The gym branch in Wan Chai, previously operated by Physical Fitness, has undergone a second name change from "Healthy" to "perFIT".

The change came after the medical beauty company perFACE announced its interest to take over the recently closed gym chain.

In a statement, perFACE said it hopes to open two "perFIT" fitness centres at the sites of the former Physical branches in Wan Chai and Mong Kok.

The firm also said it is looking into operating the remaining Physical branches at their original locations and opening new gym centres.

"perFACE is conducting job interviews with the employees of PHYSICAL Fitness & Beauty, totalling over 700 in number, and has successfully retained around 200 of them for now, with a long-term goal of gradually hiring all PHYSICAL employees as the business and market conditions improve," the company added.

One Physical Fitness customer, Luis, signed a three-year contract with the now-shuttered chain, saying he would be happy if a new company takes over the gym.

"They haven't given us any information for now. They are letting us train and we're expecting that they actually take over our memberships," he told RTHK while leaving the "perFIT" gym centre in Wan Chai.

Another Physical Fitness customer surnamed Ko, who signed a membership contract in March, welcomed the news.

"I think as long as they're open, I'll just use it. If they can reopen with new investors, I'll find that really surprising. Because, their reputation is gone. I mean, who's going to join?" he told RTHK outside of the gym.

Customs officers arrested two people in connection with the shuttered Physical Fitness gym chain last month after receiving hundreds of complaints regarding its closure.

Consumer Council Chief Executive, Gilly Wong, called on perFACE to accommodate all Physical Fitness customers, even though some of them may have signed new membership agreements with "Healthy".

"perFACE has already made an announcement about its intention to take over the business. So, what we would like to see is that they would take a very human approach in addressing the concerns of all Physical consumers, including those that have possibly signed up to 'Healthy'," she told an online press call.

The consumer watchdog also said it has received more than 5,000 complaints in relation to the shutdown of Physical Fitness, involving a loss of nearly HK$200 million.

Broadcast on:

04 Oct 2024

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