Hard sell tactics doomed Hong Kong’s gym chains, experts say

The hard sell tactics of Hong Kong’s fitness chains and their rental pressure contributed to their demise as newer gyms offered easier payment and more flexibility to customers, industry representatives have said.

Their comments came on Monday after the 38-year-old gym chain Physical announced it was shutting down following the closure of international brand Fitness First in 2022 and Goji Studios in 2021.

Rex Wong Hiu-shan, the chairman of the Fitness Professionals Association, said gym-goers disliked the traditional hard sell tactics of personal trainers who often disrupted their workout.

“They have hated it for ages but they had no choice back then. Now there are more 24-hour gyms and private gyms. Some consumers have shifted to these businesses and the public have become more disliking of the hard sell tactic,” Wong said.

According to a study by Hong Kong Fitness Guide last October, there were 963 fitness and yoga centres in the city, including 214 which operated round the clock. The number of such gyms was almost 24 times the number recorded in 2018.

Wong said that gym-goers found fitness centres operating at all hours convenient and accessible, while self-service studios allowed people to work out in privacy.