The global sports nutrition, health, and wellness industry is expanding rapidly, creating compelling opportunities for investors seeking exposure to long-term structural growth themes.
According to market researcher Euromonitor, this sector will reach £279bn by the end of 2028, growing at an annualised rate of 8.1%, making it one of the most attractive consumer megatrends available to investors today.
Two stocks in particular look well-positioned to capitalise on this trend: Gym Group (LSE: GYM) and Hims and Hers Health (NYSE: HIMS).
UK gym memberships are currently at record levels, and Gym Group is one of the clearest direct beneficiaries, operating 260 low-cost gyms across the UK at the end of 2025.
The stock is already up 35% year to date, yet the company still has significant runway ahead, with plans to open 20 more sites this year and 75 over the next three years, up from a prior target of 50.
Last year, Gym Group reported revenue growth of 8% to £245m, with average revenue per member per month rising 4% to £21.60, while adjusted pre-tax profit surged 194% to £10.6m.
The company has also crossed a significant milestone, with its membership now reaching approximately one million people, reflecting a genuine shift in how consumers prioritise health spending.
Surveys indicate that Gen Z now ranks health and fitness as their number one or two priority for discretionary spending, which arguably insulates low-cost gym operators from broader cost-of-living pressures affecting retail more widely.
Management at Gym Group also views GLP-1 weight-loss drugs as a tailwind, as users gain confidence to exercise after losing weight while strength training helps protect muscle mass during treatment.
The stock trades at 37 times forward earnings, which is not cheap on a conventional basis, but double-digit profit growth is expected as the group scales, and all nine analysts covering the stock currently rate it a Buy.
It is also worth noting that the Gym Group share price remains 33% below its pre-pandemic level, suggesting the valuation has not fully recovered despite the business fundamentally improving.
The second stock worth considering is Hims and Hers Health, a digital consumer health platform that prescribes and sells affordable treatments for hair loss, hormone optimisation, sexual health, and weight loss.
The company has a strategic partnership with Novo Nordisk to sell Wegovy, and is actively expanding into diagnostics offerings such as whole-body lab testing, as well as new categories including longevity and peptides.
Hims and Hers recently added eight new brand partners for paying members, covering nutrition, fitness, glucose monitoring, and meal delivery through HelloFresh, broadening its ecosystem considerably.
In 2025, the firm reported revenue of $2.35bn, up 59% year on year, with adjusted EBITDA of $318m, and it is targeting at least $6.5bn in revenue and $1.3bn in adjusted EBITDA by 2030.
The recent acquisition of Eucalyptus is expanding the company’s footprint into Australia and parts of Europe, giving it meaningful international growth optionality beyond its core US market.
CEO Andrew Dudum has articulated an ambitious vision for the platform, stating: “The future of health isn’t inside of a doctor’s office. It will be integrated into the rhythm of your daily life, anticipating issues before you even see them.”
Risks remain, particularly competition from Amazon and regulatory complexity in overseas markets, but with the stock down 50% from its 52-week high, the valuation looks considerably more attractive than it did at its peak.
Both Gym Group and Hims and Hers represent different ways to access the same powerful consumer trend, with one offering a UK-focused bricks-and-mortar angle and the other a high-growth digital health model with global ambitions.
For investors seeking exposure to the booming wellness economy, these two stocks offer a compelling combination of near-term momentum and longer-term structural growth potential.
