Aging baby boomers, some 70 million strong, invented the fitness movement and show no signs of abandoning it as they age. Baby boomers are now aged 36 to 55 and increasingly have the disposable income, as well as the inclination, to join health clubs and to invest in home fitness equipment. Exercise equipment is sold into three separate markets through four major channels. The largest market is home equipment, which has grown strongly throughout the decade. The home equipment market has been mainly fueled by enormous gains in sales of treadmills and lesser but still significant growth in sales of home gyms and other weight-training equipment.
Health clubs are the second market.
Here, the number of facilities and memberships has grown steadily since the recession early in the 1990s. This market has been booming. For a major segment of the population, convenient access to a place to work out has become one of life s little luxuries. The four channels through which equipment is sold direct from manufacturer, through mass merchants, through sporting goods stores and through specialty stores are all reported to be enjoying increased volume. Meanwhile, sales to international markets have increased steadily as the health club industry established a beachhead in the U.K. and then began to spread across Europe.