While their members lift dumbbells in training rooms, the operators of fitness studios in the Munich district moan under the burden of the Corona requirements. After a significant loss of income during the two lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, many brace themselves with the courage of desperation against an impending bankruptcy. But there are also some who opened a gym in the middle of the pandemic. What they all have in common is the disappointment that inns in Bavaria are allowed to let in those who have recovered or have been twice vaccinated, while the 2-G-plus rule applies to them, i.e. a negative test must also be presented.
“I’m thinking about giving up my business,” says Heidi Knözinger, who has been running the Mrs. Sporty women’s fitness club in Aschheim for eight years. The number of members has halved since the first lockdown. If many of its members had not continued to pay their dues during the ten-month closure, it would be bankrupt today, says the businesswoman. “If you train three times a week, you have to submit a test three times” – the currently valid 2-G plus regulation is simply too time-consuming for many of its members. Her studio with 200 square meters is small and manageable, so that she can check compliance with the distance rules at any time. “But the big and the small are lumped together,” she complains. At the moment she is not getting by, she is now hoping for a boom in the industry. But as far as the future of the gym is concerned, there are no clear statements about it. “Unfortunately we fish in murky waters,” says Heidi Knözinger.
Many customers have stayed away in the past two years
“I don’t know what’s next” – Luca Adriano, managing director of the Clever-fit branch in Oberhaching, also complains. In his own words, he lost many customers during the forced closings, but also booked numerous new registrations. The 2-G plus rule is definitely annoying for people, he says. At least adolescents with a student ID would not have to prove a booster vaccination. The members can have themselves tested in a container in front of the building; a temporary employment agency has been set up for this purpose. According to Adriano, this service can also be used by non-members. “2020 and 2021 were not good years for the industry,” says Michael Pribil, owner and managing director of nine body and soul training studios in the Munich area, including one in Grünwald. For him it was a huge challenge to get through both lockdowns, says Pribil: “We have lost a lot of customers, the economic damage is enormous, I am left with 30 to 40 percent of my costs.”
But it wasn’t just customers who dropped out. It has become much more difficult to find new employees, said Pribil. In his opinion, the fact that members have resigned and that new customers are not so well received is also due to the media coverage. Here the fear is fueled that one could become infected quickly indoors. “Sure, there is an increased risk of infection in a small basement, but we add 60,000 cubic meters of fresh air every hour, so there are no aerosols.” The existing customers are also very disciplined, with those who do not have a booster vaccination a test is carried out under supervision in the studio.
Nico Steinegger saw a “chance in a crisis” when he opened the “Fit +” fitness studio in Aying on December 12th – the incidence values were just shooting up again. The 23-year-old has invested 150,000 euros in this and is quite confident. He advertised for the first time in January 2020 after realizing that there were no corresponding offers in his home community. He had a hundred customers on the first day, now 140, he says. The young man hopes to amortize his investment in four years. “Sure, things would go better without Corona.”
Some invest in quality: new equipment and even hot tubs
In September 2020 Christian Freinecker started to realize his lifelong dream and opened the “Bayernfitnessstudio” in Hohenschäftlarn with a business partner. “And after two months it boomed,” recalls the fitness business graduate. But when he found out about the lockdown, he immediately said: “I won’t let the virus screw me up.” Despite the bumpy start caused by the pandemic, Freinecker is confident – and defiant: “We want to crank it up, especially now,” he says. He was fortunate that there were hardly any resignations from members during the lockdowns, and during the period of the forced closure he “turned his studio 180 degrees”: higher quality equipment and even a whirlpool bought. In his opinion, politicians do not value the fact that fitness studios not only train muscles, but also improve health in general. “Incidentally, I only received the bridging aid that was announced for November 2020 in May,” reports Freinecker.
At the Employers’ Association of German Fitness and Health Systems DSSV, the situation in the industry is viewed as difficult. “In the last two years we have lost more than two million members nationwide,” says President Birgit Schwarze. On the other hand, there were no new registrations that could compensate for the loss of customers. The President sees the reason for the reluctance to join new members primarily in the “general uncertainty of the population”. Because people cannot estimate which rules will apply in the next two or three months, they are also not ready to make agreements with the fitness studios. However, she does not see the fitness industry as completely black: “Our companies are fighting with all available means – they want to keep their customers.”