How China’s fitness appetite grows as exercising becomes the new lifestyle

The sports and fitness market in China has seen exponential growth, from about 500 gyms in 2001 to approximately 50,288 fitness clubs by the end of 2020. According to the General Administration of Sport of China, 67.5% of people aged above 7 participated in fitness at least once a week in 2022, an increase of 18.5% compared […]
Survey on fitness beliefs and exercise habits in China

The scale of the Chinese sports and fitness industry is exploding. According to data compiled by the Chinese General Administration of Sports, from 2016 to 2025, the number of athletically engaged people in China will grow by 39%, from 360 million to 500 million. Not only will there be more athletes and fitness fans, but […]
The Chinese boxing market and the women driving it

With the changes in Chinese fitness consumer groups and improved spending power, increasingly more people choose niche sports such as boxing to satisfy their diverse fitness needs. Although there is still a big gap in the recognition and participation of boxing compared with western countries, thanks to large population base in China, boxing market in […]
Fitness, weight control, or just for convenience: What drives craze for meal replacements in China

Following the global diet trend, the meal replacement market in China is on the rise. The result of Daxue consulting’s survey on perceptions of healthy diet in China shows that the majority of the Chinese consumers have become familiar with the concept of meal replacement. Additionally, Euromonitor International forecasts that the market size may reach […]
Market Tidbits transcript #7: How and why China’s fitness industry is transforming

Allison Malmsten: Hello and welcome to this week’s episode of Market Tidbits. This week we focus on China’s fitness industry and how it has changed over the last few years. This week, I’m super excited to talk about the topic of China’s fitness industry. I’m joined by Steffi Noel, a project manager at daxue consulting […]
An insight into the growing health awareness in China

Following economic growth and increasing willingness to pay (WTP) has given rise to higher health awareness in China with a growing need that accelerates a paradigm shift from being a reactive consumer to a proactive consumer. China is rapidly becoming the world’s largest market for healthy eating. A report by Boston Consulting group had estimated […]
The athleisure market in China: Opportunities in an increasingly active country

Athleisure is a fusion of fashion and athletic apparel, fit for a wide variety of occasions, such as at work, school, socializing, and of course, a variety of workouts. Because athleisure often presents an active healthy lifestyle, it is considered to be the ‘new sexy’ for many Chinese. According to Statista, China’s sportswear market value […]
How SUPERMONKEY gym is transforming China’s fitness industry into a retail model

Founded in 2014, the SUPERMONKEY gym chain started out as a 24-hour self-served gym box in Shenzhen. Within a year, it offered group class studios and expanded to Shanghai and Beijing in 2016 and 2018, respectively. To date, SUPERMONKEY owns more than 100 physical stores in prime areas of nine major cities across China, including […]
Hosa Fitness closed its doors. What is causing the downfall of China’s traditional fitness centers?

In June 2019, the fitness chain Hosa Fitness (浩沙健身) closed overnight, causing a heated discussion. Hosa Fitness started in 1999, and it had 86 stores in 2009. How could such a big fitness brand go out of business? What are the problems of fitness centers in China? Will all of China’s traditional fitness centers face […]
Martial arts in China: an old market driven by new opportunities | Daxue Consulting

Martial arts in China have been practiced for thousands of years. Today, with Consumers’ newfound leisure spending, their practice is at the highest in its history. Given China’s rapid evolution in all sectors, we investigated the many new dynamics reshaping this rather traditional market. A booming market – factors for the success of martial arts in […]