Fitness industry in Germany: record growth and consolidation

Membership records and even further potential: The fitness industry in Germany is optimistic for several reasons. Provider Lifefit is aiming for half a billion euros in sales.

Munich. The fitness industry in Germany expects continued unbridled growth. “There is still a lot of room for improvement,” said Christophe Collinet, Chief Commercial Officer at the Lifefit Group, to Handelsblatt. He expects higher single-digit percent growth in the next few years.

Last year the fitness industry set records. According to a study by Deloitte and the industry association DSSV, the number of members in the studios rose by almost six percent to 12.4 million. In 2022 there were almost 10.3 million. Sales increased last year by more than seven percent to 6.25 billion euros.

“The industry is very resilient to recessions, as has been shown impressively recently,” Collinet continued. The Lifefit Group operates around 230 fitness studios in Germany and Austria with more than 750,000 members across several brands. The Lifefit brands in Germany include Fitness First and Barry’s Bootcamp.

As part of the European Week of Sports, thousands of fitness studios of various brands in Germany are currently inviting you to try them out for free. “If we manage to reach people who have not yet had access to regular training, it shows the great potential of our industry for exercise and prevention,” said DSSV managing director Philipp Hartewig.

From the perspective of Lifefit CCO Collinet, the potential is still great. Currently around 15 percent of the total population is a member of a studio. In other countries the rate is significantly higher. Every percentage point more means 800,000 new members. In addition, megatrends such as health and healthy aging (longevity) are beneficial for the fitness industry.

According to Collinet, a fitness membership is something of an island in a world that feels increasingly in crisis. “I pay 40 or 50 euros a month, I can go as often as I want, and I do something good for myself every time – it’s hard for people to give that up,” he said.

However, according to the industry, not only growth but also consolidation is likely to continue. Currently around 3,000 of the almost 10,000 studios in Germany belong to a chain. In terms of members, RSG Group is the leader ahead of Fit-X and Basic-Fit. Lifefit was in fifth place in the DSSV statistics at the end of 2025, but has since taken over other studios.

The trend is also due to the fact that the private equity industry has discovered the sector for itself. Last year, Deloitte recorded 27 transactions in the European fitness market, with an average of 35 assets changing hands each. But the market is still very fragmented, said Collinet. Therefore, the wave of concentration will continue: “There is still enough potential for consolidation.”

This has also been evident in the past few months. In the spring, Lifefit took over Just Fit, which operates 21 studios in the Cologne area. Competitor All Inclusive Fitness acquired Fitstop and broke the 200 studio mark. Here, as is often the case with smaller chains and individual studios, the issue of succession played a central role.

“After 45 years as an entrepreneur in the fitness industry, it was time for me to enter a new phase in my life and part ways with my clubs,” said Fitstop founder Stefan Rauscher. He sold his life's work with a heavy heart.

The Lifefit Group always takes advantage of such opportunities. It belongs to a fund of the private equity company Waterland. The group's best-known brand is Fitness First in the premium segment, most recently including Fit/one. The group is well capitalized; a bond with a total volume of 300 million euros was issued in 2024.

This year, the group's sales will increase from 350 to around 400 million euros, primarily due to the acquisitions. “We are aiming for 500 million euros in sales and one million customers,” said Collinet. How quickly this can be achieved also depends on the acquisition opportunities.

The group is well on the way to achieving a triple-digit operating profit of millions and is achieving margins of around 20 percent. “As growth increases, there are a few percentage points more,” said Collinet. An IPO is an option.

In addition to the health megatrend, there are several growth drivers in the fitness industry. On the one hand, there are company fitness providers such as Wellpass or Hansefit. “The aggregators open up new target groups,” said Collinet. Some customers switch from a regular membership to a company fitness provider. “But this is far more than compensated for by the expansion of the market by aggregator customers.”

Collinet estimates that the trend towards weight loss injections will also lead to more demand. “Strength training is important for users, otherwise you will lose muscle mass.” In addition, the studios could become more attractive with new forms of training. “The Hyrox boom will continue for many years to come.” Hyrox is a form of training that combines running with functional strength training.

Some potential customers also don't yet know how the studios have modernized in recent years with networked, smart devices and courses. “Some people still have a dusty image of the studios.”