Gyms: 'Give us a timeline this week or we will fail'

Thursday 04 March 2021

The fitness industry is on its knees and needs to know this week when it can reopen, according to a well-known entrepreneur in the sector.

Dr Glenda Rivoallan, who founded Healthhaus and Soulgenic gyms and now runs a wellbeing advisory business, said that gyms needed a clear timeline to work to, as they now had in the UK.

They also needed better financial support from the Government, she added, because the current schemes had not worked for the industry.

“The whole thing has been a disaster,” said Mrs Rivoallan, speaking on behalf of the newly formed Association of Health and Fitness Jersey, which represents gym-owners, personal trainers, nutritionists and others involved in wellbeing.

“I don’t think our politicians understand the depth of the crisis. I speak to people every day who are scared and worried."

Pictured: Glenda Rivoallan founded Club Soulgenic but sold the business to Anytime Fitness last year.

She continued: “I know of some gyms that fear they’re not going to survive this. We need a timeline, and we need financial support, in the same way that hotels, events and tourism have been supported. With these, we might just have the hope to see this through.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last month that gyms would be one of the first business sectors to open in ‘Step 2’ of UK lockdown easing, from 12 April. 

In Jersey, gyms are in the final stage of reconnection, which could be from 15 March - three weeks after indoor food-serving venues opened - although no announcement on that has been made.

“The UK has proven that gyms have a very low risk of spread; that is why Boris Johnson has opened up gyms before pubs and cafes,” said Mrs Rivoallan. 

Pictured: Gyms will be among the last businesses allowed to reopen as part of the Government’s reconnection plan.

“Also in the UK, gyms have been eligible for £45,000 worth of grants for their three lockdowns and the terms of the ‘bounce-back’ loan are considerably better than the Government-backed bank loans offered in Jersey.

“Overall, the funding available to the sector has been dire. The co-funded scheme requires the business to pay 20% of wages, which has moved to 10%, but how can you pay that if your business is closed and you don’t have any money coming in?

“And gyms have had to meet their fixed costs, including over the summer when gyms are quiet, especially in Jersey. When the fixed-cost scheme was introduced in December, it fell well short because it was based on rateable value, so a large gym – with high fixed costs – had the same rateable value as a small shop in town.

“The bottom line is that SMEs have been badly let down in Jersey.

“A gym isn’t the same for a café or bar because when you close a gym down for a month, you are losing a month’s worth of annual memberships. And gyms make the same amount of money in the first three months of the year than they do in the other nine months.

“Yes, it is spread evenly by direct debit but the winter months are still absolutely key.”

The Government argues that gyms are environments in which covid-19 can spread easily, however Mrs Rivoallan said that the industry was linked to just 1% of cases in Jersey, which rises to 2% taking into account a cluster linked to a gym class last year. 

Recently, the Association of Health and Fitness Jersey wrote an open letter to the Chief Minister, calling on him to announce a restart date, and consider a ‘Work Out to Help Out’ scheme to encourage people to get fit as well as support sports businesses.