UK: Athleisure brands welcome boost in popularity as fitness-focused spending rises

New data by consultancy firm CACI has found significant spending increases in gyms and fitness-focused brands, reflecting a behavioural shift among UK consumers that could extend well beyond New Year-motivated resolutions.

According to the data specialists, the premium end of the fitness industry benefited the most from year-on-year growth during December 2024, compared with the same month in 2023.

This was evidenced by an uptick among fashion-led fitness brands, largely led by Gymshark, which experienced a 78.2 percent increase in popularity over the recorded period.

This was followed by footwear brand Asics, for which popularity rose 38.6 percent, and Lululemon, at a 34.5 percent increase. Sweaty Betty also saw an uptick in interest of 21 percent.

Caci said that such performance was reflective of brands that were at once online native but were increasingly moving into bricks-and-mortar spaces, exhibiting the value of offline spending for such labels.

In a release, CACI senior consultant, Lily Payne, noted that such shifts were beyond what some may only see as a short-lived habit associated with New Years resolutions and instead suggested that more solid behavioural change was actually responsible.

Payne explained that an increase in spending on both athleisure wear and gyms showed consumers were fully invested in this space because of the positive wellness outcomes.

She added: “That means the higher cost associated with brands like Third Space and Lululemon becomes less of an obstacle; people want to experience luxury when it comes to fitness and wellness, and want the garments to match.

“The popularity of athleisure will continue as more and more ‘tribe’ brands like Alo and Tala come to the fore with their collections, as well as gyms which can offer a holistic experience, ticking all the right boxes for an increasingly wellness-focused consumer.”