Social-cising – combining socialising with health activities – is a growing trend among UK shoppers, as consumers look for healthy, time-efficient ways to stay connected.
Original research by John Lewis of 2,000 UK consumers revealed that nearly half of UK adults (42%) admit to ‘social-cising’, with 57% saying they would choose an exercise activity, such as a run, padel or a fitness class, combined with socialising over traditional social activities, such as drinks or eating out.
Nearly six in 10 adults (57%) now combine their exercise with social activities at least once a month, while 39% say connecting with friends is one of their main motivations for participating in group sports and fitness. Amongst Gen Z this rises to 59%, highlighting how sports clubs, group runs, and fitness classes are becoming a core part of their social life.
This research comes as the retailer announces a multi-million-pound investment in its Sports department, transforming four stores – Oxford Street, Liverpool, Cheadle and Glasgow – into curated sport and wellness destinations.
Wellness is also no longer just about the workout, with UK consumers becoming hyper-focused on how they prepare and recover. Over half of adults who exercise (57%) now track their biometric data, and John Lewis has seen a +27% increase in sales vs last year of fitness trackers as popularity continues to grow.
Fifty percent of regular exercisers also say active recovery is key to their overall fitness and lifestyle management. Searches for ‘Therabody massage guns’ are up +260% on the John Lewis website, while searches for ‘red light therapy’ have also risen +377%.
In response, John Lewis has created a central wellness tech hub bringing together Whoop, Oura, Garmin and Apple Watch, alongside elite recovery tools from Therabody and Lumi Therapy cold plunges to make it easier for customers to find what they need. By showcasing this wellness technology directly alongside apparel and footwear for the first time, John Lewis offers a one-stop-shop for training, performance and recovery.
“We’re excited that our new in-store format breaks the traditional retail set up; integrating wearables, recovery tools and fitness equipment directly alongside apparel and footwear,” Enni Charlton, Sports Buying Manager at John Lewis, commented.
“By zoning the floor by activity rather than product category, we’re able to offer our customers a brand new discovery space that makes it easier to find what they need.”
The retailers will also tap into this trend further by launching its ‘Jog Lewis’ run clubs at each of the four stores. The first run club will be hosted by ASICS, where customers will be able to join John Lewis and ASICS for a social-paced group run, test the latest shoes and enjoy expert advice.
The rollout of the reimagined store floors begins at John Lewis Oxford Street on 30 July, followed by Liverpool on 19 August, Cheadle on 26 August, and Glasgow later in September.
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