Fitness Industry Roundup: Industry News is Back

It was tough only selecting a handful of stories to feature when the Fitness Industry Roundup was a weekly occurrence. Now that we’re bringing the series back in a monthly format, it will be even tougher. For this first roundup, we’ve included a bunch of international news to highlight all the wonderful things going on across the global health and fitness industry.

Canadian Fitness Industry Prevents Sales Tax on Gym Memberships

Since March, the Canadian health and fitness industry has lobbied for gym and fitness facility memberships to be removed from the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) expansion. Led by the Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC), with assistance from global experts and organizations, such as IHRSA, efforts proved to be successful. On August 23, the Saskatchewan government announced gym memberships would be removed from the PST, reported CTV News. Sara Hodson, president of FIC, noted, “This is about creating another obstacle for people to try and start getting active. And we will use any excuse in our human nature, in our psychology, to not be active...Creating public outcry was, in fact, our greatest asset in winning.”

Read more.

John W. Brick Foundation Releases 2022 Move Your Mental Health Report

According to the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, “Three decades of science make it clear: exercise should be integrated into prevention and treatment of mental illness and promotion of mental wellness.” The recently released 83-page Move Your Mental Health Report clearly identifies that being physically active improves mental health. A key finding in the report states 89% of all published peer-reviewed research between 1990 and 2022 found a positive, statistically significant relationship between exercise/physical activity and mental health. Optimal mental health benefits occur when participating in three to five 30-45-minute moderate to vigorous exercise sessions weekly.

Download the report.

Speaker, Exhibitor, & Sponsorship Opportunities for IHRSA 2023

In six months, the global health and fitness industry gathers for IHRSA’s 42nd International Convention & Trade Show (IHRSA 2023) in San Diego, CA! From March 20-22, hear from leading health club operators and industry experts to take away new ideas that will elevate your facility. Interested in taking the stage and speaking at IHRSA 2023? Act fast; the deadline to apply to speak is September 16.

The two-day Trade Show highlights the best, most innovative companies in the health and fitness industry. If you’re interested in showcasing your company and connecting to buyers, consider exhibiting at IHRSA 2023. Booth space will fill up quickly, so plan your participation and secure exhibit space as soon as you can! For those who confirm exhibit space and want more exposure and visibility at the show, sponsorship opportunities are available.

IHRSA Fitness Brasil 23rd Edition Revives Latin American Industry

More than 2,500 attendees, over 150 speakers, and 80+ exhibitors traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to meet at the first IHRSA Fitness Brasil event in three years. The energy alone was enough to spark hope and optimism for the future of the industry post-pandemic. “I was really impressed with the entire structure of IHRSA Fitness Brasil and the energy of the Brazilian public,” noted IHRSA President & CEO Liz Clark. “It was great to see the reunions up close, the quality content shared with the delegates, and many deals being done.” Exhibitors and attendees are already planning their trip to IHRSA Fitness Brasil 2023, August 15-18, 2023.

Check out the full recap.

Noteworthy Fitness Industry Acquisitions

There’s been quite a few noteworthy business moves throughout the health and fitness industry over the last month. Acquisitions involving IHRSA members include:

• acac Fitness & Wellness Centers (acac) acquired Sportsclub Fitness & Wellness in Greenville, SC, as covered by Club Solutions. acac aims to “build upon the Sportsclub brand and to maintain its position as the upstate’s premier fitness and wellness destination,” said Chris Craytor, acac CEO and IHRSA Board chair.

• TRX was reacquired by founder and former CEO, Randy Hetrick, and private equity veteran, Jack Daly of JFXD Capital. “Powered by passion and renewed vision, our brand will build on its position as the most trusted name in fitness,” said Hetrick.

• ABC Fitness Solutions acquired Glofox to identify synergies and joint innovations that will provide added value to customers. Collectively, the brands will support over 31 million members across more than 24,000 fitness locations in 116 counties.

Has your health or fitness-related business been featured in the news recently? We want to know! Send a link to any news article or video that highlighted your business to pr@ihrsa.org, and we may include it in a future issue of the Fitness Industry Roundup.