Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Gym operators need to evolve to keep up with changing lifestyle trends: Experts

SINGAPORE — The woes of one of the Republic’s biggest fitness chains — California Fitness — is set to have repercussions for the local fitness circle, said industry insiders and experts.

A member of the public reads the closure notice outside California Fitness. Photo: Ernest Chua

A member of the public reads the closure notice outside California Fitness. Photo: Ernest Chua

SINGAPORE — The woes of one of the Republic’s biggest fitness chains — California Fitness — is set to have repercussions for the local fitness circle, said industry insiders and experts.

Part of a wave of big-brand gyms that opened in Singapore over the last two decades, California Fitness is the latest — and biggest — casualty of an increasingly competitive and changing fitness market here. Other gym operators that have been hit in recent times include True Group — which closed its Ocean Financial Centre branch — and women’s only gym Vivafit, which shut all four outlets in March after running into financial issues.

The closure of all of California Fitness’ gyms has drawn the ire of members since the abrupt closure of its Raffles Place branch on Saturday (July 16).

And industry experts said this could affect consumer confidence, with many choosing to rethink signing on for new membership packages.

Mr Irving Henson, managing director of The Pit, said: “It’s sad news for the industry in general as California Fitness was one of the pioneers in our local industry. Many trainers are now out of jobs, many clients who bought new membership and personal training sessions are going to be upset. No matter how you look at it, it’s not good news ... there are challenging times ahead.”

Increasingly rental and manpower costs were cited as challenges that mega gyms such as California Fitness — whose clubs boasted an average space of over 30,000 sq ft — faced, particularly with its four clubs located in prime areas in the Central Business District, the Orchard Road shopping belt and malls.

With 24-hour gyms such as Anytime Fitness and Gymm Boxx located in the heartlands, as well as smaller boutique outlets offering mixed martial arts, CrossFit and yoga muscling, gym owners and insiders said it is crucial for gyms to keep up with the changing times and trends.

“People are now aware of current fitness trends and how to train,” said Alphafit owner Hayati Nuffus, who is a pioneer kettlebell athlete. “That’s why the smaller, independent gyms are sprouting up … they’re run by passionate people who know what they are doing.”

Mr Tan Tse Yong, group CEO of Gymm Boxx, echoed the sentiment. “Consumers are very fitness savvy now and a lot of them are going to boutique gyms ... as they want value service or specialised ones such as CrossFit.

“If you look at it, fitness is about convenience, and we’ve had customers from the big boys come to work out at our gyms during the weekend because they are closer to home. Things have changed because there are so many choices now,” he said.

Gyms such as the Pit and Gymm Boxx — which will boast nine outlets by the end of this year — have also eschewed big-brand gyms’ aggressive selling tactics and long-term packages. Customers can opt to pay per-entry fees to use Gymm Boxx’s facilities, or sign up for membership plans that range from three to 12 months.

Added Mr Tan: “We want to offer customers flexibility to test out the gym and establish a relationship with them ... We are very careful with our expansion and if rental does not meet our expectations, we won’t go in.”

However, California Fitness’ closure does not necessarily signal the death knell of large-scale gyms here. Instead, fitness industry insiders expect the mega gyms to evolve and change their business models. Said Mr Henson: “It will probably start a change in how the big gym chains are managed, and their pricing packages.”

Mr Tan warned that change was crucial to survival, particularly with the challenging economic climate. “It’s not only gyms, but the overall retail scene has been hit badly (by the economy) and all businesses need to rethink their business model,” he said.

“With the Internet and technology these days, things are changing so fast. For businesses, it’s either evolve or exit.”

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.