https://www.scmp.com/rss/322958/feed The latest news, analysis and opinion on California Fitness. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Australian celebrity and Instagram star Calum Von Moger is probably feeling a bit better these days after film critics have given him the thumbs up for his performance as young Arnold Schwarzenegger in the new movie Bigger. Von Moger was selected from hundreds of hopefuls last year to play the part of the Austrian Oak in the movie that traces the rise of the Weider brothers – Joe and Ben – who fought adversity as Canadian Jews to build a fitness empire after “discovering” Schwarzenegger in the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2170556/arnold-20-how-calum-von-moger-played-young-schwarzenegger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2170556/arnold-20-how-calum-von-moger-played-young-schwarzenegger?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:02:20 +0000 Gyms and beauty salons in Hong Kong will likely have to offer a cooling-off period to customers purchasing service contracts, the government said on Wednesday, as it announced plans to push for a new law in the next two years.  Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah on Wednesday said the government would submit a bill for Legislative Council approval before the council’s term ends in July 2020.  His proposal – which could require companies to offer full refunds if... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2142328/buyers-rejoice-theres-plan-hong-kongs-gyms-and-beauty-salons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2142328/buyers-rejoice-theres-plan-hong-kongs-gyms-and-beauty-salons?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Apr 2018 13:15:00 +0000 City legislators want to give Hong Kong’s official consumer watchdog powers to prosecute unscrupulous traders operating in a city known as a “shoppers’ paradise”. Tens of thousands of complaints are filed to the Consumer Council every year, covering everything from shampoo to the purchase of flats. However, the body, which was set up more than 40 years ago, only operates in an advisory capacity and has no legal authority to actually prosecute anyone. The most it can do is mediate complaints, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2139652/consumer-watchdog-needs-be-more-dragon-paper-tiger-say-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2139652/consumer-watchdog-needs-be-more-dragon-paper-tiger-say-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Mar 2018 02:03:29 +0000 Global gym chain Fitness First and at least 20 of its staff in the city are mired in a dispute over HK$2 million in wages, with personal trainers accusing the company of not reimbursing them fairly for public holidays. Hong Kong’s labour law requires employees hired under a continuous contract for three months or more to be paid for 12 statutory holidays each year. The rate of pay should be equivalent to the average daily wage earned by the employee in a 12-month period. Hong Kong sees 35.6 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2128608/fitness-first-accused-owing-hong-kong-staff-some?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2128608/fitness-first-accused-owing-hong-kong-staff-some?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2018 04:45:30 +0000 Thousands of customers were left in limbo on Tuesday as a long-running Hong Kong gym closed unexpectedly due to “legal problems” while the city’s consumer watchdog received at least 17 complaints. Members of TF Gym, a well-known establishment in Mong Kok, were caught by surprise in the morning when they were turned away at the door. A notice had been put up stating the club was plagued by legal issues. “With legal problems to settle, the centre will suspend service on January 16, 2018, until... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2128437/long-running-hong-kong-gym-closes-unexpectedly-due-legal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2128437/long-running-hong-kong-gym-closes-unexpectedly-due-legal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jan 2018 05:30:45 +0000 Hong Kong should tighten controls on the fitness industry by having a registry for personal trainers to ensure customer safety, a former lawmaker has said. Tang Ka-piu, who served as a member of the city’s legislature from 2012 up until last year, handled a raft of complaints filed against the now-defunct gym chain California Fitness before the business went bust last July. He said having a registration system for trainers would clarify their job responsibilities and mean a safer training... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2112400/registry-personal-trainers-needed-hong-kong-ensure-customer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2112400/registry-personal-trainers-needed-hong-kong-ensure-customer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Sep 2017 08:32:18 +0000 A former director of shuttered gym chain California Fitness’ parent company was fined HK$202,000 by a Hong Kong court on Tuesday after he admitted defaulting on HK$1.14 million in salary payments to staff last year. Wong Ping-kuen, 56, was also ordered to pay outstanding wages of HK$379,000. He pleaded guilty to 101 summonses of failing to pay wages by the due date, an offence punishable by a HK$350,000 fine and three years in prison. Eastern Court heard JV Fitness wilfully and without... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2104067/former-california-fitness-director-fined-failing-pay-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2104067/former-california-fitness-director-fined-failing-pay-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jul 2017 12:05:44 +0000 A newly established gym chain has quietly rented seven premises previously occupied by the shuttered California Fitness, with the first to open in Hung Hom next month. Goji Studios, owned by a local consortium led by financial services firm Opus, was offered significant rent discounts after the seven prime locations had been left vacant for 10 months, the Post has learned. Unlike California Fitness, whose members paid multiple years of membership fees in advance, Goji charges on a monthly basis... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2089938/former-hong-kong-rugby-star-ricky-cheuk-run-new-fitness-chain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2089938/former-hong-kong-rugby-star-ricky-cheuk-run-new-fitness-chain?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Apr 2017 03:00:45 +0000 A Hong Kong court on Wednesday ordered the winding up of the parent company of shuttered gym chain California Fitness after the group failed to pay off the debt owed to a renovation company. But an accountancy firm tasked with managing JV Fitness said a potential buyer was still interested in the chain’s assets. Master Simon Lo Kit-man gave the liquidation order after BeSpark, which filed a petition in June to recoup losses from unpaid fees totalling about HK$7 million for renovation services... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2048629/hong-kong-court-orders-winding-california-fitness-parent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2048629/hong-kong-court-orders-winding-california-fitness-parent?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Nov 2016 07:57:17 +0000 Former California Fitness customers have expressed alarm at a proposal by the provisional liquidator of the debt-ridden gym chain to sell their personal data. The suggestion was posted on the Facebook page of parent company JV Fitness, which has become a platform for liquidator ShineWing to disseminate information since the troubled operator shut its 12 branches across the city in July. It had about 64,000 members. Both the Chinese and English versions invite members to “provide their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2021715/members-failed-hong-kong-gym-chain-shocked-proposal-sell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2021715/members-failed-hong-kong-gym-chain-shocked-proposal-sell?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Sep 2016 14:01:40 +0000 In a city where a growing awareness of fitness reflects global trends but gym membership has yet to hit the rates of other health-conscious nations, most would assume that operating a gym in Hong Kong would be a licence to print money. Only four out of 100 people in the city are gym members, compared with 14 out of 100 in Australia and 11 out of 100 in New Zealand. Those numbers, along with an estimated market size of US$373 million, would suggest there was still plenty of opportunity to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2019717/smaller-proves-better-hong-kong-gyms-bigger-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2019717/smaller-proves-better-hong-kong-gyms-bigger-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Sep 2016 10:39:12 +0000 Shuttered gym chain California Fitness has yet to return a closed shop in Tuen Mun to its landlord as the cash-strapped group is still looking for buyers, a Hong Kong court heard on Wednesday. Accountancy firm ShineWing, tasked with managing the fitness chain as a provisional liquidator, also told the High Court it had intended to restore the premises to the condition it had been in before the lease started. But ShineWing did not say in court whether JV Fitness, operator of California Fitness,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2011701/california-fitness-has-yet-hand-back-closed-tuen-mun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2011701/california-fitness-has-yet-hand-back-closed-tuen-mun?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Aug 2016 07:04:39 +0000 The firm tasked with managing the shuttered California Fitness gym chain has confirmed that the troubled company owes more than HK$100 million to former members and employees and is still looking for buyers. Accountancy firm ShineWing, whose continuing appointment as provisional liquidator was approved by the High Court on Monday, said the debts mainly comprise pre-paid membership fees. “The amount hasn’t increased after the chain stopped signing up new members,” Terry Kan Lap-kee, from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2004252/shuttered-gym-chain-california-fitness-owes-more-hk100?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2004252/shuttered-gym-chain-california-fitness-owes-more-hk100?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Aug 2016 13:23:22 +0000 The recent citywide closure of gym chain California Fitness did not faze a key figure involved in bringing Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sport festival to Hong Kong. The Arnold Classic Asia Multi-Sport Festival will be the first such one in Asia since the event, originally an American bodybuilding contest, was co-founded by the former California governor 40 years ago, and which has since conquered other continents. The world’s largest annual multi-sport event will be held in the city’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1999607/hong-kong-organiser-arnold-schwarzeneggers-sports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1999607/hong-kong-organiser-arnold-schwarzeneggers-sports?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Aug 2016 08:45:30 +0000 Customs officials yesterday arrested the director of gym operator JVFitness, which has been plagued by allegations of questionable sales practices . Officials apprehended Wong Lun, owner of JVFitness, which operated California Fitness, ­mYoga and Leap, on suspicion of failing to provide services after having accepted payments from clients of its Hung Hom outlet. The Post understood that Wong was taken into custody when he attended an interview at the Customs and Excise Department’s North Point... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1996160/customs-arrest-sole-director-embattled-jvfitness-gym?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1996160/customs-arrest-sole-director-embattled-jvfitness-gym?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jul 2016 13:45:15 +0000 California Fitness has shut down its Singapore locations, meaning only one branch of the troubled gym chain remains open. Last week, all 12 branches in Hong Kong were shut amid a winding-up petition and other court action, indicators of the financial uncertainties faced by owner JV Fitness. Mainland outlets in Shanghai and Guangzhou were also closed, though the Beijing outlet has temporarily reopened. Gym members in Singapore who had followed media reports of the issues in Hong Kong closely saw... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1992206/troubled-gym-chain-california-fitness-shuts-down-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1992206/troubled-gym-chain-california-fitness-shuts-down-all?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Jul 2016 04:45:45 +0000 Twenty years ago, a Canadian entrepreneur walked down Lan Kwai Fong and had a Eureka moment. Eric Levine spotted an opportunity in gym-deficient Hong Kong and opened the first California Fitness on Wellington Street, a few steps away from the city’s nightlife hub. Business took off and by 2008 the brand had flourished into two dozen health clubs across Asia. There was even talk about taking the company public on the stock exchange. Hong Kong chief executive looks to improve consumer protection... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1990053/california-fitness-was-pumped-growth-not-fit-purpose?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1990053/california-fitness-was-pumped-growth-not-fit-purpose?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Jul 2016 02:08:55 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has made his first response to the closure of the California Fitness gym chain, telling lawmakers on Thursday that his cabinet would try to improve consumer protection by exploring overseas examples. He promised to follow up the gym case and look at better protection for consumers in the long run. But Leung, who was responding to Dr Priscilla Leung Mei-fun during a question and answer session in the Legislative Council, stopped short of suggesting ways of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1989868/hong-kong-chief-executive-looks-improve-consumer-protection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1989868/hong-kong-chief-executive-looks-improve-consumer-protection?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Jul 2016 13:39:00 +0000 Underlying and pre-existing problems plagued the finances and sales tactics of ailing gym chain California Fitness months before its closure, a former owner said on Wednesday, claiming that he was the “ultimate victim”. Speaking publicly for the first time since the gym chain’s ailing state came to light, former owner Wong Ping-kuen hit back at accusations and said he was duped into buying JV Fitness in December last year at a price of HK$50 million without seeing a key auditing document. Only... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1989522/im-victim-too-says-ex-owner-california-fitness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1989522/im-victim-too-says-ex-owner-california-fitness?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Jul 2016 15:16:44 +0000 A High Court judge on Wednesday questioned whether owners behind the closed California Fitness gym chain were trying to pass on their responsibilities to other parties by liquidating the company. But in his first public attempt to clear the air, former owner Wong Ping-kuen, who sold the gym chain to his brother and applied for a winding-up petition, denied any ulterior motive. “I didn’t want the company to close,” he told reporters, just hours after the first petition hearing, insisting that he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1989343/hong-kong-judge-questions-whether-liquidation-california?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1989343/hong-kong-judge-questions-whether-liquidation-california?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Jul 2016 08:00:30 +0000 Affected members of now-closed gym chain California Fitness should get in touch with their banks as soon as possible to avoid further monetary losses, the city’s consumer watchdog and banking regulator have said. Offering advice to what the Post has learned to be 100,000 customers whose membership fees are now on the line in wake of the chain’s city-wide closure on Tuesday, the Consumer Council urged those affected to contact their banks regarding refunds and termination of further... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1988946/california-fitness-members-should-contact-their-banks-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1988946/california-fitness-members-should-contact-their-banks-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jul 2016 08:30:00 +0000 Hong Kong’s troubled California Fitness chain closed all its branches yesterday, as dozens of staff filed a formal complaint at police headquarters about funds being illegally transferred out of the company. The city’s consumer watchdog also scrambled to advise gym goers on minimising their losses – an estimated 100,000 members have been left in limbo. Led by pro-establishment lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu, around 30 of the chain’s 500 unpaid employees marched to police headquarters in Wan Chai... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1988884/wake-store-closures-california-fitness-staff-stage-protest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1988884/wake-store-closures-california-fitness-staff-stage-protest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jul 2016 06:52:22 +0000 Struggling California Fitness shut down on Tuesday along with sister centres mYoga and Leap in what could be the end of the road for the gym chain, according to a company announcement being circulated among staff late Monday. A source showed the Post a notice dated July 12 informing staff that all outlets under JV Fitness, which runs 12 gym centres under the three companies, would cease operations effective on Tuesday until further announcements. Two California Fitness senior executives arrested... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1988629/branches-struggling-california-fitness-shut-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1988629/branches-struggling-california-fitness-shut-down?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jul 2016 18:45:00 +0000 The air-conditioning supply is unreliable and the water supply could be cut off next, but such hardships have not deterred dedicated customers of the struggling California Fitness gym chain. One member, who identified herself as Ms Ho, said she had been working out more than ever since the Whampoa branch closed last Monday. Speaking to the Post at the Quarry Bay Branch, which owes HK$2.94 million in rents and other payments, Ho said she and her fellow customers planned to just “wait and see”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1988589/sweating-it-out-hong-kong-california-fitness-members-can-only?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1988589/sweating-it-out-hong-kong-california-fitness-members-can-only?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jul 2016 15:18:42 +0000 The sole director from troubled gym chain California Fitness was being sought by local authorities following the arrest of two of its ­senior executives for violating the city’s trade descriptions law, the Post has learned. Further arrests might be made as former directors and salespersons involved in the case were also under investigation. Wong Lun has become the sole director of JV Fitness – which runs the gym chain and its sister outlets mYoga and Leap – after the firm’s four directors... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1988354/two-california-fitness-senior-executives-arrested-suspicion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1988354/two-california-fitness-senior-executives-arrested-suspicion?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jul 2016 06:00:00 +0000 About 100 workers of the cash-strapped gym chain California Fitness have given their employers a 48-hour ultimatum to spell out how they plan to settle back pay. Their call came as the Labour Department confirmed on Sunday night that the chain’s operator, JV Fitness, owed its workers their June salaries. It called on the owners to observe labour laws. More than 1,000 California Fitness members in Hong Kong plan collective action to demand refund In a meeting on Sunday night, the workers decided... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1988126/hong-kong-staff-give-california-fitness-owners-48-hours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1988126/hong-kong-staff-give-california-fitness-owners-48-hours?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jul 2016 00:33:00 +0000 The financial crisis facing gym chain ­California Fitness has spread across the border, with the Beijing branch closing its doors on Friday. A visit by a Post reporter to the gym on Guanghua Road in the capital’s Chaoyang district – home to many foreign embassies – found the fitness centre with its shutters partially lowered. “The boss has not appeared and the money has yet to come in,” a member of staff said. But she insisted the arrangement was temporary and the branch would reopen as soon as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1987145/financial-woes-hong-kong-gym-chain-california-fitness-spread?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1987145/financial-woes-hong-kong-gym-chain-california-fitness-spread?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jul 2016 06:15:15 +0000 Troubled gym chain California Fitness is facing a debt mountain of HK$130 million as it struggles to find a buyer amid growing fears for the jobs of the 500 staff it ­employs across the city, it has emerged. As the list of disgruntled clients among the 100,000 members of the gym chain and its sister outlets mYoga and Leap grows by the day, the Post can also reveal that a Muay Thai kick-boxing world champion is being lined up as a potential white knight. Hundreds of Hong Kong jobs at stake as... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1986867/offer-troubled-hong-kong-gym-chain-california-fitness-debts-hit-hk130m?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1986867/offer-troubled-hong-kong-gym-chain-california-fitness-debts-hit-hk130m?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000 The Kowloon Tong home of former California Fitness director Wong Ping-kuen was the target of a group of masked men who plastered notes on the front gate demanding that he repay a HK$6 million debt. Crime-squad officers are now hunting for four suspects caught on closed-circuit television camera during the Thursday morning incident. Wong, 56, called police at about 9am when he saw, via CCTV, three masked men sticking demand notes on the front gate of his Cornwall Street home. California Fitness... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1986701/masked-men-plaster-former-california-fitness-directors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1986701/masked-men-plaster-former-california-fitness-directors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jul 2016 09:15:47 +0000 The fate of hundreds of staff employed by gym chain California Fitness hung in the balance yesterday as dozens of employees staged a protest at the ­office of a former boss over unpaid wages. There was also a fresh flurry of lawsuits over outstanding rents and rates in a drama that began last week with a winding up petition filed against operator JV Fitness – which also runs fitness and lifestyle outlets mYoga and Leap. The total number of outlets owned by JV Fitness that are in trouble of one... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1986580/hundreds-hong-kong-jobs-stake-california-fitness-staff?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1986580/hundreds-hong-kong-jobs-stake-california-fitness-staff?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jul 2016 05:00:15 +0000 Embattled Hong Kong gym chain California Fitness was dealt another blow after a landlord stepped forward to claim overdue payments totalling HK$2.23 million over a Tuen Mun branch, as a notice posted outside the Quarry Bay branch appeared to seek HK$2.82 million in owed rent and rates. A High Court writ filed on Tuesday by Ho Chue Ming and Sons Land Investment Company, alleged that JV Fitness, operator of California Fitness, had not paid a range of charges including rent, management fees, lift... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1986184/two-california-fitness-landlords-seek-hk5-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1986184/two-california-fitness-landlords-seek-hk5-million?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Jul 2016 08:15:00 +0000 The weight of complaints against California Fitness gym chain ­continued to grow on Tuesday as hundreds of customers joined the clamour for a refund and a hardcore trio of disgruntled members called in police. More than 1,000 people joined a social media “victim group” seeking recompense from the chain, which opened its first ­outlet in 1996 and at its height boasted nine gyms in the city. The ire follows the sudden ­closure of the firm’s gym in Whampoa on Monday. Questions to California Fitness... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1985551/more-1000-california-fitness-members-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1985551/more-1000-california-fitness-members-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jul 2016 04:15:45 +0000 Members of gym chain California Fitness fear all branches will shut down as the cash-strapped chain has stopped taking new subscriptions after the sudden closure of its Hung Hom outlet. The Consumer Council, meanwhile, said it had received more than 100 complaints or inquiries and warned customers to consider the financial ability of the chain before making large upfront payments for services. Hong Kong gym chain California Fitness seeks buyer as it faces winding up petition The Whampoa club in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1985249/california-fitness-members-fear-all-gyms-will-fold-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1985249/california-fitness-members-fear-all-gyms-will-fold-after?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Jul 2016 10:45:45 +0000 The troubled California Fitness gym chain is looking for a buyer as it faces a winding-up petition from a creditor. This comes just two months after it was rapped by the city’s consumer watchdog for using intimidation and misleading sales practices on customers. The firm – formally known as JV Fitness and which also trades as mYoga and Leap – said in a statement: “The company is currently in negotiation with potential buyers for the acquisition of its business or shareholdings.” Top gym chain... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1982745/hong-kong-gym-chain-california-fitness-seeks-buyer-it-faces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1982745/hong-kong-gym-chain-california-fitness-seeks-buyer-it-faces?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jun 2016 14:15:15 +0000 Two staff members at California Fitness were arrested by customs officers on Wednesday afternoon over an allegation that a customer was offered a free trial before being tricked into making a HK$140,000 credit card payment for private training classes without her consent. The two sales workers – a man, 25, and woman, 29 – were accused of violating the unfair trade practice provision under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, according to the Customs Department. The pair were picked up from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1947139/top-gym-chain-california-fitness-trouble-again-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1947139/top-gym-chain-california-fitness-trouble-again-after?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 May 2016 16:00:00 +0000 Fitness chain California Fitness was publicly named and criticised by the Consumer Council on Thursday for deploying intimidation and misleading sales practices to press consumers into purchasing memberships and high-priced private lessons. This was a “necessary move” in response to rampant sales practices and “uncooperative attitude” by the fitness operator, said the council’s chief executive. It was the first time the council had publicly named a fitness centre brand. Consumer Council chief... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1939462/hong-kong-consumer-council-names-and-shames-california?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1939462/hong-kong-consumer-council-names-and-shames-california?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Apr 2016 04:15:45 +0000