the Great forgotten of the plan déconfinement presented by the Prime minister Édouard Philippe, a sports hall remain in the dark about their reopening and became bogged down in a precarious economic situation without precedent. They are high-end, low-cost or independent, all hope to re-open in the best conditions and the shortest possible time, in order not to add to the health crisis, an economic crisis.
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“Make sports a priority”
With more than 4 300 sports halls on its territory, with six million members (representing 8.9 % of the population) and more than 30 000 jobs concerned, France is the third country in Europe is the most active in the fitness market, behind Germany and England. However, according to the remarks of the minister of Sports, the sports club will remain closed until at least 2 June. If Roxana Maracineanu has confirmed the authorization to practice is an individual activity in the open air, as from Monday, may 11, the recovery procedure is not planned anytime soon in order to avoid the risk of the spread of the virus, and no date has been communicated. The sports halls have been forgotten in the plan of déconfinement.
A surprising decision for Cyril Robin, managing director of Orange blue (Cergy Saint-Christophe), the main French actor in number of clubs : “The impression that prevails is that the sports halls have been set aside in this crisis. The government we are talking about a possible reopening in the month of June, but nothing has yet been decided and we remain in the blur the more total. “A feeling shared by Arthur Benzaquen, president of Ken Group & CMG Sports Club, which expects the government to” make sports a priority ” in the country. “We know that in prevention as in treatment, the practice of sport is a formidable weapon. So you have to wager on it. “Statements that echo the data of the european research network on mechanical ventilation (Reva), which has collected data on 2,000 patients with Covid in 195 intensive care units in French. According to Matthew Schmidt, intensivist medical at the parisian hospital la Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital (AP-HP) and the coordinator of the registry, ” 83 % of people in intensive care are overweight or obese, often with an association with diabetes or high blood pressure “, in an article published in the journal The World. “Sport must therefore more than ever becoming a necessity,” says the entrepreneur.
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An economy heavily impacted
After more than two month full stop, the sports halls are sounding the alarm. As pointed out in Céline Rémy Wisselink, co-founder of the chain of clubs Neoness, in an interview devoted to France TV Sport : “The clubs of the profession believe that a closure until the end of may would be a loss of approximately 30 to 50 % of the turnover for the year 2020. “A shortfall colossal fears of economic difficulties in the longer term. “In our case, we have stopped all our levies, welcomes Arthur Benzaquen. “We believe that if our members do not receive the benefits expected, this is not up to them to pay the bill. Now, if we do reopen in mid-June, we will have a debt of five million euros of rent to pay without having been able to collect any back money. “In Jonathan Delattre, president of the association of The Garage Soulac Gym (Soulac-sur-Mer), small gym, independent of 70 members (excluding summer period) :” I put an end to samples of my members, because, although I have maintained the link with them through social networks, I thought they did not have to suffer from the situation. I acknowledge however, a loss of two months, without counting the rent… ” laments the Girondin.
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However, the vast majority of players in the sector such as Orange, blue (430 rooms), Keep Cool (255 rooms), Fitness Park (197 rooms) or Neoness (33 rooms) have kept their levies, while offering various offers to their subscribers (discounts, benefits, or new subscriptions). In Basic-Fit (390 rooms), since may 1st, the subscriptions are frozen and the states are no longer collected. As the entrust Cyril Robin, who opened his franchise The Orange blue a few weeks before the start of the containment : “Since the beginning of the crisis, I estimated an operating loss of approximately 40 000 euros ! Without cash available, we were forced to maintain the levies of our members. We got our landlord to the shaping of our bill of last three months (6 to 400 euros rent per month) on nine monthly payments, we requested a postponement of the credit in our bank, and we made a loan to the State. In the absence of a reopening next, these losses will continue to increase, which would be catastrophic for our company and its employees. “So, here’s hoping the recovery, the fitness club – which will re-open not before June 2, – establish health measures drastic to combat the spread of the Covid-19 in their premises.
A race to the hygiene and clubs who are re-inventing themselves
Promiscuity, sweating, and practice internal force, the fitness clubs are, in normal times, real nests microbes. Then, in the time of coronavirus, the hunt of the virus is the main goal of the managers of sports halls. Gestures barriers, flow management, perimeter security, housekeeping strengthened, masks… most of The actors of the sector to be ready for a recovery in the best conditions. To Soulac-sur-Mer, Jonathan Delattre has already taken the lead, even before they receive guidelines from the government : “We have conducted a disinfection total of places, and it is obvious that we will apply the gestures barriers. If you must respond to a charter of health to prepare for the best possible problems, it would be respected “, explains the boss of the Garage Soulac Gym.
In Ken Group – operator of the fitness industry high-end parisian –, Arthur Benzaquen makes every effort to allow a rapid recovery of its activity. “We have masks labeled and gloves for our teams, we désinfecterons systematically the material before and after each exercise and we will take the temperature of our members at the gun at the entrance. But, to tell the truth, our biggest work background, this is to inform our members. The idea is to write the story with them. “Finally, Orange blue (Cergy Saint-Christophe), Cyril Robin specifies to have benefited from the containment to perform the work. “Now, we expect the group’s guidelines for how and when we will reopen. We have refurbished the premises and we are heavily stocked with masks, gloves, towels, disinfectants… “
also Read ” the Face of the Covid-19, protect our businesses in the sport and well-being ! “
from this Monday, however, the practice of sport will be allowed outdoors for groups of ten people or less. The clubs of sport therefore took advantage of this opportunity to reinvent itself. Owner of three of the areas of fitness, the most luxurious of Paris : the Klay, the Ken Club, and his last-born in 2018, the 21 White, Ken Group has therefore decided to launch its ” training outdoors in solidarity, for the benefit of the Foundation, Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris. Building on the success of his live sessions and her prize to solidarity, the group has partnered with Paris Society (due to its common shareholder in Accor) to provide its members with sports classes solidarity in the gardens and terraces private of the most spectacular in Paris. Finally, in the Gironde, Jonathan Delattre is looking for a suitable site to accommodate its members and regain its activity. At the time of the déconfinement, the recovery is underway both good and bad…
