Q. Tell us about your report

A. Leisure DB’s State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2023 was published at the end of July and, as always, paints a clear picture of pool provision across the UK: openings and closures, pool counts and locations, top operators, and pricing changes. Key findings this year include a continued decline in pool stock: overall pool count is down -0.8% and the number of sites with pools down -1.8%. Some might say these numbers aren’t significant, but as the continuation of an ongoing decline, I would sadly beg to differ. By number of sites with a pool, GLL is the UK’s #1 public sector pool operator, while, in the private sector, it’s Nuffield Health. Other findings include an average public sector pay-per-swim fee that has topped £5 for the first time. These are just a few of the headlines, and are the sort of robust data you’d expect from Leisure DB’s reports, which for many years have provided accurate, granular views of the supply side to the industry. What you might not expect, though, and new to this year’s report, is a fascinating deep dive into the stories and trends behind the statistics, with an incredible line-up of operators, suppliers, and sector experts sharing their insights and advice – not least, on the opportunities to make pools more sustainable.

Q. More sustainable – how?

A. In a series of detailed interviews, we explore various elements of sustainability, from environmental to financial; there’s certainly a very-powerful interview with Space & Place’s Keith Ashton, who offers a reality check around pools’ environmental impact. Other operators talk about reduced opening hours and higher swim fees to help mitigate the high costs of energy and chemicals. And there is a lot of talk in our report about subsidies, too. However, if you’ll forgive the pun, in this article I want to dive into the interviews that focus on maximising pool revenues.

Q. Tell us more…

A. Almost universally, the operators we spoke to for our report were looking to maximise learn-to-swim revenues, as post-pandemic demand continues to boom. A great example comes from Parkwood Leisure, with operations director Alex Godfrey telling us: “We’ve introduced online booking for swimming lessons, including a dedicated automated waiting list facility that notifies a parent as soon as a space comes available in class. “For every child who joins a class one day sooner, we drive an additional £1 in revenue.” Meanwhile, 1Life chief operating officer, Steve Bambury, was straight-talking when he told us: “For public leisure centres, swimming is a balancing act. “Lessons are where the money is. The rest – casual use and wellness-focused activities – are generally loss leaders. “With the continued high costs of energy, pool chemicals, staffing, and so on, it is getting to the point that councils – not themselves in a position to financially support us – are willing to allow more flexibility to dedicate more pool hours to lessons to drive the revenues that ensure pools remain viable and open. “We have to be realistic: having 2,500 kids whose parents pay £30-35 a month for swimming lessons is really the only way for a pool to be viable now.”

Q. Does casual swim lose out, then?

A. Not necessarily. In spite of GLL’s growing lesson provision and revenues – and a new multi-instructor approach meaning more capacity can be added to a class to meet demand – lessons account for just 50% of its pool-side revenues. Casual swim drives an impressive 30%. The GLL interview in our report offers great insights into how this has been achieved. Meanwhile, Everyone Active now has 180,000 learn-to-swim students going through its centres every week, but strikes a balance between user groups by using booking data to create ‘sharp, efficient pool timetables [that] ensure casual swim isn’t side-lined for lessons’. As a result, casual swimming is also up across its centres: 1.1 million casual swims a month, compared to 850,000 pre-pandemic. Reflecting a comment from The Leisure Experts’ Bethan Laker – that ‘more-innovative pool layouts that accommodate multiple user groups simultaneously’ play a part in boosting revenues – Jacqui Tillman, director of aquatics and wellbeing at Everyone Active, says: “You have to be smart with the water you’ve got. “There’s a finite amount and you need to carve it up in a way that caters for the whole community.”

Q. Do you have any other useful advice?

A. Our chat with Swimming Nature founder and director, Eduardo Ferré, was really interesting. “Comparing private swimming lessons to personal training in the gym – a staple among most fitness operators – he told us: “The market for private swimming classes is categorically there. It’s a creative way to maximise pool revenues, serve the community and ultimately keep pools open. “It doesn’t need to be at the expense of group swimming classes or other pool-based activities, either. “Now, more than ever, operators must capitalise on every opportunity to make pools sustainable.” I’ll end with a thought-provoking comment from Total Fitness chief executive, Sophie Lawler, who warns that we must not let booming demand distract us from truly serving the learn-to-swim customer. She said: “We’re at the start of our journey, but our research into sector-wide poolside experiences – including our own – has been both fascinating and harrowing. “Put simply, the customer is being let down and, for swimming particularly, it’s compounded by over demand, under supply, and a shortage of poolside professionals. “In this sort of landscape, the risk is that scarcity rather than customer appreciation can be the driving force of commercial success.”

Q. How can readers find out more?

A. You’ll find the full interviews in our State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2023, with insight and advice from 1Life, Everyone Active, Freedom Leisure, GLL, Parkwood Leisure, Third Space, and Total Fitness. Alongside these interviews comes thought leadership from Helen Bull, Keith Ashton, Marc Jones, Eduardo Ferré, Sarah Watts, Bethan Laker, Jo Talbot, and Dave Candler. It’s a must-read report, and thanks go to everyone for their time and willingness to share their experiences and to our partners Airius, Alliance Leisure, Blu, Fitronics, Green Wing Energy Solutions, Hydrohex, Paragon Structures, Prospec, RLSS UK, Space&Place, STA, and Swimming Nature for their support in producing this invaluable report. Purchase your copy of the State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2023 now, or download the free swimming Spotlight report, at

www.leisuredb.com/publications