NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Gym operators say their business levels have returned to 50 to 75 percent pre-pandemic levels, with one operator telling Eyewitness News “we’re not out of the woods yet”.
Tangerine Curry-Dinnick, owner and director of Evolve Functional Fitness, told Eyewitness News: “I won’t complain. I’m a boutique-styled gym and I think a lot of people felt comfortable coming back to me because my gym is open air. We don’t have air conditioning or anything like that. We’re not as full as we were pre-COVID, but we’re doing quite well, I feel.”
She added: “I would probably say we’re about 50 percent of what business was before COVID. I’m a boutique-styled gym and we have a limit on the number of clients we can have in the gym at a particular time.
“I have had to lessen the number of people we have in a class. We used to have 20 people in a class and now we have 10. For me to be able to get 10 is [a] success right now.
“I would say we’re about 50 percent because we’ve had to cut capacity by that. I’m hoping that as the months go on, we can continue to grow and add some more numbers and of course my clientele will grow a bit more.”
Dinnick noted, however, that the gym has a significant amount of bills outstanding.
“We’re not out of the woods yet. We have eight months of bills to cover and so we’re not out of the woods in any way,” she said.
“We’re very happy to have people coming through the door and that they feel safe to come back.”
Dr Kent Bazard, CEO of Empire Fitness, told Eyewitness News: “We have seen clients return but not at the usual levels. There is a lot of interest and that is a good thing, but there is still a lot of apprehension and people are being cautious.
“I would estimate that we’ve seen about a 65 to 70 percent return. We have made some adjustments to our business model and that has helped also. I think it’s about re-establishing confidence in the entire industry.”
