Peloton closes retail stores amid coronavirus outbreak
Fitness company will continue to livestream workouts and operate online retail
Peloton said it temporarily closed its New York and London studios as a response to the worsening coronavirus pandemic, however, it will still stream live content without an audience.
The at-home fitness company, which was slated to open a new flagship studio in Manhattan on Thursday, plans to produce and stream workout content from the new location. Studios will be closed to the public "until further notice," Peloton's CEO John Foley wrote in a statement to members.
"At Peloton, we care deeply about community, and the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted not only our own team and Members but also the global community at large," Foley wrote.
Peloton said Sunday it would close all of its retail store locations with the widening Coronavirus pandemic. (Peloton)
Peloton's decision to close down studios comes as a number of gyms and public places like bars and restaurants shutter globally with the widening COVID-19 pandemic.
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CorePower Yoga, a brick-and-mortar fitness studio chain, temporarily closed all of its studios on Sunday "to support everyone's health and wellbeing," the company posted on its website.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTON | PELOTON INTERACTIVE INC. | 9.04 | +0.69 | +8.19% |
And Peloton competitor SoulCycle has closed down studios in Massachusetts, Seattle, Los Angeles and New Jersey. Class sizes in its open studios have been cut by 50 percent, the Equinox-owned company says on its website. The company released its own stationary bike for at-home riders last week.
Other gyms across the country, meanwhile, are urging members to stay home if they feel even the slightest bit feverish amid the deadly COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, fitness clubs like Equinox, Orange Theory and Barry's are upping their sanitation efforts and implementing Reddit threads to discuss health and safety concerns with clients.
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Peloton, which has more than two million members, said it would also close its retail showrooms where it sells its stationary bikes and treadmills with screens that allow users to live-stream workouts, globally on Monday. It plans to reopen retail brick-and-mortar on March 30 while online retail will continue to operate.
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"As of now, our Field Operations teams will continue to delivery Peloton Bikes and Treads to people's homes, while taking extra precautions to address the safety of both our Members and our team," Foley wrote.