Sats closes 53 gyms in Oslo and Bergen – E24

The case is being updated!

Bats closes 10 gyms in Bergen and 43 centers in Oslo after a new severe crown tightening, according to a stock exchange announcement.

The Bergen centers will be closed from next Saturday until November 23, while the Oslo centers will close from next Tuesday until December 1.

The company does not close the rest of the chain’s centers.

Sats stock will fall on the Oslo Stock Exchange on Friday. The decline increases after the municipality of Oslo announced the closure of fitness centers for three weeks. The price was down 4.26 percent to 16.18 kroner at 13:30.

The graph below shows how the Sats share price on Børsen developed on Friday.

Unclear with the layoffs

It is too early to say what will happen to employees when the centers close, if they will be laid off, according to communications manager Malin Selander at Sats.

– Do you want to freeze memberships?

– We will also come back with more information about it. Now we sit in meetings and talk, says Selander on the phone with E24.

The lot has good liquidity, which emerged from yesterday’s quarterly report, according to Selander.

– If the memberships are not frozen, then surely only the money will continue to come in from the members, despite the closed centers.

– What we saw at the beginning of the pandemic was that we sold less continuously, like new memberships.

– We have anticipated that this may happen, we want to activate the population and we have opened online training classes.

– Joint responsibility

Evo Fitness should also close. The company has four gyms in Bergen and nine in Oslo.

– We understand, respect and follow the guidelines that we have received. Ending the pandemic is our shared responsibility and we will do our part. At the same time, we will not hide that we are a bit disappointed, Evo Fitness manager Morten Hellevang told E24 on Friday afternoon.

He notes that Evo Fitness has had 700,000 visitors since the centers reopened in June after the previous closure.

– Since then, we have had six cases of infection and none go back to the centers. The risk of contagion with us is extremely low, he says.

Lose your workplace

On Friday afternoon, both Bergen and the municipality of Oslo announced that the gyms will be closed.

– We hope that Oslo also closes. In that case, much of our business will be closed for the second time in a year, Evo’s boss Hellevang said ahead of city council leader Raymond Johansen’s press conference.

According to Hellevang, the previous closure cost the company around NOK 40 million. Evo Fitness has 180 personal trainers and 14 administrative employees.

– Our PTs lose their jobs and therefore all their income, says Hellevang.

– We are entering a phase with worse weather and difficult times. Our clients lose the sand they use to stay active.

– worried

The industrial organization Virke Trening organizes 400 gyms in chains such as Sats, Evo Fitness, Fresh, Nr1 Fitness and Aktiv 365.

Industry Director at Virke Trening, Kjersti Oppen, says they understand the dire situation of infections but are concerned that “they will once again choose to close gyms locally, despite research and facts showing that it is completely safe to exercise. ”

Oppen notes that the figures are good for both Norway and Europe, showing that there is an “extremely low risk of infection in the center.”

– We already operate in accordance with very strict infection control rules and are concerned about the negative effect that the closure will have on public health. This is also very serious for the centers and staff; In Oslo alone, this applies to 3,500 employees. Therefore, it is vitally important that a new compensation scheme is implemented immediately, we must avoid bankruptcy and job losses, says Oppen.