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Sammy Heung

Another branch of the now-defunct Physical gym chain has reopened in Mong Kok under the new name “Perfit”, with some visiting customers concerned that their previous subscription records could be erased while others took a wait-and-see approach.
The former Physical branch in Hollywood Plaza in Mong Kok reopened as Perfit on Thursday at 10am, with around 30 people entering the gym in the first hour.
A woman in her sixties surnamed Tsoi said she had a few years left in her subscription with Physical and was visiting the new outlet to “ask about the situation”.
“I was sad when [Physical] closed down as going to that gym was a part of my life that I had got used to,” she said.
But she was “quite happy” about the reopening of the outlet under a new brand.
“I expect the new owners will ask us to pay more, but I will decide if I want to continue according to my needs and finances,” she added.
Tsoi said she had heard Perfit, a new brand under the medical beauty chain Perface, would ask customers to sign a consent form. She expressed concerns about what the terms would entail.
“I am worried that signing the form means our previous subscription records will be deleted and we will need to buy new plans,” she said.

A Perface representative at the Mong Kok gym confirmed that former Physical members would be asked to sign a consent form “in future” but would tentatively be allowed to use the facility with their old membership cards as the form was “still being prepared”.
She added that the form was to ensure that the company obtained consent for transfers of users’ date, and that Perfit would access Physical members’ information only after they had signed it.
The representative also said Perfit was currently only dealing with transfers of memberships from Physical and was not yet expanding its client base.
The new gym would be accepting new members only “after some preparation”, following the scandal-ridden closure of Physical.
Physical had announced its abrupt closure on September 6, leaving hundreds of staff jobless and triggering thousands of complaints from angry customers.
As of Friday, the Consumer Council had received 5,344 complaints related to the closure involving a total of HK$191 million (US$24.6 million). The largest single case involved over HK$2 million.
A week after Physical reached an apparent agreement with a new investor, its outlet in Wan Chai was reopened under the new name “Healthy”.
But that branch was renamed a second time to “Perfit” on October 4, creating uncertainty and causing concern among ex-Physical members who had signed consent forms with Healthy.
Perface’s parent company, Fameglow Holdings, said last Thursday it had signed a non-legally binding memorandum with Physical, establishing an exclusive discussion period of up to 60 days.
Soon after, Perface announced it would set up a separate company to take over Physical’s business and reopen the Mong Kok branch.
On Thursday, an elderly woman surnamed Tang, who had bought a lifetime membership with Physical and was a client of over 30 years, arrived at Perfit in Mong Kok at 9.45am, the outlet’s first customer of the day.
“If they ask me to pay extra, I will agree if it is reasonable,” she said of the new company’s terms.
“I have not heard that I will need to sign any new agreement or form. I will play it by ear,” she added.
Tang said after using the Perfit facilities that she still preferred Physical. She “didn’t like the environment” of the reopened outlet and missed using the sauna that had been available before.
A customer in his thirties surnamed Yeung left the gym at around 11.15am, saying he felt the interior was “the same as before”.
“I am not worried that they will require me to sign new contracts, since my subscription will end in April next year anyway,” he said.
Yeung added that even though the Mong Kok branch was close to his home, he would go to another gym run by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department if Perfit’s new terms were unattractive.


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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s Perfit gym reopens another branch previously run by scandal-hit Physical

A gym outlet in Mong Kok of the now-defunct Physical chain has reopened under the new name “Perfit”. Photo: Dickson Lee

Customers at the new Perfit gym in Hollywood Plaza, Mong Kok. Photo: Dickson Lee

Owners of Hong Kong’s Physical could avoid criminal liability by citing new investor: lawyers

Owner and director of gym chain Physical Fitness  Luk Ngai-keung, 67, was arrested by Hong Kong customs officers in September. Photo: Sam Tsang

A closed Physical outlet in Kowloon. The 38-year-old fitness chain announced its abrupt closure on September 6. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation accuses Physical of owing it HK$2.8 million in rent and fees

Physical abruptly ended 38 years of business on September 6. Photo: Nora Tam

News

Hong Kong

About 30 people seen at Mong Kok gym reopened by Perface, the medical beauty firm in talks with owner of now-closed fitness giant Physical


About 30 people seen at Mong Kok gym reopened by Perface, the medical beauty firm in talks with owner of now-closed fitness giant Physical.


Hong Kong society

Consumer protection in Hong Kong