Europe Home Fitness Equipment Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Europe Home Fitness Equipment Market Trends and Insights

Rising obesity and health-awareness wave

In 2024, the World Health Organization's European Regional Obesity Report revealed that 59% of European adults grappled with obesity, a notable rise of 7 percentage points since 2015. Alarmingly, the report also highlighted that 1 in 3 children were affected. In response to this growing concern, national health systems are pivoting their focus towards preventive care. This includes subsidized fitness programs, which, in turn, are driving up demand for home fitness equipment. The WHO's monitoring framework for Health-Enhancing Physical Activity indicated a significant leap in policy achievement across the European Union: 81.8% in 2024, a jump from 64.7% in 2015. This underscores a steadfast governmental commitment to promoting active living. Despite these efforts, cardiovascular diseases continue to dominate, accounting for 45% of regional deaths. This grim statistic has fueled public health campaigns advocating for daily exercise. As clinical evidence mounts and fitness equipment becomes more accessible, even the most sedentary individuals find it easier to embark on strength and cardio training at home. Recognizing the importance of wellness, employers are weaving these metrics into corporate health plans, creating a scenario where owning fitness equipment becomes a tangible indicator of employee engagement.

Rapid product innovation in smart/connected gear

In the first half of 2024, Technogym's Checkup platform, leveraging AI for movement assessments and corrective exercise prescriptions, drove a 11.3% year-on-year revenue surge to EUR 406.3 million (USD 440 million). This underscores the premium pricing potential of software differentiation. Echelon Fitness, in October 2024, unveiled its Strength Home system: a foldable unit boasting a 24-inch HD touchscreen and digital resistance from 5 to 110 pounds, priced at USD 2,999.99. The launch targets urban residents without dedicated workout spaces. Despite Peloton reporting 2.9 million paid connected-fitness subscribers in its Q1 fiscal 2025 results, the company faced a 1.6% year-on-year revenue dip to USD 586 million. This trend suggests hardware saturation is nudging brands towards content monetization. In January 2025, Tonal Systems rolled out a B2B initiative, embedding its electromagnetic resistance units in hotels, physical therapy centers, and private gyms. This move diversifies its revenue channels beyond direct consumer sales. Equipment firmware now integrates biometric sensors, monitoring heart rate, cadence, and power output, for real-time coaching adjustments. However, this advancement amplifies data privacy responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulation. As a result, manufacturers are channeling investments into fortified cloud systems and clear consent processes.

Expansion of e-commerce and D2C logistics

According to Eurostat, European e-commerce saw a 2.1% uptick in 2023. Notably, fitness equipment sales surged, as consumers, emboldened by pandemic-era trial periods, grew more comfortable purchasing high-ticket items online^{[2]Source: Eurostat, “E-commerce Statistics,” ec.europa.eu}. In a strategic move, Decathlon unveiled "Decathlon Pulse" in January 2025, a dedicated mergers-and-acquisitions arm. This initiative underscores Decathlon's ambition to onboard digital-native brands, seamlessly weaving them into its omnichannel distribution framework. By adopting direct-to-consumer models, manufacturers are reaping margins of 30% to 40%, savings that typically benefit retail intermediaries. Moreover, these models empower manufacturers to gather invaluable first-party data, shedding light on usage patterns, churn triggers, and potential upsell avenues. Peloton's decision to shutter its Chicago factory in May 2024, pivoting to contract manufacturing in Taiwan, highlights a calculated balance between vertical integration and capital efficiency. Premium brands now consider white-glove delivery and in-home assembly as essential services. Given that treadmills and rowing machines can weigh between 100 to 150 kilograms and often need technical setup, this service has become paramount. Furthermore, the rise of augmented-reality apps, which allow buyers to visualize equipment in their homes, has led to a notable dip in return rates. Historically, these rates hovered around 15% for large fitness items shipped through parcel carriers.

Persistent hybrid (home + gym) workout habits

In Germany, gym memberships thrive alongside strong sales of home fitness equipment, indicating that consumers see these two avenues as complementary. Similarly, in 2023, gym-goers in the UK opted for home equipment on days when traveling to the gym felt time-consuming or when the facility was too crowded. This trend is especially evident among professionals aged 30 to 50, who value time efficiency and are open to investing in both gym memberships and home equipment. In April 2025, Decathlon teamed up with Freeletics, offering a 3-month complimentary subscription with equipment purchases. With a goal of rolling out over 100 co-branded products by the end of 2026, this partnership capitalizes on the growing preference for seamless transitions between home workouts and gym sessions. Basic-Fit, in March 2024, bolstered its network by acquiring RSG Spain, adding 42 clubs to its existing 1,575 locations and 4.25 million members. This move underscores the gym sector's belief that the rise in home equipment sales won't undermine gym memberships but will instead broaden the market. The enduring popularity of hybrid workout routines sheds light on the forecasted 5.05% CAGR growth of stationary cycles through 2030, a rate surpassing that of bulkier treadmills, thanks to their space efficiency and suitability for quick interval sessions.

High upfront equipment cost

Mid-tier treadmills and rowing machines are moderately priced, while premium connected variants from Peloton and Technogym command high prices. This pricing dynamic poses a challenge for households in Italy, Spain, Poland, and Belgium, where median disposable incomes lag behind their Western European counterparts. Nautilus Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2024, a move spurred by a 28.5% drop in cardio-equipment sales. This highlights the fragility of demand, especially when consumers see little distinction between premium and budget offerings. In January 2025, Decathlon rolled out the Compact Run 100 treadmill, priced for the mass market, targeting first-time buyers who value functionality over connectivity. While financing options like installment plans and lease-to-own structures are on the rise, eurozone interest rates remain high. As of December 2024, the European Central Bank's deposit facility rate stood at 3.00%, inflating the effective cost of credit^{[3]Source: European Central Bank, “Key Interest Rates,” ecb.europa.eu}. Although the price-performance gap between traditional and smart equipment is shrinking due to declining component costs, concerns about ongoing subscription fees for connected devices heighten the total cost of ownership worries. Retailers have observed a 25% to 30% drop in conversion rates when checkout pages feature subscription prompts alongside hardware prices, underscoring the friction caused by bundling transparency.

Limited living space in dense urban housing

Seventy percent of Europeans live in urban areas. Over the past decade, as housing costs have risen, average dwelling sizes in these areas have shrunk. In cities like Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam, treadmills take up a notable 1.5 to 2.0 square meters of floor space in apartments that typically average 70 to 90 square meters. Echelon's Strength Home system, launched in October 2024, folds down to a compact 30 centimeters, allowing it to be conveniently stored in closets or behind furniture. While treadmills accounted for 33.92% of 2024 revenue, rowing machines and stationary cycles, easily stored vertically or wheeled away, are capturing a growing market share. This trend explains the forecasted 5.05% CAGR growth for cycles through 2030. In multi-family buildings, noise transmission through shared walls and floors restricts equipment use, especially for high-impact activities like running. This challenge has led manufacturers to invest in technologies that dampen vibrations and design quieter motors. As cities grapple with rising costs, the emergence of micro-apartments, units under 40 square meters, has paved the way for ultra-compact fitness solutions. Modalities like resistance bands, suspension trainers, and bodyweight-focused systems, though not traditional equipment, are vying for the same discretionary budget.

Segment Analysis

By Product Type: Cycles Gain on Treadmills' Dominant Share

Stationary cycles are projected to grow at a 4.98% CAGR from 2026 to 2031, surpassing the broader market's 4.67% growth. Their compact size and affordability attract first-time buyers, particularly in space-constrained urban apartments. Treadmills, contributing 33.42% of 2025's revenue, are popular for walking, jogging, and running. However, their 1.5 to 2.0 square-meter footprint and noise issues limit adoption in multi-family housing. Decathlon's January 2025 launch of the Compact Run 100 treadmill addresses these challenges with a foldable design, though its mass-market focus suggests price competition over advanced features. Rowing machines are gaining popularity for full-body cardio with minimal joint impact, with brands like Hydrow and WaterRower emphasizing natural resistance mechanisms. Elliptical machines, while offering low-impact motion for rehabilitation and older users, face limited market penetration due to their bulkier frames and higher price points.

In Nautilus Inc.'s final pre-bankruptcy quarter, strength training equipment, dumbbells, resistance bands, cable systems, and electromagnetic units like Tonal, which saw a 7.4% sales increase, contrasting with a 28.5% decline in cardio equipment sales. This shift highlights growing consumer interest in functional fitness and muscle preservation. Echelon's October 2024 launch of the Strength Home, priced at USD 2,999.99, targets this trend with a compact design and digital resistance range of 5 to 110 pounds. Other fitness products like yoga mats, foam rollers, and suspension trainers remain fragmented across specialty retailers and lack the recurring-revenue potential of connected equipment, relegating them to a supplementary role. The European Union's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, effective September 2026, will mandate durability and reparability disclosures, favoring mechanical products like rowing machines and free weights over electronic treadmills and cycles, which face higher compliance costs.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Category: Smart Equipment Narrows Conventional's Lead

From 2026 to 2031, smart and connected equipment is projected to grow at a 6.80% CAGR, outpacing conventional variants by nearly 2 percentage points. Manufacturers are enhancing hardware with AI-driven coaching, biometric tracking, and gamified challenges, justifying premium pricing and recurring subscriptions. While conventional equipment captured 61.05% of 2025 revenue, appealing to cost-conscious buyers and subscription skeptics, its growth faces challenges from commoditization and thin margins. Technogym's Checkup platform, leveraging AI for movement assessments and corrective exercise prescriptions, drove an 11.3% year-on-year revenue surge to EUR 406.3 million (USD 440 million) in H1 2024, underscoring the value of software differentiation. Peloton's 2.9 million paid connected-fitness subscribers provide a recurring revenue buffer against hardware losses, yet a 1.6% year-on-year dip in Q1 fiscal 2025 revenue to USD 586 million signals a plateau in subscriber growth.

Smart equipment faces additional compliance costs due to the General Data Protection Regulation, with mid-sized firms incurring an annual burden of EUR 50,000 to EUR 200,000 (USD 54,000 to USD 216,000) for consent, encryption, and data localization mandates. This creates a competitive edge for incumbents with seasoned legal teams. Decathlon's April 2025 alliance with Freeletics, offering a 3-month complimentary subscription with equipment buys and aiming for over 100 co-branded products by end-2026, showcases mass-market retailers' strategy of tapping into the connected segment via content ecosystems. Tonal's January 2025 shift to a B2B approach, installing electromagnetic resistance units in hotels and physical-therapy centers, broadens its revenue avenues and mitigates subscription-churn hurdles. While conventional equipment's straightforwardness, free from firmware updates, cloud dependencies, and recurring fees, ensures its lasting appeal, the lack of usage analytics curtails manufacturers' potential for product design optimization and upselling services.

By End User: Female Segment Accelerates

Forecasts indicate that the female segment will expand at a 6.02% CAGR from 2026 to 2031, outpacing the male segment's more gradual growth. This shift comes as manufacturers roll out lower-impact modalities, personalized coaching, and community features, all of which align closely with women's fitness preferences. In 2025, male users represented a dominant 68.85% of revenue, a testament to their historical stronghold in strength training and high-intensity cardio. However, this dominance is waning as brands increasingly acknowledge the significant purchasing power of female consumers. Peloton, for instance, has tailored its content library with female instructors and cycling classes focused on prenatal and postnatal fitness. This strategy has successfully built a dedicated female subscriber base, even as Peloton's total subscriber count held steady at 2.9 million in Q1 fiscal 2025. Meanwhile, Echelon's Strength Home system, introduced in October 2024, starts with a digital resistance of 5 pounds, catering to beginners and those in rehabilitation, demographics that lean female.

Female buyers, drawn to rowing machines and stationary cycles for their cardiovascular benefits, prefer these options for full-body workouts without the bulkiness of heavy resistance training. Responding to this trend, Decathlon launched its Training Rower 900 and Training Bike 900 in January 2025, featuring sleek designs and competitive pricing against premium brands. The emergence of online fitness communities, be it Facebook groups, Instagram challenges, or Strava leaderboards, has underscored the importance of social accountability, a motivator that research highlights as particularly influential for female exercisers. Brands that weave community elements like live leaderboards and group challenges into their platforms are witnessing heightened engagement and reduced churn rates among female users. The male segment's tempered growth can be attributed to market saturation among early adopters and a prevailing preference for gym-based training, where the allure of heavy free weights and specialized machines outshines home alternatives.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Distribution Channel: Online Gains on Offline's Installed Base

Online retail stores are projected to grow at a 5.75% CAGR from 2026 to 2031, narrowing the gap with offline channels, which accounted for 52.35% of 2025 revenue. This shift is driven by direct-to-consumer brands bypassing traditional showrooms to boost margins and gather customer data. Offline retail outlets, including specialty fitness chains, department stores, and sporting goods shops, benefit from tactile product evaluation and instant fulfillment but face challenges like fixed costs and limited product assortments, reducing their competitiveness against digital-first brands. Peloton's May 2024 closure of its Chicago manufacturing facility and shift to contract manufacturing in Taiwan reflects a strategic move toward leaner, online-focused operations. Decathlon's January 2025 launch of 'Decathlon Pulse,' a mergers-and-acquisitions initiative, highlights its intent to acquire digital-first brands and integrate them into its omnichannel framework.

European e-commerce grew 2.1% in 2023, with fitness equipment sales outpacing others as consumers gained confidence in purchasing high-ticket items online after pandemic-era trials. White-glove delivery and in-home assembly have become essential for premium brands, as items like treadmills and rowing machines, weighing 100 to 150 kilograms, require technical setup, increasing delivery costs. Augmented-reality apps that visualize equipment in buyers' homes have reduced return rates, which previously reached 15% for large fitness items shipped via parcel carriers. Fitshop's October 2024 acquisition of Kettler and HOI brands from Trisport AG expanded its footprint to 67 branches across 9 European countries, with EUR 124 million (USD 134 million) in revenue. This move illustrates how omnichannel players are consolidating offline assets to complement online reach. The tension between online convenience and offline experience is driving hybrid models, where showrooms allow product trials but fulfill orders through central warehouses, balancing inventory efficiency with tactile engagement.

Geography Analysis

In 2025, Germany holds 27.20% of revenue, driven by a mature fitness culture with 11.7 million gym memberships and a EUR 5.88 billion (USD 6.4 billion) fitness market in 2023. High disposable income, strong e-commerce, and government wellness subsidies of up to EUR 600 (USD 650) per employee annually support demand. Technogym's H1 2024 revenue of EUR 406.3 million (USD 440 million), up 11.3% year-on-year, highlights growth in German-speaking markets with rising connected equipment adoption. Italy is projected to grow fastest at a 5.13% CAGR (2026–2031), driven by a younger workforce and obesity-focused health campaigns, as 1 in 3 children face obesity per the WHO's 2024 report. France sees steady mid-tier equipment demand, though subscription fatigue and urban space constraints limit growth.

The UK’s strong gym membership base in 2023 aligns with robust home-equipment sales, showing complementary usage. EGYM’s April 2024 acquisition of Hussle integrated 1,500 UK gyms into its Wellpass platform. Spain’s EUR 2.5 billion (USD 2.7 billion) fitness market and 5.6 million gym members in 2023 face lower disposable income challenges, but Basic-Fit’s March 2024 acquisition of RSG Spain, adding 42 clubs, signals long-term growth confidence. The Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Sweden, though smaller markets, show rising adoption due to increasing disposable incomes and e-commerce. Poland’s growing middle class and Belgium’s urbanization favor compact, budget-friendly equipment. Sweden’s EUR 120 (USD 130) per tonne CO₂ tax drives low-carbon material use and logistics optimization. The EU’s Ecodesign Regulation, effective September 2026, will mandate durability and reparability disclosures, pushing manufacturers to adapt or risk exclusion.

Smaller markets like Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and Portugal show varied demand influenced by income, housing, and fitness culture. Austria benefits from cross-border e-commerce with Germany. Denmark’s high income supports premium equipment, while Finland’s sauna culture favors complementary equipment. Ireland’s economic growth expands its market, though reliance on imports raises costs. Portugal’s lower income limits premium growth, but retailers like Decathlon gain share with budget options. Fragmentation complicates logistics, favoring omnichannel players with retail footprints.