care estimated the cost of delivering this at between £1.8 and £4.5 billion per annum and after helping extend my mother’s life of independence until she was 97 and my father-in-law to 101, I know firsthand how personal investment in health saves the government time and money. Here’s my personal journey from anxiety to aspiration so far.
The Renaissance began in Florence in the 15th century and quickly spread across Europe, marking the transition between the middle-ages and modernity.
It was a period of great social change driven by power – best exemplified by the House of Medici –and also by increased awareness of nature and humanistic learning. Painting, sculpture, architecture, music, literature and individualism all blossomed.
Social segmentation began in ancient Athens. At Leisure DB, we blend geodemographics and fitness data to decode behaviour, track demand, and reveal who goes where—and why.
UK’s pool stock continues to shrink, but less dramatically than last year; Leisure DB releases its State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2025.
The UK fitness market experienced major changes in Q4 2024 across both the private and public sectors. From new openings and expansions to rebrands and closures, the industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace.
The following examples of key changes in December, November & October 2024 are a small sample of the 572 records found in our Monthly Market Tracker during this period, which are also aggregated in our quarterly Brand Directories
by Jo-Ann Vieira Business Development Manager, Xplor Gym
Choosing the best location for a gym is an important decision. With the right know-how and support, you’ll be certain of selecting the best possible location when opening a gym.
Accurate data. Whatever your industry, it’s the key to targeting new business opportunities – and for suppliers to the health and fitness industry, there’s great news from Leisure DB.
Did you know it’s possible to purchase bespoke market intelligence from the UK’s most comprehensive database of fitness and leisure facilities?
What does it take to come up with an accurate latent demand figure for your fitness facility, whether planned or existing? How many, or how many more, members can you realistically hope to gain? Leisure DB’s Natalie Gibson shares her expert insight.
You might have found what feels like the perfect site for your new facility – but is it really? Will you attract enough members to make it a viable business? Should you go ahead?
Do you truly understand which types of consumer your fitness facility appeals to, and how well you’ve penetrated the relevant audiences in a realistic catchment area? Step forward Leisure DB’s member analysis reports...
Understanding who your members are and where they live – i.e. how far they’re travelling to reach your site – is a vital first step in achieving maximum bang for every marketing buck.
FreeFlow, held on 5 September at London Aquatics Centre, provided a platform to explore the future of swimming and aquatics within the fitness and leisure sector. The event also had a strong emphasis on sustainability, technology, and inclusivity.
Co-hosted by Leisure DB, Hutchi, and Everyone Active, FreeFlow brought together the UK’s swimming and pool industry, showcasing discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities.
Leisure DB’s State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2024, published on 1 August, shows that demand for swimming remains high, but there are fewer pools to meet that demand.
The UK’s swimming pool stock continues to shrink, with the number of public and private facilities with pools decreasing by 2% in the 12 months to 31 March 2024. In total, there were 4,272 swimming pools on 31 March 2024 – compared to 4,351 the year before.
Leisure DB’s State of the UK Fitness Industry Report 2024 shows that the UK health and fitness industry is performing strongly in the aftermath of the pandemic. SportsNation looks at some of the highlights of the report, which this year has been made free to download for the very first time.
We are pleased to share the progress we have made since the relaunch of DoingOurBit last month to the NHS and Social Care providers.
We have already engaged with over 30 NHS Trusts including Manchester University NHS Foundation, Cardiff and Vale University Hospital and University Hospital Bristol and Weston, means we are well on our way to our target of 200 by Summer this year.
The State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2023 isn’t just about data, says Leisure DB founder David Minton. It’s rich with interviews and insight.
Most people will be well aware of the perilous state of the UK’s swimming pool stock. If not, Google ‘swimming pool closures UK’ and you’ll be brought up to date with a rather depressing bang. But is it all bad news, or are there glimmers of hope and best practice from which we can all learn?
The language we speak influences the way we think – and the way people think about us. David Minton, founder of Leisure DB, offers his thoughts on how our sector must reinvent its language to better engage with consumers and government
Does the language we speak shape the way we think? This is a question often debated by linguists. My own perception, informed by regular visits to Japan, is that it absolutely does.
Behind every one of our latent demand calculations sits comparable data on 7,000 UK fitness sites, profiles of millions of members, 450+ Mosaic data variables and 20+ years of experience. It all comes together to provide highly accurate estimates. Here’s how it works.
More members and record market value, Leisure DB’s David Minton discusses this year’s State of the UK Fitness Industry Report.
The UK has slightly fewer gyms (0.9%) in 2023 than in 2022, but member numbers are up 3.9% and market value is the highest we’ve observed. These are some of the key findings from our State of the UK Fitness Industry Report 2023.
Through the EVOLVE movement, Leisure DB aims to catalyse conversation, collaboration and change across the UK’s physical activity sector. COO Heidi Blackburn speaks to Kate Cracknell.
What is EVOLVE?
EVOLVE is a movement for industry transformation that was conceived by Leisure DB and Pocket Rocket in 2021, with ActiveIQ, Willmott Dixon and Taylor Wessing also coming onboard as partners to help us launch it that same year.
We are super proud to announce that we have become a supporting partner of 'Doing Our Bit'!
You may already be aware of the fantastic preventative health movement Doing Our Bit that began during lockdown to offer all NHS and Social Care staff free, on-demand fitness & wellness sessions, provided by fully qualified PTs and instructors.
The Escape Your Limits podcast, invited our very own David Minton, Founder of Leisure DB, and leading specialist in the leisure sector, to offer key market intelligence and analysis across the fitness industry.
Number of gyms is down, members and revenues are up; Leisure DB releases the State of the UK Fitness Industry Report 2023
The UK has fewer gyms in 2023 than in 2022, but member numbers are up and market value has reached an all-time high.
In light of more people being authentic about their gender identity, how should the health and fitness sector respond?
Reports by David Minton, Founder of Leisure DB
Sociologists make a distinction between sex and gender. Sex is based on a ridged idea of biological traits that societies use to assign people into either male or female. Gender is more fluid and is determined by what an individual feels and does.
The Power of Data: How Fitness Business Owners Can Save Time and Money with Informed Decisions
The Benefits of Using Data to Guide Your Fitness Business Strategy
From Trends to Insights: How Data Can Help You Stay Ahead in the Fitness Industry
Making Data-Driven Decisions: The Key to Success in the Competitive Fitness Landscape
The Future of Fitness: Why Data is the Foundation for Growth and Innovation
David Minton shares his thoughts on how to tackle 2023
Let me start with two opportunities which excite me, could transform the sector in 2023 and help it double in size. These are opportunities which a growing number of operators and influencers within the industry are getting behind.
In my lifetime, America has had a number of ‘health of the nation’ scares. The AIDS epidemic in the 80s and 90s, more recently the crisis with opioid dependency and the obesity epidemic. The combination of the physical and mental impact of being overweight can be seen on sidewalks in every town and city across America.
In 2019 there were over 14.3 million Baby Boomers in the UK, making it the largest generational group. Boomers – people born between 1946-1964 in 2021 – are currently aged 57 to 75. Boomers don’t want to get old. I’m a boomer, I should know. That’s my first qualification to write this article.
I’ve commented many times on how trend data from the Leisure Database shows the industry to have been recession-proof during 1980/81 and 1990/91 and also the crash of 2008/09.
However, our reseach has found that the first global pandemic in our lifetime has dwarfed any recession. Results from our 2022 full audit of Direct Debit members of our entire database of 7,000-plus sites shows this part of the industry overall has already bounced back to somewhere between 2018 and 2019, but as always, the devil is in the detail.
That’s right – you heard it here first! Throughout January & February, we have our team of experienced researchers contacting all UK leisure venues seeking to validate & update the existing data already held.
We are unique as we’re the only company, worldwide, that audits the whole industry. We are in touch with around 7,000 sites annually at least once, confirming, collecting and updating the information.
Leisure DB hosted its Q4 2025 Monthly Market Tracker Review in January, offering attendees an exclusive look at the key trends and shifts in the sector during Q4 2025. WellNation attended the call to pick up on the latest insight and data.