24 Hour Fitness Permanently Closes 100 Clubs, Lays Off Staff ...

The goal is to reposition 24 Hour Fitness to create a sustainable, long-term business for our team members and the millions of club members that we serve.“At the same time, we will continue with a phased club reopening process as we are operationally prepared and state and local governments and public health agencies indicate it is safe to do so.”Prior to the club closings and the layoffs, 24 Hour had 446 clubs in 14 states and 22,000 employees.“These are painful decisions and we do not make them lightly,” Tony Ueber, CEO, 24 Hour Fitness, said in a statement given to Club Industry by the company. “We thank our dedicated, passionate team members for their contributions and impact they have had on helping to change lives every day through fitness.”On May 31, 24 Hour Fitness reopened some clubs in Florida, Texas and Hawaii with certain temporary operational changes in accordance with local and state guidelines.On June 9, 24 Hour Fitness said it expects about 50 percent of its clubs to be reopened in June with the remaining clubs to open in late July and early August.The company lists on its website the planned reopening dates for its remaining clubs that are temporarily closed.24 Hour has been struggling financially since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the financial situation worsened when the company had to temporarily close all of its clubs on March 16 in accordance with local and state orders to help curb the spread of COVID-19.Media reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal have noted that the company is looking for remedies to its situation, including a possible Chapter 11 filing.