{"id":18859,"date":"2018-07-30T13:28:27","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T12:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ukactive.com\/news\/are-fitness-aggregators-creating-value-or-just-taking-some-of-yours\/"},"modified":"2018-07-30T13:28:27","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T12:28:27","slug":"are-fitness-aggregators-creating-value-or-just-taking-some-of-yours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ukactive.com\/cy\/news\/are-fitness-aggregators-creating-value-or-just-taking-some-of-yours\/","title":{"rendered":"Are fitness aggregators creating value, or just taking some of yours?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Nishal Desai, CEO and Co-Founder of Imin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get straight to the point: the industry is currently trying to make its mind up about \u201caggregators\u201d.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a new tone of skepticism around this topic; perhaps it\u2019s always been there, and just found a collective voice, or maybe this is genuinely new sentiment as these \u201caggregators\u201d start to be taken more seriously. Even if you\u2019re not directly part of the conversation, you\u2019ve probably picked up on the murmurs.<\/p>\n

At Ymlaen<\/a>, we interact with all manner of \u201caggregators\u201d and fitness operators on a daily basis\u200a\u2014\u200agenerating what is perhaps a unique view of the situation from both sides. Here\u2019s our take:<\/p>\n

Operators are absolutely right to be cautious.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Naturally, the conversation so far has been driven by the larger operators and brands in the leisure sector. These organisations have power, reach and influence\u200a\u2014\u200aand have a lot to lose if they don\u2019t act wisely. It\u2019s not just revenue\u200a\u2014\u200athey employ tens of thousands of people between them, run thousands of facilities providing critical sporting infrastructure up and down the country, and coordinate community activities aimed at getting the most inactive active.<\/p>\n

They have a heavy responsibility to ensure they make the right strategic decisions, so they need to be cautious. They have a heavy burden. If they get it wrong, we\u2019ll all feel it.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the key question: is the trepidation about \u201caggregators\u201d stopping us from recognising the genuine opportunities that exist to grow the market today, and the opportunities that are within reach for tomorrow?<\/p>\n

Not all \u201caggregators\u201d are the same<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice I keep putting \u201caggregators\u201d in quotations. The meaning of this word seems to evolve rapidly depending on who\u2019s saying it, and bundles a lot of companies together without distinction. The terminology needs clearing up \u2014each organisation differs in product, business model, and (importantly) core purpose.<\/p>\n

Here are some publicly available examples to show the range of who might want to partner with operators now and in the near future:<\/p>\n