A white paper charting the effects of intermediary services – or aggregators – in the fitness sector will be published on 10 February.

The Aggregation in Fitness report, published in collaboration between Fusion Analytics and online fitness marketplace Hussle, aims to provide fitness operators with increased data to support the wider industry debate on the topic.

Aggregation continues to stir up debate and much of the industry remains undecided over its merits.

One of the most often cited reasons for this is the perceived lack of data available for operators to make an informed decision on.

To assist with this, Hussle has now opened its books to an independent data consultant, Fusion Analytics, to address key questions through data.

Specific topics and questions covered in the report relate to the substitution of members, intervention with potential customers, and incrementality to the value of the overall fitness industry.

Hussle's head of fitness partnerships, Jamie O’Keefe, said the data and the report will, for the first time, provide the information needed for a proper analysis of intermediary services.

"The data from this report paints a very different picture to the one that has been pushed, largely by budget operators, which does not resonate with the experiences of operators that successfully use ‘aggregation’ services to reach new customers," O'Keefe said.

Howard Thompson, director at Fusion Analytics, added: “The findings in the report demonstrate clear trends in this new and innovative approach to the fitness industry.

"They provide an overall net contribution of revenue and people – enabling both active gym members to use a wider range of facilities, often on top of what they currently use, and non-gym members to trial a range of facilities in different locations.”

• Aggregation in Fitness will be published on 10 February 2020 and free copies can be pre-ordered online at: www.aggregationinfitness.com