2014年经济学人 健身产业 降低成本运作

（单词翻译）

The fitness industry

It works out cheaper

Cut-price gyms are seizing a growing share of a stagnant¹ market

Bulk discount

GETTING out of a pricey monthly gym membership has traditionally been as hard as squeezing into lycra after the Christmas break.

But at Fitness4Less, a low-cost gym in east London, membership is more flexible. Customers pay 15.99a month and can leave at any point. Like cut-price airlines and supermarkets, budget gyms are muscling in on the market.

Their rise reflects the recent shakiness of Britain’s economy. Although budget chains constitute only 8% of the revenue, they now account for 21% of all fitness-club members. Low-cost gyms boast around 5,000 members per club compared with an industry average of about 1,900, according to Mintel, a consultancy. Such high numbers help keep membership cheap. Many accommodate such large numbers by opening 24 hours a day. That is appealing to the growing numbers of Britons doing shift work.

Membership turnover² is high, too, but two-thirds of those who leave Fitness4Less come back, says Emma Edwards, one of its owners. Budget gyms are growing faster than any other part of the sector³; roughly 200% since 2011. Pure Gym, a low-cost chain, has opened 75 clubs since 2009. Fitness First, a mid-range chain where monthly membership can cost 70, only has 75 clubs now, down from 150 in 2007.

Budget-gym bunnies scan their fingerprints⁴ or use personal ID numbers to gain access. That cuts spending on costly⁵ membership cards and receptionists. There are few frills, such as saunas and cafes. Up to 70% of the machines at The Gym, another fast-growing chain, use no electricity, reducing overheads. No contracts mean no salaries or commissions for salespeople⁶.

Other cheap ways to keep fit are thriving too, from online classes to low-cost mobile fitness apps. Fancy gyms—where single classes can cost more than a monthly budget gym membership–are also flourishing. It is just the flabby middle that is being squeezed.