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https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2110219/hong-kong-sees-356-cent-growth-number-gyms-despite
Hong Kong/ Health & Environment

Hong Kong sees 35.6 per cent growth in number of gyms despite high-profile players going bust

Focus on healthy lifestyle means industry will continue to expand, experts say

Members use a gym at Lee Gardens Plaza in Causeway Bay. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The number of gyms in Hong Kong has grown 35.6 per cent in the past eight years thanks to an increased interest in looking good and feeling healthy – and experts expect the industry to continue flexing its muscle despite high-profile players going bust.

But there are still too many trainers without qualifications, according to industry experts, and gyms need to set higher standards for themselves.

There are currently 743 gyms in the city, up 35.58 per cent on 2009 when there were only 548, according to a guide released on Thursday by the Asian Academy for Sports and Fitness Professionals, an education and training institute.

Central and Western district was the best-served area, with 146 gyms, while Southern district had the least, at only 21, according to the guide, which aims to help companies looking to break into the city’s HK$2 billion fitness industry.

Despite the apparently booming industry, some venues have found themselves struggling to stay afloat. Photo: Bruce Yan
Despite the apparently booming industry, some venues have found themselves struggling to stay afloat. Photo: Bruce Yan

The academy’s chief executive, Terence Chau Kam-ho, attributed the growth to an increased awareness of the benefits of healthy living combined with a lack of knowledge about how to exercise. There had also been a proliferation of small gyms under 1,000 sq ft due to Hong Kong’s high rents, he said.

Despite the apparently booming industry, some venues have found themselves struggling to stay afloat. Last year, JV Fitness, the parent company of the California Fitness gym chain, was forced to close its 12 outlets, a move that affected more than 64,000 members and 700 employees.

In July, mixed martial arts venue Epic MMA Club went into liquidation after struggling to break even, affecting around 800 members and 40 employees.

But Chau dismissed concerns about venues closing as “a lot of noise”.

“The industry will grow pretty quickly in a healthy way,” he said. “This is going to be a lifestyle in Hong Kong.”

Chau said he was shocked to find only 60 per cent of gym staff had official qualifications, which could put their clients at risk and mean trainers were not covered by insurance.

A Fitness First gym at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Jonathan Wong
A Fitness First gym at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Jonathan Wong

“Some of the trainers, they may be really strong, they’ve got a beautiful physique, but they’re not qualified. The concern is, the client may have some safety issues if the trainer is not qualified,” he said.

The Hong Kong government did not require trainers to meet a certain standard to work in the industry, and customers rarely checked to see if their trainers were qualified or had insurance, he said.

“I think we should educate clients to choose one who can help rather than cause a hazard,” he said, adding that gyms also needed to make sure their trainers were qualified.

Orlando To Tak-chi, a personal coach aged in his 50s at Orlando Workshop, said it was easy to become a personal trainer in Hong Kong if you were a relatively good-looking guy – but it did not mean you knew how to train.

Pure Fitness regional fitness operations director Marco Ferdinandi called on the industry to come together to create a set of standards for itself.

“As an organisation, we don’t look at the standard because we want to be well above it,” he said, adding that all Pure Fitness trainers were qualified.

He said he too expected the city’s fitness industry to continue growing, noting that only 4 per cent of Hongkongers had a gym membership compared with about 20 per cent in the United States.

“It’s going to grow very rapidly. There’s definitely a key focus on living healthily,” he said. “I think we’re just scratching the surface.”