Whether treadmill, bike or rowing machine – in order to stay fit, people invest more money in fitness equipment in Corona times. Exercise bike manufacturers are happy about the boom. But how long will the trend last?
In terms of sports, the pandemic led to many people buying fitness equipment for their home gym. Instead of sweating it out in the gym, you moved your training to your own four walls. But the business for home trainers will soon weaken from the point of view of industry representatives.
Fitness equipment for the home gym still in demand in 2022?
A sales level like 2019 and thus like before the pandemic is expected for this year, said the managing director of the device manufacturer “Christopeit” from Velbert (NRW), Marco Schenkelberg. That would be a sharp minus, because according to the company boss, annual sales in 2021 were 40 percent higher than in 2019. He did not give any absolute figures. The German Industry Association for Fitness and Health (DIFG) also expects weaker business in 2022.
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A boom for exercise bikes in 2020 and 2021
The niche industry of home appliance manufacturers has come through the pandemic brilliantly so far. According to an estimate by the DIFG, private individuals spent 250 million euros on sports equipment in German specialist shops in 2019, 300 million euros in 2020 and even 350 million euros in 2021. In addition to «Christopeit», other companies also benefited from the boom. The company «Hammer Sport» from Neu-Ulm, for example, more than quintupled its profit in the financial year that ended in March 2021 to 8.7 million euros.
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Demand pushed the industry to its limits
The reason for the boom is obvious: In the Corona times, fitness studios were temporarily closed, but access is currently only possible under very strict Corona regulations. Many people still wanted to train and bought a treadmill, a rowing machine, a stepper or a spinning bike to take home. The demand was much greater than the supply. Christopeit boss Schenkelberg reports that he could have sold twice as much – but his stocks were not sufficient for that. Supply chain problems also plagued this industry.
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Business is changing – digitization and pandemic
And how does it continue? «Demand will certainly drop in 2022, since many have just purchased new devices,» suspects DIFG board member Ulrich Kürschner. “Now people want to travel again, go to restaurants and buy textiles. Therefore, the investment volume is more selective, because it is distributed again,» said Schenkelberg, explaining the muted expectations.
Digitization is also finding its way into this market segment. Virtually networked devices are very popular, says a spokeswoman for the electronics retail chain «MediaMarktSaturn». An example of this is the Berlin high-tech company “Vaha”. It sells a large mirror display showing a digital personal trainer. According to company boss Valerie Bures, business at «Vaha» picked up sharply last year, and the upward trend is expected to continue in 2022. She does not give exact figures.
Permanent home gym instead of gym?
Does the workout at home replace a visit to the gym? Of course not, say the ranks of the gym operators. The founder of the boutique fitness studio «Becycle», Gundula Cöllen-Sorger, reports a «run» on fitness equipment for the home gym in the first lockdown of 2020. In the meantime, however, she often hears from customers that these devices are hardly used and are now on the coat rack would be repurposed. It draws people back to the studios. «They miss their community and no longer want to train at home alone,» says Cöllen-Sorger. The January business has gone much better than expected so far.
With material from dpa