Industry insiders say aggressive sales tactics and rent pressures at Hong Kong fitness chains contributed to the chains’ decline as new gyms offered customers easier and more flexibility in paying.
Their comments came on Monday after 38-year-old gym chain Physical announced it would close its international brands Fitness First in 2022 and Goji Studios in 2021.
Rex Wong Hiu-shan, president of the Association of Fitness Professionals, said gym-goers dislike the traditional hard-sales tactics of personal trainers, who often get in the way of their workouts.
“People hated gyms for many years but they had no choice back then. Now we see more 24-hour gyms and independent gyms. Some consumers are shifting to these businesses and people are increasingly averse to pushy sales tactics,” Wong said.
A survey conducted by Hong Kong Fitness Guide in October last year found that Hong Kong had 963 fitness and yoga centres, of which 214 were open 24 hours a day – nearly 24 times the number of such gyms recorded in 2018.
