Susan Smith, Staff Reporter
Nashauna working out at the Gym. - IAN ALLEN STAFF/PHOTOGRAPHER
MORE CORPORATE organisations are investing in setting up their own gymnasiums for their employees says managing director of Giscombe Sports Warehouse, John Giscombe.
Operator of one of the biggest sports goods stores in the island, he said the need for persons to get fit and compete well has been attracting more business in the sale of gym equipment from individual and corporate clients.
"There's a boom now in the fitness industry which does not just include exercise. People's interest in getting fit has increased twice as much compared to ten years ago," said Mr. Giscombe pointing out that there is a new gadget coming out every week. "Ten years ago, women were more hesitant to use weight training. Now women are using the equipment to lose weight, tone the body or build muscles," he said.
EXPENSIVE PROPOSITION
General Manager for Gym-Khana, Peter Morris said that although setting up a gym is an expensive proposition for many organisations, he believes they have gone that route to improve the welfare of their employees.
"It's a proven fact that wellness and a healthy lifestyle promotes some things such as productivity and less sick days for the organisation," noted Mr. Morris. "When you calculate the cost lost on sick days for some organisations, it's astronomical," he added, pointing out that this has become a huge problem for firms in the United States.
HOTEL GYMS
At present, more than twenty-two hotels in Jamaica have their own gyms and the latest additions in the corporate sector have been the National Commercial Bank's wellness centre officially launched yesterday and The Gleaner's gym which is to be officially opened next week Tuesday.
Other corporations with gyms include those at the Bank of Jamaica, Air Jamaica, the Jamaica Money Market Brokers Limited (JMMB) and Northern Caribbean University. The National Housing Trust is also establishing a gym.
Corporate and media affairs officer for the National Commercial Bank, Charmaine Wright told Wednesday Business that the company set up its gym to support the sports teams and the staff wellness plan. "It's important to the employees so it is important to us," she said.
FIRST COMPANY GYM
Marketing and communication officer at JMMB, Danielle Terrelonge, said: "We are one of the first companies to have a gym. It came out of a holistic approach for our team members not being only financially healthy but physically as well."
Back in 1994, 28 per cent of the Jamaican population fell within the 30-59 age group, which is usually more concerned and conscious about maintaining fitness. A decade later in 2004, the proportion had grown to 33 per cent of the population, according to data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica. Based on the existing trends, this category is expected to continue growing.
It is this ageing population which is trying to step up its effort keep to fit and and remain healthy through the use of gyms. And according to Mr. Giscombe, 60 per cent of these are women. "The women are more conscious of how they look than men," he said.
Manufacturer and retailer of gym equipment, Mr. Giscombe explained that setting up a commercial gym will easily cost ten times as much as setting up agood home gym. He said commercial equipment is built for added wear and tear and is usually much heavier.
Mr. Morris deemed the initiative by corporations a good one but cautioned corporations on the feasibility of setting up gyms. He said the cost of setting up depends on size of the area being used, and the number and types of gym equipment to be installed. He said a single machine could run the company up to J$1 million in cost.
"You have to do a feasibility study and market study to see how many persons are going to use it and ask yourself if it is worthwhile rather than trying to establish a facility where only twenty person will use it on a consistent basis," he said. He also stressed the safety factor which required having certified persons providing instructions on the use of equipment.
"It is a business that generates a lot of income but the expenses are very high," Mr. Morris said. He said GymKhana has presented corporations affordable alternatives to the expense they will incur when setting up their own gyms by offering them corporate memberships.
While corporate gyms are provided for a low cost or for free to their users, industry sources quoted monthly fees ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 per month for fees in commercial gyms.
There has been a gradual increase in the existing commercial gym business, but they will be affected by the gradual upsurge of corporate gyms, Mr. Morris said. "We will loose some of our members but we will gain others."
