Sweat 2019: boutique fitness sector still thriving and nowhere near 'breaking point'

The current boutique fitness boom is nowhere near reaching a "breaking point".

That was the message from the first panel session at the Sweat 2019 conference, held in central London today (26 February).

While there are now more than 300 boutique fitness studios in London, Jason Tubbs, managing director of studio operator Another Space, said the industry was still far away from "peak of boutique" and that there is still room for continued growth in the sector.

"At Another Space alone, we get between 600 and 900 enquiries and 1,000 reviews of our boutique classes a week," Tubbs revealed.

Also on the panel discussing the state of the boutique fitness sector was Chris Heron, founder of The Engine Room.

Discussing the threats and opportunities for the sector, Heron said: “The biggest threat to the boutique fitness market is investors who think it looks like easy money. It isn’t and operators who think it is can give the sector a bad name.”

Among the opportunities for the sector is the fact that only 17 per cent of visits to London's boutique studios are by men – creating an untapped market for operators.

HCM's editor Liz Terry (@elizterry) is live-tweeting from the event