In addition to our normal news coverage, What Now Atlanta is tracking ways Atlanta’s businesses are adapting to the novel coronavirus and the challenges it brings to brick-and-mortars.
While many gyms have opted to stay closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Crunch Fitness reopened its five Atlanta-area locations last week.
The decision is proving to be fruitful.
Crunch is seeing a spike in memberships that the fitness chain attributes to supply and demand.
Locally, the gym is reporting “high daily sales volume that exceeds the norm for this time of year by 50 percent,” a spokesperson in an email Tuesday told What Now Atlanta.
The company has seen “new joiners switch over from other gyms that have remained closed over the past week.”
Some of those memberships might be rollover from LA Fitness.
The national chain announced it would reopen its Georgia locations on May 1 but then had a change of heart after backlash from vocal members.
Gyms were one of the first “non-essential” businesses allowed to reopen April 24 as ordered by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Here are some of the measures Crunch has put in place to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in its facilities:
- Enhanced cleaning guidelines based on CDC recommendations
- New front desk touchless digital sign-in system
- New signage around the gym to clearly explain social distancing policies
- Gym layout changes (i.e. treadmills 6 feet apart)
- Personal protective equipment for staff including masks, gloves, and twice-daily temperature checks
- More cleaning stations and increased number of spray bottles for sanitization
Crunch will soon operate six local gyms when it opens an outpost in Buford, at 3740 Buford Dr.
[Editor’s note: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly evolving as is its effect on Atlanta, and the City’s businesses and its residents. Click here for What Now Atlanta’s ongoing coverage of the crisis. For guidance and updates on the pandemic, please visit the C.D.C. website.]
