City gym lockout

by Julie Taylor julie.taylor@dailypost.co.nz
Shocked members of a high-profile Rotorua gym have turned up for workouts this week only to discover the doors locked and a sign saying it is closed until further notice.

One customer paid a one-year membership fee of $300 on Sunday at Rotorua's Lifestyle Health and Fitness Centre and got in one hour-long workout before the closure.

Others, like Sheryl Kessack and David Jensen, have also been left out in the cold without explanation.

Daily Post inquiries have revealed that a lease dispute with the landlord is behind the closure and a gym spokesman hopes it will reopen soon.

One client, who asked not to be named, has told how he paid for a year and used the gym for an hour before the closure.

"I had worked extra shifts to be able to afford that. That's not very good value for money," he said.

Mrs Kessack was one of many members who turned up to the Arawa St gym for their regular work out sessions this week to find the door locked.

"Nobody has rung members to let us know what's going on. I just arrived at the gym and found the place all closed up. I text the number on the door but have not heard anything back yet," she told The Daily Post.

Mrs Kessack said the closure and lack of information was out of character.

"It is unlike them to drop everything like this. It's been great and they are really nice people but it would just be nice to know what is going on."

David Jensen who has been a member at Lifestyle for nearly 10 years, said: "Being self-employed I call in whenever I can. It's so convenient and I would not want to go another gym."

Mr Jensen said the premises had recently been renovated and were looking "absolutely brilliant".

"It's sad that, for whatever reason, they have closed. They are really good people and the whole atmosphere is great. I hope they get it sorted out."

A spokesman for Rybo Holdings, trading as Lifestyle 2000, asked not to be named but said negotiations with the landlord were under way with the intention of reopening as soon as possible.

Nobody, including the property's managers Rotoma No1 Incorporation, would tell The Daily Post the name of the landlord.

Contact numbers are now posted on the gym doors so members can contact staff to find out what is happening.

"My understanding is that it is being resolved. To my knowledge it is going through legal channels at the moment."

He confirmed the closure was due to a dispute about the lease on the property but was unable to give a timeframe for a resolution.

The spokesman said he was not impressed with rival gyms trying to cash in on the closure by making offers to Lifestyle members.

"It is not something I would do."

He said no agreements had been made with other gyms and members who spoke to The Daily Post yesterday said they were not keen to move.

The Rybo Holdings spokesman said all automatic payments were being paid into a trust account as a safeguard in the meantime but some customers contacted by The Daily Post are feeling uncertain.



Sue Birch, of The Fitness Studio at the Millennium Hotel, is offering short-term memberships to Lifestyle clients.

"My concern is that the other gyms will come and gobble them up with long-term memberships. This way, once they get back up and running, people can go back there."