Virgin Active has about a million members worldwide, but only 31 clubs and 144,000 members in the UK. Its revenue rose 10% to £634 million in 2025 and profits jumped by more than a third. Here is what the latest audited figures show, and what they mean for personal trainers.

Virgin Active is one of the best-known names in British fitness, but most of its business is now outside the UK, with its largest market in Southern Africa. The company does not publish a standalone UK annual report. The most detailed public figures come from the annual report of its majority owner, Brait PLC, an investment company listed in Johannesburg and Luxembourg.

This guide draws mainly on Brait’s integrated annual report for the year to 31 March 2026, published in July 2026, which covers Virgin Active’s performance in detail. Employer data comes from the government’s gender pay gap service.

Virgin Active at a glance

Source: Brait PLC Integrated Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2026. Member figures are given in thousands in the report.

Members

Virgin Active had about 1,001,000 active members across its markets at the end of December 2025, up 1% from about 995,100 a year earlier. By the end of the first quarter of 2026 the figure was about 1,022,100, slightly below the same point a year before.

The UK is a relatively small part of that total. According to Brait’s report, the membership split in March 2026 was:

The UK’s contribution

The UK accounts for 24% of Virgin Active’s group revenue, according to Brait. UK revenue grew 9% in the year to March 2026, which the report attributes to “yield increases and strong sales from refurbished clubs and lower churn rates.”

The report also notes that “significant capex” is still required to upgrade the rest of the UK estate.

Revenue per member

Brait reports Virgin Active’s average yield, or revenue per member, rising 9% from 38.1 in December 2024 to 41.6 in December 2025. It reached 44.4 in the first quarter of 2026. The report does not state the currency or period for these figures, so they are best read as showing the direction of travel: Virgin Active is earning more from each member.

Churn: the challenge

Virgin Active publishes one figure that most gym chains do not: its attrition rate, the share of members who leave.

Brait’s report says churn in Southern Africa remained elevated partly because of club closures for refurbishment and consumer affordability pressures. In Asia Pacific it was partly linked to the company’s pricing strategy. For the UK, it cites lower churn as one reason for revenue growth.

High churn is common across the gym industry. But it matters to personal trainers, because a club that keeps its members also keeps a steadier pool of potential clients.

The start of 2026

Brait’s report also gives figures for the first quarter of 2026, compared with the same quarter a year earlier:

The pattern is consistent with the full-year figures: slightly fewer members, each paying more, with churn edging up. For the UK specifically, membership rose over the quarter, from 136,000 to 144,000.

Investment and refurbishment

Virgin Active’s strategy is to upgrade its clubs and charge more for them.

Spending on new clubs, acquisitions and “premiumisation” doubled from £18.1 million in 2024 to £36.9 million in 2025. Brait says its planned spending for 2026 to 2028 will go mainly on new sites in Italy and elsewhere in Europe, plus refurbishments in the UK and South Africa.

A UK case study: Chiswick Riverside

Brait’s report highlights one UK club as an example. Chiswick Riverside in London is a 14,300 square metre racquets club that was refurbished between July and October 2024. It was the first phase of an upgrade to what Virgin Active calls a “Social Wellness Club”.

According to the report, the £3.6 million investment delivered:

• 15% growth in membership;
• a 14% rise in yield;
• a 26% rise in revenue;
• a 36% return on invested capital, with a three-year payback.

Where the money goes next

Beyond new clubs and upgrades, Virgin Active spent £41.9 million on maintenance and head office in 2025, up from £38.2 million. Brait’s planned allocation for 2026 to 2028 is mainly new sites in Italy and elsewhere in Europe, with refurbishments in the UK and South Africa. For UK trainers, that suggests upgraded clubs rather than many new ones.

Debt and ownership

In the past year Virgin Active raised £175 million from existing shareholders. According to Brait, that cut its gross debt from £460 million to £320 million and reduced net debt from 3.4 times to 2.0 times EBITDA. The report gives a slightly different figure for the starting ratio elsewhere.

Brait valued its stake in Virgin Active at R9,393 million at 31 March 2026, based on nine times an underlying EBITDA of £122 million. After the capital raise, Brait’s holding fell from 67.7% to 61.3%.

Virgin Active as a UK employer

Virgin Active’s UK business reports its gender pay gap through Virgin Active International Limited. Its report for the 2025 to 2026 reporting year, based on a snapshot of staff on 5 April 2025, showed:

• a median hourly pay gap of 4.1% in favour of men;
• 51.0% of women and 49.0% of men receiving bonus pay;
• women making up 53.8% of the lowest-paid quarter of staff and 43.8% of the highest-paid quarter.

The company is in the 1,000 to 4,999 employee size band. The report was submitted late, on 15 April 2026, according to the government service.

Working as a personal trainer at Virgin Active

Brait’s report does not discuss personal training. Virgin Active’s careers site and job boards showed personal trainer vacancies at UK clubs during 2026. Terms are set in individual listings, so anyone interested should check whether a role is employed or self-employed, and what fees or targets apply.

What the numbers mean for aspiring personal trainers

Virgin Active’s figures suggest a few things for anyone thinking of working there.

A small, premium UK estate. With 31 UK clubs, there are far fewer locations than at budget chains. Each club, though, has a large membership, about 4,600 on average.

Investment in refurbished clubs. Clubs that have been upgraded, like Chiswick Riverside, have grown membership and revenue. Refurbished sites may offer better opportunities to build a client base.

Members who pay more. Rising yield shows members are paying more for their memberships. Premium members may also be more willing to pay for personal training.

Churn to work against. With group attrition above 40%, keeping clients engaged matters. Trainers who help members stay, by building relationships and delivering results, are valuable to clubs as well as clients.

How Virgin Active compares

Virgin Active has the smallest UK estate of the three. It is also the only one whose UK business is a minority of its group: the UK makes up 24% of revenue, while Southern Africa holds well over half of its members.

Questions to ask before becoming a PT at Virgin Active

Because the company’s personal training terms are set in individual listings, ask:

• Is the role employed or self-employed? And how is pay or rent structured?
• Has the club been refurbished, or is a refurbishment planned? Brait’s report links upgraded clubs to membership growth.
• How many trainers already work there, and how many members does the club have?
• What targets or obligations come with the role? For example, gym-floor hours, classes or sales targets.
• What development and further qualifications does the company support?

Frequently asked questions

How many Virgin Active clubs are there in the UK?

31, according to Brait’s annual report for the year to March 2026. Worldwide, Virgin Active runs 223 clubs.

How many members does Virgin Active have?

About one million worldwide at the end of 2025, and 144,000 in the UK in March 2026.

How much do Virgin Active members pay?

Brait reports average revenue per member, which it calls yield, rising 9% in 2025, from 38.1 to 41.6. The report does not state the currency or period, so the figures show the trend rather than a membership price. Actual prices vary by club and membership type.

Who owns Virgin Active?

Its majority owner is Brait PLC, whose stake fell from 67.7% to 61.3% after a capital raise, according to Brait’s annual report.

Is Virgin Active profitable?

Its EBITDA before lease accounting adjustments was £110 million in 2025, up 37%. Brait’s report says the refinancing and capital injection will also save about £21.5 million a year in interest.

What is Virgin Active’s churn rate?

Group-wide attrition was 45% at the end of 2025 and 47% in the first quarter of 2026. Brait does not give a UK-only churn rate, but it lists lower churn as one of the reasons UK revenue grew.

Is Virgin Active growing in the UK?

UK revenue grew 9% in the year to March 2026, and UK membership rose from 136,000 in December 2025 to 144,000 in March 2026. Brait says further investment is needed to upgrade the rest of the UK estate.

Is David Lloyd profitable?

Its adjusted EBITDA, a measure of underlying operating profit, was £280.9 million in 2025. Its main UK company, David Lloyd Leisure Limited, reported a pre-tax profit of £55 million in 2024, after a loss of £17 million in 2023.

The bottom line

Virgin Active is a global business with about a million members, but its UK footprint is relatively small: 31 clubs and 144,000 members in March 2026. Revenue rose 10% to £634 million in 2025, profits rose 37%, and a £175 million capital raise has cut its debt.

For personal trainers, Virgin Active’s UK clubs are premium, large and increasingly refurbished. The opportunity is real but limited by the number of sites, and the company’s next wave of investment is focused mainly on Italy and Europe rather than new UK clubs. As with any gym, the terms of the role, and the size of the client base at your club, matter as much as the company’s headline figures.

Sources

Brait PLC Integrated Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2026 (Virgin Active section) — July 2026
GOV.UK gender pay gap service: Virgin Active International Limited — 2025-26 reporting year
David Lloyd Leisure FY2025 trading statement — February 2026
Pinnacle Bidco plc (PureGym) Annual Report 2025 — April 2026
Virgin Active careers: vacancy search — accessed October 2026