Swimming Pool and Spa Retailers
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 10,000 swimming pool and spa retailers in the US sell above ground pools, hot tubs, and related equipment, supplies, and merchandise. Other merchandise categories include backyard and patio furniture, grills, and saunas. Firms may also offer pool and hot tub maintenance, repair, construction, or renovation services.
Seasonal Demand
Demand for pool and spa supplies is highly seasonal and dependent on climate and weather conditions in a particular geographical area.
Energy Efficiency
Interest in cost savings and energy conservation has encouraged pool owners to investigate more efficient equipment.
Industry size & Structure
The average swimming pool and spa retailer employs 32 workers and generates about $500,000 in annual revenue.
- The swimming pool and spa retail industry generates approximately $5 billion in annual revenue. An estimated 4,500 retailers sell spas, according to PK Data. The swimming pool equipment and supply retail industry consists of an estimated 5,500 stores, although the degree of overlap between swimming pool and spa retailing is unknown.
- The industry is highly fragmented and dominated by independent operators and franchisees that operate within a limited geographical market.
- The pool and spa industry's installation base in the US consists of 5.5 million residential pools and 3.3 million above-the-ground pools, according to the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance. There are 7.3 million hot tubs, according to a study by Pool and Spa Marketing.
- About 60% of consumer spending in the pool industry is for maintenance and minor repair of existing swimming pools. The average in-ground pool owner spends $900 annually on chemicals, equipment, parts, and accessories needed for pool maintenance. The average revenue per transaction for pool supplies retailers is $171, per the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance.
- The top product categories by sales for pool supplies retailers include chemicals/salt/filter media (47.8%), equipment (21.2%), and parts and maintenance equipment (18%), according to the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance.
- Leslie's Poolmart is the largest retailer of pool supplies and has over 1,000 stores in the US. Pinch a Penny is the largest franchised pool and spa care company over 280 stores located primarily in the Southeast.
Industry Forecast
Swimming Pool and Spa Retailers Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Jan 30, 2025 - Chlorine Prices Expected to Stabilize in 2025
- Pool owners can expect to see chlorine prices stabilize in 2025 as supply chains improve and inflationary pressures subside, following higher prices since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report in Pool Magazine. Many industry experts expected prices to decline substantially in 2024, which didn’t occur due in part to market dynamics, rising production and transportation costs, inflation, and supply and demand imbalances. Meanwhile, pool owners have mitigated higher chlorine prices by exploring alternative sanitation methods such as UV sanitation systems and mineral-based algaecides, optimizing chemical usage, and preparing for seasonal changes. The surge in pool construction during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise in demand for pool chemicals including chlorine. However, the chlorine industry could not quickly ramp up production, a problem compounded by a major fire at a major pool chlorine producer. Prices peaked in 2022 and remain 20% higher than prior to the pandemic.
- Consumer confidence levels declined in December 2024, falling by 8.1 points from the previous month, according to The Conference Board. The Consumer Confidence Index was 104.7 in December 2024 from 112.8 in November 2024. Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, noted that those remaining most confident on a six-month moving average basis confidence were those aged under 35 and those in the income category of over $100,000. Per Peterson, “The recent rebound in consumer confidence was not sustained in December as the Index dropped back to the middle of the range that has prevailed over the past two years.” Purchasing plans for homes decreased while plans to buy new cars and big-ticket items rose in December 2024 on a six-month average basis.
- Many US homeowners are investing in home renovations amid ongoing economic uncertainty, according to data from Nationwide reported in HBS Dealer. Nationwide’s recent Homeowner Survey found 51% of homeowners completed a “major home renovation project” in the past two years. Empty-nesters spent the most on home renovations at $8,670, compared to $5,128 for the typical home owner. Empty nesters are investing more in large-scale projects compared to the average homeowner. According to Nationwide’s Casey Kempton, “A complex housing market has many homeowners reconsidering plans to sell. For empty nesters, that means upgrading their current homes to meet their needs in the next life stage, rather than relocating.” New pool and hot tub installations, which often take place during a home renovation, are a demand driver for pool maintenance supplies.
- Swimming pool and spa retailers will have to monitor minimum wage changes in 2025, as 21 states and 50 local jurisdictions increased their minimum wage levels, according to Chain Store Age. States with the highest minimum wage in the US are Washington ($16.66 per hour), California ($16.50), and New York ($16.50). Nearly 30 cities in California and seven towns in Washington will raise minimum wages in 2025, with Tukwila, Washington, offering the highest minimum hourly wage in the US at $21.10. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the minimum wage changes will affect more than $9 million workers and raise pay by a combined $5.7 billion. Unchanged since 2009, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and some 20 states, primarily located in the South and the Midwest, use the federal minimum as their wage floor.
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