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Coronavirus Hong Kong: one-fifth of fitness centres face closure under weight of business curbs, industry leader warns

  • Industry leader says fitness sector has lost at least HK$1 billion since temporary closure of centres in early January
  • Fitness trainers struggling to find part-time work to earn income as union chief says few job opportunities available

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Gyms have faced rising costs with zero profits under strict business curbs. Photo: Jelly Tse

Nearly one-fifth of Hong Kong’s fitness centres could permanently close as owners are struggling to pay business costs, an industry leader has warned, while trainers have been hunting for other jobs during the recent coronavirus epidemic.

Gordon Yau Yick-chung, chairman of the investigative panel of the industry’s concern group, Hong Kong Fitness Guide, said on Thursday that the sector had lost at least HK$1 billion (US$127.83 million) since the closure of centres in early January.

“Fitness facility owners have zero income during this period of closure, but they still need to keep paying rent, so some facilities have stopped business,” he said.

Yau said about 200 out of the 1,189 fitness centres in the city could shut down if they were not allowed to reopen by April 20. He suggested authorities allow facilities to partially resume business and close at 6pm every day.

“The centres will lose four business hours, as many of them normally close at 10 to 11pm, but it is much better than paying rent while having no income,” the chairman said.

The local fitness industry has continued to suffer financially as centres were forced to close from January 7 as part of strict social-distancing curbs to combat a dramatic surge in Covid-19 cases, with the measures set to expire on April 20.

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