Trading Statement

Esporta PLC
11 January 2001

TRADING STATEMENT

Esporta plc, one of the UK's premium health club operators, is today
providing an update on trading for the year ended 31st December 2000.  The
Company expects to announce on 8th March 2001 its preliminary results for
that period.

Total membership of clubs as at 31st December 2000 increased to 147,000 (of
which 112,000 are adults), 31 per cent higher than the same time last year.

Sales from clubs which opened in 1998 and earlier years have grown by 5 per
cent in 2000.  Openings in 1999 continue to grow well with revenues up by
some 19 per cent on a comparable basis, and the group of clubs opened in
2000 - Edinburgh, Oxford, Northampton, Chislehurst (Eden), Lichfield and
Enfield - is performing in line with expectations.

During the period, the acquisition of three Healthland clubs - Milton
Keynes and Finnieston, Glasgow in the UK and Las Rozas in Madrid - brought
the total estate to 31 clubs at the end of the year.  The integration of
the Healthland estate is proceeding well, and the introduction of Esporta
branding and operating standards will be complete by the end of the first
quarter of 2001.

Esporta now has the management structure and key personnel in place to
implement the group's accelerated growth plans in the UK and Europe.
Jonathan First and Keith McAlister, both former directors of Healthland
Europe, will head the development function and continental European
operations function respectively.

Chief Executive Graham Coles said:

'Very good progress has been made in our first year as an independent
quoted company in terms of both trading and business development.  We are
well placed to continue this progress into 2001.  We have continued to grow
organically, and our acquisition of the three Healthland clubs, together
with a number of Healthland leases for subsequent development, has both
secured our entry into Europe and strengthened our UK development
programme.  We now have twelve clubs unconditionally contracted to open in
2001 and a further three in 2002.  This will represent a doubling of the
size of our estate in our first three years as an independent business.  In
addition, we have a number of conditionally contracted clubs, together with
a strong pipeline'.


For further details contact:

Graham Coles                 Esporta plc       0118 912 3503
                             [e-mail]

Mark Beadle                  Esporta plc       0118 912 3506
                             [e-mail]

William Cullum               Brunswick         0207 404 5959
                             [e-mail]

Notes for Editors

1. Esporta plc is one of Europe's fastest growing and most successful
health club groups.  Operating primarily at the premium end of the market,
Esporta clubs typically offer a full range of fitness facilities, including
swimming pools, plus a range of non-fitness activities, including bars,
restaurants and health and beauty treatments.  At 10th January 2001,
Esporta had a stock market value of £170.9m.  Esporta was floated on the
London Stock Exchange in February 2000.

2. Esporta recently announced the acquisition of three clubs from
Healthland, including Esporta's first outlet in Spain.  Esporta also
secured a number of leases for development from Healthland including one in
Stockholm, Sweden and another in Lille, France.

3. Esporta reported Interim Results for the six months to 30th June 2000 on
11th August 2000.
Financial Highlights:
*  Turnover up 25 per cent to £38.5m (H1 1999: £30.9m before exceptional
income)
*  EBITDA up 48 per cent to £9.9m (H1 1999: £6.7m before exceptional items)
*  Operating Profit margins increased to 14% (H1 1999 11 per cent before
exceptional items)
*  Profit before tax up 73 per cent to £4.5m (H1 1999: £2.6m)
*  Earnings per share up 93 per cent to 2.12p (H1 1999: 1.10p)
*  Interim dividend of 0.45p per share