Fitness chains tout incentives to lure members affected by True Fitness, True Yoga closures

SINGAPORE — With hundreds of gym-goers left in the lurch following the abrupt closure of True Fitness and True Yoga, rival operators across Singapore are wrestling to capture a slice of the pie.

Over the weekend, competing fitness brands have announced incentives for customers of True Group — which operates True Fitness, True Yoga and TFX, as well as Yoga Edition — to make the switch, with perks ranging from sign-up fee waivers to free classes.

Several branches of Anytime Fitness took to Instagram on Sept 12 to advertise a gym membership sign-up promotion priced from $99 per month, with True Fitness, True Yoga and TFX members entitled to a waiver of the first month’s membership fee.

“When one door closes, 163+ purple doors open,” they quipped in a post, in a reference to its number of gyms islandwide.

Similarly, Snap Fitness branches in Potong Pasir, Buangkok and West Mall have called for gym-goers to make “the true switch”.

In Instagram posts on Sept 12, the outlets offered to waive the sign-up fee and membership fees for the first 30 days for affected True Fitness members.

Meanwhile, at REVL Training’s Potong Pasir outlet, free classes are offered to those affected.

“We’re genuinely sad to hear about the closure of True Fitness. A gym is never just a place to work out. For so many people, it becomes part of our routine, our confidence, our friendships, and our community,” it said in an Instagram post on Sept 12.

Likewise, hybrid fitness gym NOVA Training is offering True Fitness members a complimentary class, it said on Instagram on Sept 13.

Muay Champ Fitness — which conducts classes on Muay Thai, pilates and boxing, among others — is also offering two weeks of free coached training to True Fitness customers. The fitness centre is also allowing a one-to-one membership credit match, where True Fitness members can convert their remaining credits to Muay Champ Fitness credits.

“Your gym may be closing, but your fitness journey doesn’t have to,” Muay Champ Fitness said in an Instagram post on Sept 12.

The Loyang, One North and Bugis studios of fitness franchise Body Fit Training (BFT) are also among those looking to lure new customers.

In Instagram posts on Sept 12, the Loyang and One North outlets said they would offer two weeks of free coached training and a membership credit match to True Fitness customers. On Sept 13, BFT Bugis said it would also offer True Fitness members the same value in unused credits at its outlet.

“The sudden closure of True Fitness has left many members without a place to train and disrupted routines that took months or even years to build,” it said in its post.

“If you are an affected True Fitness member, come train with us and keep moving forward.”

Closure of True Fitness, True Yoga

True Fitness and True Yoga, as well as affiliated fitness brands TFX and Yoga Edition, ceased operations in Singapore after their Hong Kong parent company Kontafarma declared on Sept 10 that it is winding up the businesses owing to market competition and cost pressures. Combined, the brands operated seven outlets in Singapore.

Customers told The Straits Times that they were not informed of the closures, and are now left in the dark on whether they will be refunded for their unused membership.

As at Sept 11, customers had reported losses of more than $609,000, according to Consumers Association of Singapore president Melvin Yong.

In a statement on Sept 12, the Singapore Fitness Alliance (SFA) said it was collaborating with the National Instructors and Coaches Association and NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute to help more than 200 affected True Group employees and freelancers find new employment.

SFA president Sean Tan said in an update on the evening of Sept 13 that 32 businesses or companies — most of which are from the fitness or wellness industry — have expressed interest in hiring those affected, and called the response “phenomenal”.

ST has contacted True Fitness, True Yoga, NTUC and the Ministry of Manpower for more information on the closures.

This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.

新加坡——由于 True Fitness 和 True Yoga 突然关闭，数百名健身爱好者陷入困境，新加坡各地的竞争对手正在努力分一杯羹。

上周末，竞争对手健身品牌纷纷宣布为 True Group（旗下拥有 True Fitness、True Yoga、TFX 和 Yoga Edition 等品牌）的客户提供优惠，鼓励他们转投其他品牌，优惠包括免除注册费和免费课程等。

9 月 12 日，Anytime Fitness 的多家分店在 Instagram 上发布了健身房会员注册促销活动，价格从每月 99 美元起，True Fitness、True Yoga 和 TFX 会员可免除第一个月的会员费。

“当一扇门关闭时，163 扇以上的紫色门就会打开，”他们在帖子中打趣道，指的是他们在全岛拥有的健身房数量。

同样，位于波东巴西、万国和西城购物中心的 Snap Fitness 分店也呼吁健身爱好者做出“真正的改变”。

9 月 12 日，这些健身场所通过 Instagram 发帖表示，将为受影响的 True Fitness 会员免除前 30 天的注册费和会员费。

与此同时，REVL Training位于波东巴西的培训中心为受影响的人士提供免费课程。

“我们对True Fitness的关闭深感遗憾。健身房不仅仅是一个锻炼的地方。对很多人来说，它已经成为我们日常生活、自信、友谊和社区的一部分，”该公司在9月12日的一篇Instagram帖子中写道。

同样，混合型健身房 NOVA Training 于 9 月 13 日在 Instagram 上表示，将为 True Fitness 会员提供一节免费课程。

Muay Champ Fitness健身中心提供泰拳、普拉提和拳击等课程，目前正为True Fitness的会员提供两周的免费教练指导。此外，该健身中心还推出会员积分一对一兑换活动，True Fitness会员可以将剩余积分转换为Muay Champ Fitness的积分。

“你的健身房可能要关门了，但你的健身之旅不必就此结束，”Muay Champ Fitness 在 9 月 12 日的 Instagram 帖子中写道。

健身连锁品牌 Body Fit Training (BFT) 的 Loyang、One North 和 Bugis 工作室也都在努力吸引新顾客。

9月12日，Loyang和One North两家True Fitness门店在Instagram上发帖称，将为True Fitness会员提供两周的免费教练指导和等值的会员积分。9月13日，BFT Bugis门店也宣布，将为True Fitness会员提供同等价值的未使用积分。

“True Fitness 的突然关闭让许多会员失去了锻炼场所，也打乱了他们花费数月甚至数年才建立起来的锻炼计划，”该机构在帖子中写道。

“如果您是受影响的True Fitness会员，请来和我们一起训练，继续前进。”

True Fitness 和 True Yoga 宣布关闭

True Fitness 和 True Yoga 以及其附属健身品牌 TFX 和 Yoga Edition 在香港母公司 Kontafarma 于 9 月 10 日宣布因市场竞争和成本压力而清算业务后，已停止在新加坡的运营。这些品牌在新加坡共运营七家门店。

顾客告诉《海峡时报》，他们事先没有收到任何关于门店关闭的通知，现在也不知道他们未使用的会员资格是否会被退款。

据新加坡消费者协会主席杨文文称，截至9月11日，消费者报告的损失超过60.9万美元。

新加坡健身联盟 (SFA) 在 9 月 12 日的一份声明中表示，它正与全国教练员协会和全国职工总会就业与技能发展学院合作，帮助 200 多名受影响的 True Group 员工和自由职业者找到新的工作。

新加坡健身协会主席肖恩·谭在 9 月 13 日晚间的最新消息中表示，已有 32 家企业或公司（其中大部分来自健身或健康产业）表示有兴趣雇用受影响的人员，并称这一反应“非常出色”。

《海峡时报》已联系 True Fitness、True Yoga、全国职工总会和人力部，以获取有关停业的更多信息。

本文最初发表于《海峡时报》。转载需获得许可。