The Gym Group CEO: Think about what Gen Z wants

“I’m amazed at the different relationship Gen Z and young people have to going to the gym,” says Will Orr, who became CEO of The Gym Group in 2023.

Going to the gym felt like a “chore” when he was young, according to Orr, something that you “ought” to do. But now he sees people like his 19-year-old son going to the gym every day, because it’s part of their identity and “social media life”.

Orr is using this insight to help scale his company.

He was the managing director at Times Media before joining The Gym Group, where he was responsible for strategy and performance for The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers. He has also held senior roles at British Gas and RAC.

The Gym Group is one of the UK’s big low-cost gym providers, along with Pure Gym. Orr’s company has 247 gyms in the UK, with 900,000 members and 2000 employees. It reported revenues of just over £225m in 2024.

Just over 40% of its members are Gen Z (born 1995-2012), which is around twice their representation in UK society generally.

Orr has taken some steps to try and appeal even more to this demographic. Many of his new gyms have more open social spaces, zonal lighting and he’s also invested in specific equipment when it generates a trend online, like “the booty builder” range.

Another very important factor is cost. Gen Z may not have a huge disposable income compared to other age brackets. However, the relative cost of other activities can make going to the gym a draw, according to Orr.

“In a world where, if you go to the pub and buy a round for your mates,” says Orr, “that might cost your £25 to £30 – that’s a month’s membership at The Gym Group.

“If we’re able to create a really high quality product experience, but keep those costs low, I think that brings us potential opportunity when it comes to growth.”