A return to 'normality' following the easing of lockdown restrictions has enabled European fitness giant Basic-Fit further recover and grow its membership levels.

As from 9 June 2021, all of Basic-Fit's clubs have been open and most restrictions in the countries it operates have been lifted.

As a result, the number of memberships during the third quarter of 2021 increased by 10 per cent – or by 200,000 members – from 2.01 to 2.21 million.

The only restrictions that currently impact the operators' clubs are the introduction of pass sanitaire (or "COVID-19 passports") to access fitness clubs in France and in parts of Belgium.

Rene Moos, basic-Fit CEO, said: "The third quarter was the first quarter in two years’ time in which all our clubs were open.

"The recovery of the membership base after the reopening of our clubs continued despite the pass sanitaire in France, which has a negative effect both on joiner numbers and cancellations.

"The net increase of our membership base by 200,000 in the quarter is a great achievement.

"The positive development of our membership base and the increased vaccination rates in our countries give us further confidence to continue with our accelerated club rollout plans.

"Early October we reached an important milestone with the opening of our 1,000th club. We remain on track to reach the 1,250 club mark by the end of 2022."

Publishing its Q3 2021 results, the operator also said revenue reached €133 million during the quarter, almost similar to the same period last year, while there is currently €428m available liquidity in the business.