Analysis of the External Environment of Fitness Club

1. Introduction

In todays western countries， increasing numbers of people participate in fitness club. Apparently， fitness has become a fashion. It has gradually become a part of peoples life and necessities， so that exercise is accepted by more and more people. With the development of Chinas economy， peoples fitness consciousness has become stronger. People are willing to spend money and time on fitness. As a result， Chinas fitness industry （Mingxiao， 1996） is developing rapidly. Many famous fitness club companies have appeared. Meanwhile， a few foreign gyms occupy the Chinese markets and become successful.

2. Analysis

PEST strategy is used to analyze the current macro environment. （Hooley， Saunders， & Piercy， 2004）

Politics： China not only has a stable political environment but also builds a good marketing environment for the company. Beyond that， Chinas basic national policy advocates national fitness campaign. Therefore， commercial fitness club is a key symbol of sport industrialization in China. Indeed， it has been developing rapidly.

Economics： Under the economic background， consumers spend too much money on leisure entertainment and education investment. Peoples leisure entertainment is no longer limited to TV and karaoke. However， the outdoor sports， such as travel and parkour， have high cost. Hence， they pay more attention to their image and healthy diet.

Social： With the improvement of education level in China， increasing numbers of people have received higher education. Meanwhile， their awareness of fitness is improved. According to them， “spending money on health” has become a kind of fashion. Hence， they try to pursue healthy lifestyle.

Technology： The development of science and technology helps people to shape body size. Test equipment is a good way to test out persons physical data. Through reasonable fitness plan， it can effectively help individuals obtain significant results within a short time. Running machine， multi-function training machines， and cycle ergometer can help people do all kinds of exercises in a small space. All in all， the technology is conducive to the long-term development of the fitness club.

Porters five forces frameworks （Grundy， 2006） are used to analyze the external micro environment. Each club has its features， so that customers can choose the clubs according to their hobbies.

Fitness clubs have vast numbers of alternatives. For example， people can use home machines or go to tennis court， swimming pool， and bowling alley. All of these alternatives are offered at the fitness club and people can obtain comprehensive and multi-functional exercises. Although alternatives can provide fitness， there are still a few constraints， such as weather， temperature， and humidity. Generally speaking， the gyms advantages are incomparable， and fitness club has dynamic music as well as good social atmosphere. Therefore， substitutes do not include the threat for the fitness club.

Supplier consists of four aspects： equipment providers， real estate developers， coaches， and some cleaning companies. Fitness equipment of well-known brands can be chosen， so that it will help raise reputation of the gym. Coaches determine the profitability level of the club. Because many coaches are part-time， the club should force them to improve the coaching quality.

Some competitors are situated in the same city. For example， some clubs have occupied the Chinese fitness markets and they constantly expand the markets. Others focus on the high-end market， and they target at people who have high social status， achievements， and foreign nationality. However， some commercial fitness clubs blindly follow and imitate other clubs model， and lack independent innovation. Hence， the club has serious homogeneity phenomenon （Shu-hui 2006）.

3. Conclusion

To sum up， through the above analysis， we can simply know the macro and micro environment of fitness club.

References：

[1]Grundy，T.（2006）.Rethinking and reinventing Michael Porters five forces model.Strategic Change，15（5），213-229.

[2]Hooley，G.J.，Saunders，J.A.，&Piercy;，N.（2004）.Marketing strategy and competitive positioning.Pearson Education.

[3]Mingxiao，B.（1996）.Thinking and suggestion on developing sport fitness industry in China[J].Journal of Tianjin Institute of Physical Education，4.

[4]Shu-hui，S.U.N.（2006）.Investigation on the Management Mechanism of Sichuan Fitness Club[J].Journal of Chengdu Sport University，1，009.

作者簡介：延璐（1992.2- ），女，研究生，西北工業大學明德學院，助教。