After seven years of growth, the EU gym and fitness equipment market decreased by -0.5% to $3B in 2019. The market value increased at an average annual rate of +5.0% from 2012 to 2019; the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period.

The largest gym and fitness equipment markets in the European Union were Germany ($561M), the UK ($468M) and France ($337M), together comprising 45% of the total market (IndexBox estimates). These countries were followed by the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Denmark and the Czech Republic, which together accounted for a further 46%

In 2019, the highest levels of gym and fitness equipment per capita consumption were registered in the Netherlands (3.93 kg per person), followed by Austria (1.93 kg per person), Finland (1.89 kg per person) and Belgium (1.88 kg per person), while the world average per capita consumption of gym and fitness equipment was estimated at 1.21 kg per person.

Gym and fitness equipment features several main uses: private home use for personal training, fitness club equipment for commercial use, professional and amateur sports club equipment, and government and non-government agencies and organizations.

Accordingly, the key fundamental drivers of the demand are, on the one hand, the growth of the population and its income, as well as the trend towards the popularization of a healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, the overall economic growth in the EU and the growth of public and private investments also contribute to the growth in demand.

If these trends continue, the gradual growth of the gym and fitness equipment market could be expected to retain. In early 2020, however, the global economy entered a period of crisis caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to battle the spread of the virus, most of the European countries implemented quarantine measures that put on halt production and transport activity, which undermined economic growth heavily.

Large-scale quarantine measures constitute the key disruptive factor, due to which production dropped across almost every industry and entire economic sectors are closed, such as catering, non-food retail, and personal services. This leads to an increase in unemployment, a decrease in household incomes, and, consequently, changes in consumer spending.

However, the impact of the crisis on the gym and fitness equipment market in Europe is not unequivocally negative, unlike many other markets. On the one hand, quarantine measures and the fear of infection make it much more difficult to visit commercial fitness clubs, which are deprived of funds to pay rent and loans.

On the other hand, the quarantine and remote work regime is causing a sharp increase in demand for fitness equipment for private use. Not being able to visit fitness clubs, many people keep training at home and therefore buy more equipment online with delivery. This suggests that the fundamental prerequisites for the market’s return to growth persist even against the backdrop of the pandemic; however, the surge in the demand for home fitness equipment may turn to stagnation for a while when the pandemic wanes.

Based on these assumptions, a stagnation in market volumes is expected in 2020, but then the market is to begin to grow gradually. Should the pandemic wane, the market is expected to continue its upward trend due to the rising population (incl. immigrants) and stable demand for gym and fitness equipment. In the prospect of the upcoming decade, the performance of the market is forecast to continue moderate expansion, with an anticipated CAGR of +0.9% for the period from 2019 to 2030, which is projected to bring the market volume to $3.3B (in fixed 2019 prices) by the end of 2030.

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