The Klab gym in Prato closes, asphyxiated by the increase in the cost of energy bills.
“If in December 2019, before Covid, we received a monthly bill (for economic activities the bills are monthly and not bi-monthly as for homes, ed) of 25 thousand euros, now the amount has tripled. In December 2021, exactly two years later, we are at 75 thousand euros. We are not able to support these exits ”, explains Antonio Caccavali, manager of the Prato structure, of the same group of the two Florentine gyms Klab in Marignolle and in via dei Conti, a stone’s throw from the Duomo, explains on the phone.
Already the Covid for the gym, as for all structures of this type, had been a blow, between forced closure and decreased number of members. If before the outbreak of the pandemic there were up to 2,800 members, after the lockdown in 2020 they had dropped below a thousand, to then go back to the current 1,600, in addition to the approximately 500 members of free swimming between the two pools present.
Therefore important numbers, all people who will have to find another gym. The last day of opening will therefore be March 31st, with closing starting from April 1st. A cold shower also for the dozen employees who work in the structure and the twenty or so personal trainers, collaborators and instructors.
On its website, Klab of Prato has published the photo (below) of the two electricity bills (to be precise from 24,800 euros at the end of 2019 and from 74,978 euros at the end of 2021) and a public letter to users, as well as the link to obtain reimbursement of subscriptions.
Bills skyrocketing, pool closes
“Dear customer – we read – the incredible increases in energy came after two terrible years due to Covid, in which our company suffered enormous losses. Due to Covid, many members have not yet returned to attend the fitness facilities and swimming pools: to date only half of the members have returned to attend the Klab in Prato. The impact of the cost of energy had already become enormous in the past few months. The entire environment of the Klab in Prato consumes a large amount of energy: the pools and the spa consume to treat and heat the water; saunas and turkish baths are energy-intensive in order to maintain the high operating temperatures of these structures; the measures for the prevention of Covid do not allow us to reprocess the air conditioning but only expel it, with a truly significant increase in consumption. Furthermore, due to the above-ground conformation of the building and the large volumes of the structure, the energy impact of the Klab of Prato has always been relatively critical compared, for example, to the Klab of Marignolle which is a much more efficient energy “box” by conformation and structure “.
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“To a situation – continues the open letter – already very compromised due to Covid, which we had however decided to finance by accepting to pay the further losses, with the arrival of the war in Ukraine the cost of energy has increased again by about 50% and despite the mitigation measures taken by the government, the cost of the bill will certainly already be higher than the incredible value of December 2021 in the following months “.
Then the announcement of the closure. “With great regret, starting from 1 April we are forced to close the Klab facility in Prato because we expect even higher and no longer sustainable bills for our company in the coming months, much less in the long term. We will remain open until March 31st. All amounts for unused subscriptions from 1 April to the expiration of the subscription and credits not yet used will be returned “. The email to which you must write for the refund is [email protected].