Implementation of Store Closures and Special Membership Suspension Program
First written in FY2020-Q2. 4 of 8 entries say "Advanced", first in FY2020-Q3. Latest entry: FY2022.
The whole theme swung hardest in 2025: 2 of 11 companies on the "Worse" side.
12 other companies' latest entry also says "Dropped".
- FY2022DroppedAnnual reportThis filing contains no specific description of the implementation of the special membership-freeze program or store closures, and the discussion of this topic has been removed.
- FY2022-Q1MitigatedAnnual report
「No management support payments for franchisees arose in connection with store closures and membership freezes」
No management support payments for franchisees arose in connection with store closures and membership freezes, reducing the impact of the store-closure and membership-freeze response seen in the previous fiscal year. - FY2021Response to partial store closures after the special membership-freeze program endedAnnual report
「Although some stores located in large facilities subject to closure requests were closed, with the maximum number of closures reaching 31 stores, approximately 70% of members at the affected stores were able to continue exercising by using nearby stores or the online exercise class “Curves at Home,” keeping the impact of membership-fee refunds and other measures to a minimum. The special membership-freeze program ended at the end of March 2021.」
Some stores were closed, but the special membership-freeze program ended at the end of March 2021, and the group reported alternative arrangements through nearby stores and online services. - FY2021-Q3AdvancedAnnual report
「Although some stores located in large facilities subject to closure requests were closed, with the maximum number of closures reaching 31 stores, approximately 70% of members at the affected stores were able to continue exercising by using nearby stores or the online exercise class “Curves at Home,” keeping the impact of membership-fee refunds and other measures to a minimum. The special membership-freeze program ended at the end of March 2021.」
While some stores were closed due to declarations of a state of emergency and other measures, approximately 70% of members at the affected stores continued exercising at nearby stores or online. The special membership-freeze program ended at the end of March 2021. - FY2021-Q2AdvancedAnnual report
「The effective membership total excluding frozen memberships increased from 600 thousand to 641 thousand, while the number of members using the special membership-freeze program declined from 99 thousand to 44 thousand.」
The number of members using the special membership-freeze program declined from 99 thousand to 44 thousand, while the effective membership total excluding frozen memberships recovered to 641 thousand. Members have increasingly returned following the impact of store closures and special membership freezes. - FY2021-Q1AdvancedAnnual report
「During the first quarter consolidated accounting period (September to November 2020), we worked to increase membership through campaigns for new memberships and returns from membership freezes. In October in particular, we conducted media-mix marketing with strategic spending on costs, including television advertising. As part of our initiatives for the with-COVID environment, we also began rolling out the online exercise class “Curves at Home” in September and used it to encourage members using the special membership-freeze program to return. As a result, not only did new memberships recover, but members also returned from freezes, and the effective membership total excluding frozen memberships increased by a net 88 thousand to 689 thousand.」
Measures to attract new members and encourage returns from membership freezes were implemented, reducing the number of members using the special freeze from 99 thousand to 43 thousand. The effective membership total excluding frozen memberships increased by a net 88 thousand. - FY2020-Q3AdvancedAnnual report
「During the third quarter consolidated accounting period (March to May 2020), we temporarily closed stores from 8 to 15 March 2020 and from April through the end of May, in response to various requests from the government and local authorities accompanying the global spread of COVID-19. As a result, the number of Curves stores in Japan at the end of the third quarter consolidated accounting period, excluding Men's Curves, increased by 28 from the end of the previous consolidated fiscal year, or 1.4%, to 2,019, including 65 group-operated stores. Membership declined by 72 thousand to 749 thousand, down 8.9% year on year. However, 203 thousand members were using the special membership-freeze program at the end of the third quarter consolidated accounting period, and their membership fees for the applicable period were fully refunded. Accordingly, the effective membership total was 545 thousand at period-end.」
Store closures and the special membership-freeze program were implemented in practice, with 203 thousand members using the program. Additional information also describes the reopening of stores and a recovery trend compared with the closure period. - FY2020-Q2First statedAnnual report
「We decided to implement store closures following the declaration of a state of emergency and a special membership-freeze program (a measure allowing people at high risk of becoming seriously ill from infection, such as those with underlying conditions and older people, to freeze their memberships without paying membership fees until the infection subsides), in response to the spread of COVID-19 in Japan and Europe, the resulting stagnation in economic and consumer activity, the decline in membership caused by fewer new sign-ups and more cancellations, and the declaration of a state of emergency.」
The group decided to close stores in response to the declaration of a state of emergency and implement a special membership-freeze program under which membership fees would not be collected until the infection subsided.