Haus Athletics Studios abruptly shut down, company allegedly liquidated
Signing up for gym packs is common these days. But what happens when the store you frequent closes without warning?
A high-intensity interval training (HIIT) gym in Tanjong Pagar, Haus Athletics, has abruptly closed its doors, leaving members unsure if they will receive refunds for unused classes they had already paid for.
Both its studios at OUE and the Cross Street Exchange closed down in April.
Emails seen by MS News show that members first publicly disclosed the closure of the OEU on April 17, just two days before April 19, when it ceased operations.
However, the members are still in the dark about their future a month after the studios closed. The only thing they had heard about was that a liquidation had taken place.
Haus Athletics has sent an email informing members of the closure of the studios
According to one member who declined to be named, the first email was sent to them on April 17.
The email stated that, in addition to the OUE studio closing, there would be pop-ups and upcoming events in the coming weeks.
Image provided by an anonymous member of Haus Athletics
Two days later, on April 19, more classes would be added to the other studio at Cross Street Exchange (CS) in Chinatown.
But the second email was sent to members on April 24, informing them that the CSE studio would cease operations on April 26, just two days later.
We understand that this announcement may be unexpected and may come as a shock, on such short notice, the email reads.
He also said that the April 25 classes will be closed and that he will contact members with active packages to discuss options, with a commitment to make the process as smooth as possible.
Haus Athletics has reportedly been liquidated
A former employee, Alex (that’s not their real name), noted that the company’s founders set up a Zoom call and announced the shutdown the same time the public received the emails.
However, the founders allegedly avoided answering further questions about the company’s next steps. Additionally, employees were not told that the company had been wound up.
The founders always made it seem like we were taking a break, and there’s potential to reopen a studio elsewhere, Alex said.
It wasn’t until April 28, when a winding-up company sent an email to creditors, including major package holders, stating that the company was in liquidation, that employees found out.
Included in the document was a provisional list of creditors as at 28 February, as well as a date set for a meeting of creditors on 9 May.
Apparently, the company owes more than S$1.7 million to its 268 creditors, although this amount may have changed since the email was sent.
Members unclear about refund status
Another member said they were unaware of their liquidation plans until their friend, the primary package holder, received the liquidator’s letter.
They have not filed a police report pending further follow-up by Haus and/or its liquidators regarding whether or not they will receive any refunds.
We will decide our next course of action once we receive definitive information on refunds, they said.
There have been no further communications from Haus or the liquidators on the status of the repayments (if any) since the last email on April 28 and the creditors’ meeting on May 9, they added.
We are deeply disappointed in the way Haus handled this matter as there was no indication that they were in any form of financial difficulty and they have done nothing to reassure us that they are doing their best to process our refunds.
It all happened so suddenly and we weren’t given any reaction time. . . we were really blindsided by all of this.
Social media accounts are still active
Even though Haus Athletics has been liquidated, the social media accounts are still open, albeit not updated as of April 20.
However,MS News learned that a pop-up event hosted by Rumors Beach Club in partnership with Haus Athletics was held on May 13. We reached out to Rumors Beach Club to find out more.
MS News he also reached out to the founders of Haus Athletic, but they still haven’t responded.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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