Are Gyms Closing In Your Area?

[danieltx]

Wanted to bring this up for discussion as yesterday my main Gold's Gym announced they're closing on August 20.

I have memberships at 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness, Gold's Gym, and Fitness Connection, and since 2020 my main 24, LA, and Gold's have all closed.

With this latest Gold's closing, the general manager told me it's due to the lease increasing significantly. They're going to build a new Gold's in one of the suburbs here and he told me it's cheaper for them to build / staff / equip a new facility than stay in the lease at their current location. My main LA that closed also did so due to the lease increasing significantly. They had planned to build a new facility a few miles from my house but dragged their feet for so long they lost the permits and now aren't building it.

Some of this is due to the extended closings in 2020; some is due to the fucked up real estate market. But it seems strange to me that so many gyms are closing in Dallas, the 4th largest metro area in the country. 24 Hour actually closed all three of the locations I frequented.

Are you seeing the same in your area? Anyone who works in the gym industry that can give some insight?

 

[Sacario]

I'm over in Ft Worth. All seems well over here. Opening up a few new ones. Like you my main gym is LA and I will go to 24hr every now and then. I used to go to Fox but it was to crowded for me. Even at 5am.

 

[slesh]

Feels like the opposite in South Florida - new gyms popping up everyday and the legacies are still open…

 

[cage99]

Soooooo glad to have my own gym. I truly feel for y’all dealing with the 1000’s of knobs on a daily basis. Dealing with idiots and the crowds are the 2 reasons why I decided to invest in my own stuff. One of the better decisions I have made in my life!

Seems like the Bay Area is seeing a mass exodus from businesses from what I’ve read. Mixture of real estate costs, and crime.

Cage

 

[goback2013]

Soooooo glad to have my own gym. I truly feel for y’all dealing with the 1000’s of knobs on a daily basis. Dealing with idiots and the crowds are the 2 reasons why I decided to invest in my own stuff. One of the better decisions I have made in my life!

Seems like the Bay Area is seeing a mass exodus from businesses from what I’ve read. Mixture of real estate costs, and crime.

Cage

I only go to the gym when I need a spot on 'heavy' days. Is 275lb bench for 8 reps considered good for a 50yo?
Anyway outside of that, I work out in my garage. Today just had my treadmill fixed so I can at least get my 1mile warm up runs in the garage.
I like being able to have a THC edible, smoke a sativa in my garage then do my workout

 

[Ruhlfreak55]

That doesn't make any sense to me. Isn't brick and mortar retail real estate and corporate real estate in a free fall? After 2020 no one wants to go to the office so office space is empty everywhere and the move to online has killed bigger shopping outlet real estate.
I'm not saying the guys have lied to you, I'm just not sure what the reasoning is for those rents going up. Or how they're getting anyone to pay them.

I have my own commercial quality gym in one of my barns so I don't go to regular gyms anymore personally.

 

[blackjack]

I am in Orlando, FL and it's definitely not the case here. All the gyms I'm aware of are open and several within 5 miles of my house have opened in the last year from smallish PT studios to standard gyms.

 

[Fa Seeshus]

If it is a good enough hardcore gym, people will drive to an industrial area to go there. A good gym doesn't need those fancy locations that chain gyms seem to require.

 

[romo]

I have a decent home gym,, i still go to a crowded gym and im 57, i get right up in there with them young un"s, builds character. I work harder. Im in Tyler gyms are in full swing.

 

[Mufasa123]

A few things may be at play but really real estate is very location dependent both broad and even within a market.

Industrial real estate or anything that can be used, zoned, or is multi zoned is in massive demand and a big box gym could fit the bill. Onshoring and supply chain management from "just in time" to "just in case" - post covid - play a role here.

Some areas are expanding population like FL and TX. So while there is a need for new/more gyms and existing structure that's available may fit the bill for a higher paying client and better use so carry a premium.

Gym trends are changing. A lot more super cheap conventional bullshit gyms (lunk alarm crap that discourages heavy users as floor space is the limitation) or super expensive luxury gyms (Equinox etc) while the middle is left out with others doing crossfit boxes, home gyms, or club/small dedicated groups (power-holes etc...).

Maybe more but one or more may apply to your local area along with local economy etc...

 

[fisther69]

I work out in my barn gym and at work..so, I don’t go to a gym really..I haven’t noticed gym closures in the Houston area but I have noticed a shit load of gyms changing ownerships and names

 

[Hyperemia]

Couldn’t say about the smaller / independent gyms but the major chains like 24 etc havnt gone anywhere.

 

[lestatgear]

That doesn't make any sense to me. Isn't brick and mortar retail real estate and corporate real estate in a free fall? After 2020 no one wants to go to the office so office space is empty everywhere and the move to online has killed bigger shopping outlet real estate.
I'm not saying the guys have lied to you, I'm just not sure what the reasoning is for those rents going up. Or how they're getting anyone to pay them.

I have my own commercial quality gym in one of my barns so I don't go to regular gyms anymore personally.

You would think so but like so many other things post COVID, it’s all over the place. My lease for my office was up in March and building management was not open to negotiations at all, which I thought they would be. So, I went on the hunt and found similar space for much less per square footage, saving me about $300k a year. How steadfast my prior building management company was in not negotiating totally surprised me.

The other thing I would say is that in my industry at least, more companies are bringing people back into the office, on a hybrid schedule at least, myself included.

 

[Bio]

Wanted to bring this up for discussion as yesterday my main Gold's Gym announced they're closing on August 20.

I have memberships at 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness, Gold's Gym, and Fitness Connection, and since 2020 my main 24, LA, and Gold's have all closed.

With this latest Gold's closing, the general manager told me it's due to the lease increasing significantly. They're going to build a new Gold's in one of the suburbs here and he told me it's cheaper for them to build / staff / equip a new facility than stay in the lease at their current location. My main LA that closed also did so due to the lease increasing significantly. They had planned to build a new facility a few miles from my house but dragged their feet for so long they lost the permits and now aren't building it.

Some of this is due to the extended closings in 2020; some is due to the fucked up real estate market. But it seems strange to me that so many gyms are closing in Dallas, the 4th largest metro area in the country. 24 Hour actually closed all three of the locations I frequented.

Are you seeing the same in your area? Anyone who works in the gym industry that can give some insight?

Not surprised to hear about 24 closing locations. Remember, a while back they filed bankruptcy. When I trained at 24 in my area, the reason they closed was actually because the landlord didn't renew the lease. They put an Auto Zone in and I'm sure they were able to raise the rent by quite a bit. I was told by someone higher up at 24, that they were going to close the smaller gyms and start opening Super Sports to compete with LA Fitness/City Sports (my area) and leave the nickel and dime monthly's to fight it out. The gym business is a tough business depending where it's at.

 

[Keefs]

I do the home gym and have a membership at the local Y. Like others have said, it’s really nice to have your own shit. With that being said, I definitely get a better workout at the gym. I don’t know if it’s the atmosphere or what. We haven’t had a golds gym in a long time. But yep I’ve seen a ton of gyms come and go over the last 10 years.

 

[sickboy]

I’m in Vegas and it seems like a new gym opens every couple of months. Almost every major street has several gyms on it. Hardcore, small gyms, commercial gyms, training studios, semi-private gyms, etc.

 

[slesh]

I’m in Vegas and it seems like a new gym opens every couple of months. Almost every major street has several gyms on it. Hardcore, small gyms, commercial gyms, training studios, semi-private gyms, etc.

Lol this is why I’m considering moving to Vegas - the gyms and the food!

 

[Brock456]

Couldn’t say about the smaller / independent gyms but the major chains like 24 etc havnt gone anywhere.

This isn’t really true. 24 filed for bankruptcy years ago. I only have 1 left in my area and it’s not even a true 24 hour fitness. It has regular hours 5am-10/11pm, I forget.

 

[Hyperemia]

This isn’t really true. 24 filed for bankruptcy years ago. I only have 1 left in my area and it’s not even a true 24 hour fitness. It has regular hours 5am-10/11pm, I forget.

The question is about gyms in my area, so it absolutely is true. I have no idea what’s going on where you live…

 

[goback2013]

The question is about gyms in my area, so it absolutely is true. I have no idea what’s going on where you live…

you're in the dallas metro area ?