Wednesday, January 7, 2009

In Tough Economy, Heavy Post-Holiday Lifting For Gyms

“New year resolutions to lose weight or tone up flabby abdominal and arm muscles typically drive scores of new people to purchase gym memberships. But as retailers experienced a less than cheery holiday sales season, health clubs are attempting to stave off the effects of the economic downturn on their busiest month of the year. The health club industry still has high expectations for sales in the new year, said Rosemary Lavery, a spokeswoman for the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. Even as health clubs are aware of the potential for business to slip, many report crowded workout rooms, especially at peak hours. Use of the Carilion Clinic-owned Botetourt Athletic Club and Roanoke Athletic Club typically increases 25 percent in January and February, said Bud Grey, vice president of wellness and fitness for Carilion.He expects that trend to continue. ‘We're selling a product that gets hit by the economy like anything else, but you always need it,’ Grey said. Historically, new health club memberships climb 12 percent in January, making the first month of the year the single biggest annually for new membership enrollment at health clubs, according to IHRSA. During the past decade, the number of people belonging to a health club skyrocketed from 28.3 million in 1997 to 41.5 million in 2007, the association reports. Though health clubs often offer promotions to lure members at the start of the year, there may be additional deals given the state of the economy, Lavery said. As more people have flocked to gyms over the years, more clubs have joined the marketplace. In Virginia, the number of clubs has increased by 85 percent since 2000, IHRSA reported. New fitness facilities in the Roanoke Valley also have bulked up, creating heftier competition. Last year, Planet Fitness was one of two new fitness facilities to open. The other was Gold's Gym at Crossroads Mall in Roanoke. Today, Anytime Fitness, a 24-hour club in Bonsack, is scheduled to open its doors. While competition has spurred incentives to attract members, awareness of the economic downturn has forced local health clubs to concentrate on keeping existing members on the treadmills and at the bench press.”

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/190193

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