Many sports halls intend to give up their memberships and be satisfied with remote exercises, which beats the alarm in a sector with a value in the United Kingdom alone about 6.8 billion US dollars.
Writer Charlotte Lateon says in a report published by the British newspaper "Telegraph", that it was expected to improve the status of gyms with the beginning of the new year with the return of its visitors' activity, but the new closure measures imposed by the spread of the epidemic deprived 9.7 million subscribers in Britain.And they made them ask more questions about ways to get out of the crisis caused by Corona.
The most urgent question is the extent of the halls of resilience in light of the change of work methods and daily habits, and the increasing number of those who practice their jobs from home.
Ho Edwards, CEO of the Yokai Activ Association, warns of the seriousness of the situation, as estimates after the announcement of the third closure in Britain since the beginning of the pandemic indicates that gyms will lose about 90 million pounds per week, and called on the government to protect the sector before it is too late.
In the United States, 7 gyms were declared bankruptcy chains by last autumn, but government aid helped the sector temporarily to withstand, according to the writer.
Big losses
Humphrey Copolold, CEO of Pure Jim, estimates the losses incurred by the British series due to the closures in 2020, at about 150 million pounds.The series included more than a million subscribers distributed over 276 gyms, and applications for affiliation decreased last month, equivalent to a quarter compared to what it was a year ago.
The upscale "David Lloyd" club found an ease to resist the first wave of Corona compared to the smaller clubs, because most of its branches are outside the city and in large areas, and it contains swimming pools and playgrounds in the open air, and therefore were able to apply the divergence rules.However, the preservation of the organs as the pandemic continues has become a major challenge.
"The main question is how can you continue? We were earning a lot of money previously, but the situation has changed now," says David Lloyd, CEO of David Led.
alternative solutions
The "David Lloyd" series launched just a week after the first closure as a home training program, a special platform for the club's members who offer sports lessons and activities for children, and recorded 3.6 million visits from March to December.
Sports halls around Britain were quick to find new ways to allow its members to exercise, through various digital applications and means.For example, the London Yoga and the "Tri Yoga" studio provides dozens of lessons online daily, and the "Frim" club offers downloadable lessons and lessons via live broadcasts.
Last December, Apple launched the "Vitenis Plus" application to track sports performance, and "Nike" for training is presented by distance lessons led by celebrities of sports, such as tennis star Serena Williams.
The "Starva" application attracted 73 million users during the last period, and it is a follower of activity associated with social media platforms, and the members enable their physical fitness data with friends and followers.
This trend imposed by the pandemic may lead to the superiority of fitness exercises on the Internet on personal training in gyms by 2025, according to the writer.
Home training form
Increased demand for exercises and sports lessons at a distance associated with the increase in home sports equipment sales, and the revenue of "Beluton" company specialized in physical training bicycles increased by 232%.
The app is admired by a large group of celebrities, such as US President Joe Biden, former soccer player David Beckham, artists Leonardo DiCaprio and Hugh Jackman, and British politician Rishi Sonak.
The founders of the "Diem" fitness club rushed to sell and rent their sports bikes for use at home for 69 pounds per month, in addition to launching the "Dime At Home" application, which provides lessons via live broadcasting and upon request.CEO Jeff Pamper stated that he is confident that the new leasing model can "challenge the largest players in this sector."
The demand for home sports equipment and fitness exercises remotely led to the creation of training rooms inside the homes or in the rear gardens.But is these temporary home halls being dispensed after opening the halls again?
Kevin Cornells, General Manager of Beluton, does not believe that the return of the halls will lead to the abandonment of the home training model, and he says in this context that "work from home and closing helped to adopt the idea of fitness at home. The value of comfort and the ability to exercise is great at the time you want itIt will remain a good idea even when we go back to normal life. "
Violation of rules
Most of the UK gyms have complied with the closure restrictions, but some refused to comply with the measures, including Nick Whitcomb, the owner of the "Body Tech Fitness" hall in Mersiside, and he was subjected to a fine of one thousand pounds in October, when the police ordered him to close the hall.Then she imposed a fine after she returned later in the same day and found her open.
Alex Laonds, who owned two sports halls in Bedfordshire and Cambridge, refused to comply with closing procedures last year.The police headed to the Bedfordshire Hall in November and closed it, and set up 3 clients of 200 pounds.
"Closing gyms is completely illogical. We have one of the highest obesity rates in Western Europe, and it is not a coincidence that we have the largest number of victims in Europe."
As for the risk of going to gyms and considering it one of the most common places of infection, the writer confirms that the results are still conflicting. An American study at the beginning of the pandemic concluded that gyms along with restaurants, hotels and places of worship were more responsible for the spread of Corona.
But the "Yokai Activ" association recently reported that, based on the results of a study that included two thousand gyms in Britain, the Corona rate was less than 1.5 per 100,000 visits when the halls were reopened last year.
Fears of return
The British are still divided over the return of the sports halls even when it allowed this last August, a month after the first time reopens in England.A study conducted by the application of the physical fitness "Oro" found that 85% of the pioneers of the halls did not return to it.
To reassure the subscribers, the "David Lloyd" series began to hold tours in the halls so that people are sure to apply safety procedures that protect them from infection with the virus, but even if all physical fitness clubs do the same, is this enough to reassure people?
David Minton, director of the "Leger Databise" series, estimates that the sector will shrink by about 20% when the halls are reopened without restrictions.Alex Londes trusts that things will return to their nature, and says, "Once all this ends, people will flow on gyms, as default offers are not a substitute."