What do you need to consider when choosing a location for a gym?
Photo by Risen Wang on Unsplash
The gym market appears to have bounced back after the pandemic. Perhaps because people have realised the importance of looking after their health since then. If you are considering investing in the fitness industry one of the first considerations you’ll have is where to base your business. So, in this blog post we are going to look at:
What you need to consider when choosing a location for a gym.
Have a clear idea of who your target market is because you are going to want to be within a convenient distance from them. Are you aiming to appeal to families, students or seniors? Are you planning on running a boutique gym to entice professionals during their working day?
Studies have shown the average commute distance to be about 4 miles. This travel length suggests that many people would be driving or using public transport to reach their gym location so you are going to want to ensure you have plenty of parking at your chosen location and that train or bus stops are nearby.
Spend some time researching if it is possible to place your gym in a location that is already home to such places as health food shops or restaurants. Check out the competition in the area too.
There has been a recent trend in fitness studios and gyms being located in empty retail units because the Class E use for premises now allows for many different uses. These retail locations will have a high footfall, but you will probably be looking at higher rent costs. Consider how much you want to spend on your chosen premises. An empty commercial unit will need a larger amount of money spent to equip and renovate it.
What do you want to be provided on your premises? Carefully consider the size of a place. Is there room for a cafe, shower, changing facilities, or office space? Would you have room to expand if you wanted to?
Remember that your chosen location, number of facilities and ease of accessibility will ultimately influence how much you are able to charge your customers.
When searching on NovaLoca for your ideal fitness space you can filter your search results to show leisure or retail properties etc. in your chosen area. Just use the handy drop-down tab on our main page.
