Fitness in France: A mature sector looking for growing markets and segments

Abstract

In France, the term fitness characterises a broad family of sport and physical activities aiming to improve participants' health conditions, body shape, relaxation and wellness, independently from where it is exerted. This chapter highlights that the French fitness sector is almost equally structured around commercial and voluntary organisations. Although similar in terms of market penetration rate, voluntary and commercial organisations do not offer the same activities and levels of service quality that in turn attract different types of publics. Indeed, participants remain heterogeneous and highly segmented creating a challenging environment for the industry and generalist offers, from the commercial sector in particular, because it creates an intense competition on specific participant segments that has simultaneous implications in terms of costs, flexibility, individualisation, innovation and employment.