Let’s be honest about something first. Offers and price-led promotions will always exist. Clubs have bills to pay, teams to support and targets to hit. In the short term, dropping price works: it brings in enquiries and fills quiet periods.

The problem isn’t that price is used. It’s that price has become the default.

Over time, our industry has trained the public to believe gyms are cheap, interchangeable and disposable. Free months, zero joining fees, flash sales and permanent discounts. Price has become the headline instead of the experience, the service or the outcome. And once price becomes the anchor, everything else loses perceived value.

What if Clubs Worked Together Instead of Against Each Other?

Not price fixing. Not identical pricing. Not pretending every club is the same. Just a shared understanding that while price points differ, the messaging doesn’t need to be competitive or destructive.

Instead of “we’re cheaper than them”, the message becomes collective and positive: this is what fitness gives you, why movement matters, how gyms improve lives and how to choose the right environment for you.

Clubs would still compete, but on service standards, community, coaching quality and delivery rather than who can discount hardest. That’s a far healthier battleground.

Different Clubs Will Perform Differently, and That’s Fine

Some clubs will outperform others. They may be better located, better suited to a demographic, more premium, more community-driven or more specialised. That’s not market failure. It’s choice.

The aim shouldn’t be to eliminate competition. It should be to grow the total market. Only around 16.9% of the population uses fitness clubs. Imagine if that were 25% or 30%. The opportunity for every operator would be enormous, without anyone needing to steal members.

Competing on Value Changes the Conversation

If the industry stopped shouting about price and talked consistently about value, customers would compare clubs on environment and culture, coaching and support, community and belonging, values and ethos, and fit with their lifestyle.

Instead of “which is cheapest?”, people would ask “which is right for me?” That single shift improves retention, results and long-term satisfaction.

The Impact on Businesses, Staff and Standards

When price stops being the main lever, businesses get breathing room. Healthier margins let clubs reinvest in staff, facilities, services, education and better member experiences.

Staff benefit too. Price competition squeezes wages, increases pressure and lowers expectations. Value competition lets coaching, service and leadership be treated as professions rather than commodities. Standards rise across the board.

How It Changes Perception of the Industry

A fragmented industry arguing over price is easy to ignore. A united industry speaking positively about health, wellbeing, prevention and long-term outcomes isn’t.

A more consistent message would make it easier to defend gyms against rising costs and business rates, position fitness as part of the health solution rather than a luxury, gain credibility with local authorities, healthcare and government, and be taken seriously as a contributor to public wellbeing. Messaging matters, and right now ours is confused.

The Real Challenge

Price competition feels safe: immediate, measurable and familiar. Positive, collective messaging needs confidence, patience and clubs that genuinely deliver on their promises. It means shifting from short-term wins to long-term impact. That’s uncomfortable, but necessary.

If the industry stopped competing on price and worked together on positive messaging, we’d grow participation, raise standards, keep members longer, build stronger businesses and elevate the profession. The question isn’t whether it would work. It’s whether we’re willing to move beyond short-term tactics and build something better together.

Want help putting this into practice in your gym? Black Raccoon Consulting are gym and fitness business consultants with over 25 years’ industry experience in sales, marketing, member retention and operations. Book your free 45-minute business call or explore our services.

Ryan Charlesworth, Founder, Black Raccoon Consulting